Colossians
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” — Colossians 1:15–17 (KJV)
Overview
- Testament: New
- Author: Paul, with Timothy
- Date Written: ~AD 60–62, written during Paul’s Roman imprisonment
- Key Themes: The supremacy and sufficiency of Christ, the Colossian heresy, fullness in Christ, the new life, household ethics
- Chapters: 4
Summary
Colossians was written to a church Paul had never personally visited — founded by Epaphras, who had brought the gospel to Colossae during Paul’s three-year Ephesian ministry. Epaphras had reported to Paul (now imprisoned in Rome) that a troubling philosophical-religious system had emerged in the church, threatening to displace Christ from His proper place.
The “Colossian heresy” (never named but reconstructed from Paul’s responses) appears to have been a syncretistic blend of Jewish ritual requirements (circumcision, food laws, sabbath observance — 2:16), angelic intermediaries and the “worship of angels” (2:18), ascetic practices (2:21–23: “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch”), and speculative “philosophy” and “tradition of men” (2:8) — likely a Jewish-influenced Hellenistic mysticism that presented a hierarchy of spiritual powers between God and humanity, reducing Christ to one among many mediators.
Paul’s response is one of the highest Christological arguments in the NT. In the magnificent poem of 1:15–20 (likely an early hymn), Christ is presented as the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, the creator and sustainer of all things — including every supposed angelic hierarchy — and the head of the church, the firstborn from the dead. “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell” (1:19). The answer to every mediator-system is complete sufficiency in Christ: “ye are complete in him” (2:10).
Chapter 1 opens with thanksgiving, prayer, and the Christ hymn. Chapter 2 directly confronts the false teaching: don’t be taken captive by hollow philosophy; the fullness of deity dwells in Christ bodily (2:9); baptism unites believers to His death and resurrection; the “handwriting of ordinances” against us has been nailed to the cross. Chapter 3 unfolds the implications: if you have been raised with Christ, seek things above. Put off the old nature (with its catalog of sins), put on the new (compassion, kindness, humility, patience, love). Chapter 4 addresses household relationships and closes with extensive greetings — the richest window into Paul’s co-worker network anywhere in his letters.
Key Characters
| Character | Role | Key Passages |
|---|---|---|
| Paul | Author; prisoner; never visited Colossae | 1:1; 2:1 |
| Timothy | Co-sender | 1:1 |
| Epaphras | Founder of the Colossian church; Paul’s fellow prisoner | 1:7–8; 4:12–13 |
| Tychicus | Letter-carrier; sent with Onesimus | 4:7–8 |
| Onesimus | Runaway slave; sent back (cf. Philemon) | 4:9 |
| Aristarchus | Fellow prisoner with Paul | 4:10 |
| Mark (John Mark) | Barnabas’s cousin; with Paul; coming to Colossae | 4:10 |
| Luke | ”The beloved physician”; with Paul | 4:14 |
| Demas | With Paul | 4:14 |
| Archippus | ”Fellow soldier”; receives a personal charge | 4:17 |
| Nympha | Hosts a house church in Laodicea | 4:15 |
Key Events
| Event | Reference | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Prayer for the Colossians | 1:9–14 | Filled with knowledge; fruit of good works; delivered from darkness |
| The Supremacy of Christ | 1:15–20 | Image of invisible God; all things created by and for him; “by him all things consist”; head of the church |
| Hidden with Christ in God | 3:1–17 | ”Your life is hid with Christ in God”; put off / put on; love as the bond of perfectness |
| Paul’s ministry for the church | 1:24–29 | Suffering; mystery hidden — Christ in you, the hope of glory |
| Warning against false philosophy | 2:8–15 | Hollow philosophy; fullness in Christ; the cross triumphs over powers |
| Household codes | 3:18–4:1 | Wives/husbands, children/fathers, servants/masters |
| Prayer and witness | 4:2–6 | Continue in prayer; walk wisely toward outsiders; speech seasoned |
| Greetings and personal notes | 4:7–18 | Richest co-worker list in NT; charge to Archippus; read to Laodicea |
Chapter Outline
| Chapter | Section | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christ’s Supremacy | Thanksgiving; Christ hymn; Paul’s ministry; mystery revealed |
| 2 | Against the Heresy | Philosophy warning; fullness in Christ; cross victory; regulations rejected |
| 3 | New Life in Christ | Put off/put on; household codes; work as for the Lord |
| 4 | Prayer, Wisdom, Greetings | Watchful prayer; wise conduct; extensive co-worker greetings |
Important Places
| Place | Significance | Key Passages |
|---|---|---|
| Colossae | Recipient church; Lycus Valley in Phrygia | 1:1–2 |
| Laodicea | Neighboring city; church to receive this letter too | 2:1; 4:13, 15–16 |
| Hierapolis | Neighboring city; Epaphras labored there too | 4:13 |
| Rome | Paul’s place of imprisonment | 4:3, 18 |
Cross-References
Old Testament:
- Genesis 1:1 — “In the beginning” / “Firstborn of all creation” (1:15)
- Proverbs 8:22–31 — Wisdom at creation; possible background for 1:15–17
- Isaiah 9:6 — Mighty God; everlasting Father
New Testament:
- Ephesians — Written at same time; extensive parallel passages
- Philemon — Sent with Colossians; Onesimus carried both (4:9)
- John 1:1–14 — The Word/Logos theology parallels the Christ hymn
- Hebrews 1:1–4 — Christ as exact image and sustainer of all things
- Revelation 3:14–22 — The Laodicean church (neighboring city) rebuked
Key Verses
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created… And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” — Colossians 1:15–17
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” — Colossians 2:9–10
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” — Colossians 3:1–2
“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” — Colossians 3:17
“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” — Colossians 4:6
Notes & Reflections
- The Christ hymn (1:15–20) is one of the highest and most concentrated Christological poems in the NT; its two strophes cover Christ’s relation to creation (1:15–17) and to the church/new creation (1:18–20)
- “Firstborn of all creation” (1:15) — not “first created” (which would make Christ a creature) but “firstborn” as a title of preeminence and sovereignty (cf. Psalm 89:27)
- “All things consist” (1:17) — synestēken — “hold together”; Christ is the cohesive principle of the cosmos; the universe would dissolve without Him
- The Colossian heresy anticipates later Gnosticism in its emphasis on secret wisdom, angelic hierarchies, and body-denying asceticism
- The “handwriting of ordinances” (2:14) nailed to the cross — a vivid image of a certificate of debt canceled and publicly nullified
- The letter to the Laodiceans (4:16) is mentioned — it has not survived; some identify it with the letter to the Ephesians (several early MSS of Ephesians lack “in Ephesus”)
- Colossians has the richest co-worker greeting list of any prison epistle — a window into the Pauline mission network
Sequential Connections
- Preceded by: Ephesians — Companion prison epistle; many parallel passages
- Sent alongside: Philemon — Both carried by Tychicus and Onesimus
- Part of Prison Epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon
- Followed by: 1 Thessalonians in canonical order
Tags
NewTestament PaulineEpistle Colossians ChristHymn Supremacy Fullness PrisonEpistle FalseTeaching ColossianHeresy HouseholdCodes