{"id":55667,"date":"2022-11-10T16:33:39","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T22:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?page_id=55667"},"modified":"2022-11-12T16:14:53","modified_gmt":"2022-11-12T22:14:53","slug":"introduction-to-colossians","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/christ-in-you-a-study-of-colossians\/introduction-to-colossians\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction to Colossians"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Introduction to Colossians<\/h1>\n

Text: Colossians 1:1-2<\/p>\n

Purpose<\/h2>\n

The church is facing pressure to accept Jewish doctrines (Colossians 2:5; 8, 16-17, 20-23). Paul is countering that everything needed is in Christ, not in the Old Law. All knowledge is in Christ (Colossians 2:2-3) and Christ fully represents God (Colossians 2:9-10). Thus, the brethren in Colossae needed to stay rooted in the teachings of Christ (Colossians 1:9-11, 23). They needed to seek heavenly things (Colossians 3:1-2).<\/p>\n

Overview<\/h2>\nThe book is divided into two parts, like the book of Ephesians.
\n\u2022 Chapters 1-2 argue the supremacy of Christ
\n\u2022 Chapters 3-4 emphasize the practical application of submitting to Christ\n

Outline<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Introduction – Colossians 1:1-14\n
      \n
    1. Salutations – Colossians 1:1-2<\/li>\n
    2. Paul’s thankfulness for the Colossians – Colossians 1:3-8<\/li>\n
    3. Paul’s prayer – Colossians 1:9-14<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
    4. The Preeminence of Christ – Colossians 1:15-29\n
        \n
      1. First place in the Creation – Colossians 1:15-18<\/li>\n
      2. First place in redemption – Colossians 1:19-23<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
      3. Paul’s service – Colossians 1:24-2:7<\/li>\n
      4. False teaching – Colossians 2:8-23\n
          \n
        1. The empty philosophy of Judaism – Colossians 2:8-10<\/li>\n
        2. Ceremonialism – Colossians 2:11-17<\/li>\n
        3. Worship of Angels – Colossians 2:18-19<\/li>\n
        4. Ascetic rules – Colossians 2:20-23<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
        5. The believer\n
            \n
          1. Seek the things above – Colossians 3:1-4<\/li>\n
          2. Put off the old man of sin – Colossians 3:5-9<\/li>\n
          3. Put on the new man – Colossians 3:10-17<\/li>\n
          4. Family relationships – Colossians 3:18-21<\/li>\n
          5. Work relationships – Colossians 3:22-4:1<\/li>\n
          6. Prayer – Colossians 4:2-4<\/li>\n
          7. Conversation – Colossians 4:5-6<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
          8. Conclusion\n
              \n
            1. Introduction to Tychicus – Colossians 4:7-9<\/li>\n
            2. Greetings from those with Paul – Colossians 4:10-14<\/li>\n
            3. Instructions concerning this letter – Colossians 4:15-18<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              The Senders<\/h2>\n

              The letter is sent from Paul and Timothy. As with his other letters, Paul emphasizes a characteristic of himself that his audience needs to keep in mind. Since he is arguing against false teachers, he points out that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. He didn’t seek out the position. He was chosen by the will of God (Acts 9:15-16; 22:14-15; 26:16-18). In other words, Paul has authority behind his words that the false teachers could never obtain.<\/p>\n

              Timothy was from the neighboring region of Galatia, having grown up in Lystra. It is likely that Timothy served as the scribe for this letter. His name appearing here would serve as a witness to the authenticity of the letter.<\/p>\n

              The Receivers<\/h2>\n

              The Christians in Colossae are described as “saints” (set apart for a holy purpose) and “faithful” (trustworthy, sincere, and dedicated to Christ). These designations are important as Paul is emphasizing that they must remain steadfast in face of false teachings.<\/p>\n

              Salutation<\/h2>\n

              As in most of Paul’s letters, he starts out relaying a message from God: Grace and peace to you. The one difference in this greeting is that Paul didn’t include Jesus Christ as he does in other letters. Many commentators feel that Paul’s salutation combines the common Greek salutation (“grace to you”) with the common Hebrew salutation (“peace to you”) to emphasize that God is interested in all people.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tColossians\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Introduction to Colossians Text: Colossians 1:1-2 Purpose The church is facing pressure to accept Jewish doctrines (Colossians 2:5; 8, 16-17, 20-23). Paul is countering that everything needed is in Christ, not in the Old Law. All knowledge is in Christ (Colossians 2:2-3) and Christ fully represents God (Colossians 2:9-10). Thus, the brethren in Colossae needed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":55641,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-55667","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22728,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/survey-of-the-bible\/survey-of-the-bible-colossians\/","url_meta":{"origin":55667,"position":0},"title":"Survey of the Bible – Colossians","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Survey of the Bible - Colossians Text: Colossians 2:1-7 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The letter to the church in Colossae is one of the four letters Paul wrote from prison while in Rome. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was written about the same time as Ephesians and Philemon and were delivered by the same messengers - Tychicus\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55641,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/christ-in-you-a-study-of-colossians\/","url_meta":{"origin":55667,"position":1},"title":"Christ in You: A Study of Colossians","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Christ in You A Study of Colossians by Jeffrey W. Hamilton November 2022 Content Background of Colossians Introduction to Colossians - Colossians 1:1-2 Paul's Thankfulness for the Colossians - Colossians 1:3-12 The Preeminence of Christ - Colossians 1:14-23 Paul's Service to Christ and the Brethren - Colossians 1:24-2:7 Only an\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC01594-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC01594-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC01594-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC01594-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC01594-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC01594-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55710,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/christ-in-you-a-study-of-colossians\/pauls-thankfulness-for-the-colossians\/","url_meta":{"origin":55667,"position":2},"title":"Paul’s Thankfulness for the Colossians","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Paul's Thankfulness for the Colossians Text: Colossians 1:3-12 What Paul Appreciates About the Colossians - Colossians 1:3-6 Paul and Timothy give thanks to God in their prayers for the Colossians. He has heard of their faith in Jesus and their love for their fellow saints. Faith in Christ and love\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55661,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/christ-in-you-a-study-of-colossians\/background-of-colossians\/","url_meta":{"origin":55667,"position":3},"title":"Background of Colossians","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Background of Colossians Text: Colossians 1:1-2 Getting Acquainted: What section of the Bible does Colossians fit? Read the book of Colossians in one sitting, as if you just received this letter from your uncle. What kind of book is Colossians? 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