Paul wrote a lot of letters to different groups of people for a number of different reasons. In this case we have the church at Colossae which had been started by Epaphrus (Col 1:7) - my understanding is that Epaphrus sought out Paul for help because he was not sure how to deal with the Colossians and the struggles they were facing there.
Paul reminds the Colossians that they were once apart from God because of their evil actions but the work of Jesus on the cross cleared that up (Col 1:21-22).
As I read verse 27, "...which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." I was reminded of the song 'Everything'.
Paul addresses the false teachings to which Colossae has been exposed. He does this through a warning not to be deceived by persuasive arguments, human tradition, and forces of the world (Col 2:4, 8).
*Indeed the world is ripe with false teachings and it is extremely difficult at times to parse out the truth. Paul brings it all back to Christ - Everything - it is in Him that we live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). Therefore, bring it all back to Him and test for that which is good.
Paul reminds them that they no longer belong to the world (Col 2:20) - or really questions why they still behave as if they did. Our focus should be on Him. Paul tells them to put to death all that which is worldly (Col 3:5).
*A tall order, no doubt. Even today our culture struggles with the compartmentalization of our people - labeling. Col 3:11 puts an end to that. We are one body in Christ. We are to accept and forgive one another just as Christ forgave us (Col 3:13).
Some good words at the end of this short letter.
Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should answer each person." (Col 4:6)Easier said than done, right? Remember to keep Christ in everything and this becomes easier. He will be a natural outpouring when He permeates all you do.
Please enjoy this video about Colossians from our friends at the Bible Project.
Until next time,
