Book Overview: Colossians
W. James Biesiadecki
Reading Overview / Colossians
Epaphras, The Fully Mature Disciple.
“Maturity is a high price to pay for growing up.”
The purpose of the letter to the Colossians was to encourage a church to Grow into Full Maturity. Col 2:6-7 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” The church was facing false teachings and needed to reinforce the believers' understanding of the sufficiency and supremacy of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote the letter to address a heretical teaching that had emerged in Colossae, which mixed elements of Jewish legalism, mysticism, and angel worship with Christian beliefs.
Col 2:6-7 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
When Warren Wiersbe wrote a commentary on this epistle, he called it “Be Complete.”
“Paul did not begin by attacking the false teachers and their doctrines. He began by exalting Jesus Christ and showing His preeminence in five areas: the gospel message, redemption, creation, the church, and Paul’s own ministry.”
― Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Complete (Colossians): Become the Whole Person God Intends You to Be.
He titled his commentary on Colossians "Be Complete" because the theme of the letter to the Colossians is the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ. In the letter, Paul encourages the Colossian Christians to resist false teaching and to fully embrace the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church and the source of all spiritual blessings. The phrase "be complete" comes from Colossians 2:10, which says, "and in him you have been made complete, and he is the head over all rule and authority." This verse emphasizes that believers in Christ have everything they need for spiritual fulfillment and completeness, and that they should not look to any other source for spiritual fulfillment.
This is an Epistle.
The Greek word for "epistle" is "ἐπιστολή" (epistolē), which is derived from the verb "ἐπιστέλλω" (epistellō), meaning "to send a message." The lexical meaning of the word "ἐπιστολή" is a written letter or message that is sent to someone, typically for the purpose of communication or instruction. In the context of the New Testament, the term "epistle" refers to the letters written by various apostles and leaders of the early Christian church to different communities of believers, which were intended to provide guidance, instruction, and encouragement.
These epistles are written to churches. Their purpose is application, and circulation. There are several verses of scripture that suggest that the epistles were intended to be circulated or shared among the churches. Here are a few examples:
1. Colossians 4:16 - "After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea." In this verse, Paul instructs the Colossians to share his letter with the church in Laodicea, and to also read the letter that the Laodiceans had sent to them.
2. 2 Corinthians 1:1 - "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia." This verse indicates that the letter was not ju