Colossians Bible Study

Welcome to this study of Colossians. I want to introduce a consideration used in the approach to this study. We know from scriptures like Mat 22:34-40, 1 Cor 13:1-3, Eph 5:1-2, and many others, that "love" is the most important thing to God. His love for us... our love for Him, and for one another. Since we know this to be true, then in our study of God's Word, God's Love should be and I believe is the basic context of everything He has to say to us within the bible. To study the bible then, with this consideration is vital to a clearer understanding of the message God has given us.

What is amazing, is that in this, my first study of God's Word with Love as the basic context, it (Colossians) proves further just how important this premises really is. But, before we begin the reading of the text, we should briefly look at what was going on in history around the time of these writings.

The Epistle to the Colossians was written by Paul at Rome during his first imprisonment there (Acts 28:16, 30), probably in the spring of A.D. 57, or, as some believe, 62, and soon after he had written his Epistle to the Ephesians. The leader of the church in Colosse in Asia Minor (Col 4:12), came to Paul in Rome with mixed news about the church of Colosse. The good news was that the gospel was bearing fruit among the Colossians (Col 1:6), who were continuing in the faith (Col 1:4) in Christ and in love for their fellow believers. The bad news was that the Colossians were being troubled by some new teachings, contrary to the gospel which Epaphras had been preaching to them. The new teaching claimed a profound knowledge apart from Christ (Col 2:8), an emphasis on following prescribed rituals (Col 2:16), the worship of angels (Col 2:18), and ascetic self-abasement (Col 2:18, 20-23). The new teachings invoked spiritual powers rather than calling on Christ in whom the fullness of God dwelt in bodily form (Col 2:9). Those false teachings denied the total sufficiency of Christ for salvation and the completeness of Christ's atonement. Paul did not write about the point by point details of the false teachings. Instead, He overshadows the false teachings with the full and complete riches of Christ, His character and nature... the redemptive work of Christ who is also God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the Savior and God/Man who reconciled by his blood the sinful man - back to God, and who is also the power of the believers' faith.

In Christ is found real knowledge, fullness, and completeness. Thus Paul asserted that Christians have no need for human philosophy and wisdom to be complete. They are complete in Christ in whom they have the divine wisdom. In, and behind all of the wonderful insights to our salvation, the helpful keys to living our life under Christ's Headship, and the wonderful understanding that the Holy Spirit gives us... all of these things we will learn and receive from our study, are linked to how much God has always loved His created ones and loves each one of us here now, Today! I hope you'll join me as we go through this amazing book of the bible.

I love you.