Chunks: Paul's Letter to the Colossians

When we read Paul, we can often hear echoes of the teaching of Jesus. Jesus spoke of the secrets of the kingdom, and in parables, likened the kingdom to a great treasure. As we’ve seen, Paul uses similar language to speak of the “mystery” that’s been uncovered or revealed to God’s people (Col 1:26). He then uses the language of hidden treasure (Col 2:3) to help the Colossians appreciate the value...

Some of us, in one way or another, are perfectionists. It’s not just wanting to do things well, but partly a fear of failure, of being “not good enough.” Thus, when Paul speaks of working strenuously to help make every believer in the church “fully mature in Christ” (Col 1:28), that might sound a little intimidating, just as Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount—“Be perfect…as your heavenly Fath...

As Christians, there are many things we believe that we will never fully comprehend. Even if we trust what we read in Scripture, we also know that we don’t understand all of it. “What does this mean?” we might wonder. “How can this be?” And in response, someone may simply say, “It’s a mystery.” It can be said flippantly, as if to communicate, “Nobody knows, so don’t ask.” But Paul himself calls th...

Paul, also known as Saul of Tarsus, had once been a zealous and violent persecutor of the church. You can hear what sounds like regret over his past in some of his letters. When you remember his story, and imagine that regret, it helps make sense of the way he repeatedly speaks of his willingness to suffer for the gospel, including in his letter to the Colossians. But what does he mean when he say...

The Colossians have never met Paul in person. They know him only by reputation and from whatever stories Epaphras must have told them. Paul has already introduced himself at the beginning of chapter 1, and at the end of that chapter (Col 1:24-29) he says even more about himself. Before exploring that description in detail, however, we need a little biographical context. In this episode, therefore,...

Because of what Jesus has done, we are not who we once were; thanks be to God. At the same time, we’re not yet who we will be. Paul’s perspective on the Christian life doesn’t just look backward to the cross, but also forward to the day of Jesus’ return (Col 1:21-23). The gospel is thus a story of hope that has a glorious ending. Learning to think that way can help us endure the challenges of the...

You have a body; I have a body. That is how God created us, and that creation was good in God’s sight. But sometimes, we spiritualize the Christian life in a way that makes it sound like our physical bodies are nuisances to be endured rather than things of beauty in need of redemption. Paul speaks of the sacrifice of Jesus in a way that emphasizes the bodily nature of the act (Col 1:22)—and this s...

Previously, we considered what it would mean to think of ourselves as having been God’s enemies. That can be a challenge to our self-concept. But here’s the other side. If we’re at all aware of our sin, if we feel the guilt and shame of things we’ve done, it may also be hard to accept that God sees us as “holy and without blemish” (Col 1:22). What does Paul mean by this?

In the previous episode, we considered what it meant to be alienated from God and in need of reconciliation. But have we ever considered ourselves to be among God’s “enemies”? We all know we have our faults and weaknesses. Still, we like to think of ourselves as more or less good people, and certainly not as bad as others whom we could name. So, what does it mean for Paul to say that we were God’s...

All of us, I suspect, have experienced broken relationships, even within our families; sometimes, we long for reconciliation. But have we ever thought of ourselves as needing to be reconciled to God? The apostle Paul is often thought of as teaching the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was to pay the penalty for our sin, and this is true. But as he teaches in Colossians, it was also overcome our ali...

Imagine being one of the disciples of Jesus. You’ve heard him say amazing things, and seen him do amazing deeds. You see him in a way that few do; you know how unique he is. And then he does something that astonishes you even more—and you’re flustered, even afraid. So it was when Jesus calmed the storm. And thus too does the apostle Paul want to challenge the Colossians to understand something the...

In Paul’s cosmic portrait of Christ and his work, Jesus didn’t just make peace between sinful humanity and God; through his blood, he made peace for all of creation (Col 1:19-20). This points to God’s ongoing work of restoring shalom , that is, restoring the goodness and wholeness that God intended for everything created. Is the church a place of shalom ? Are we willing to be part of that work?

Many presentations of the gospel emphasize our need to be saved from our sin through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. It’s the core truth that led many of us to pray for our salvation. But the larger story, as Paul teaches in both Romans 8 and Colossians 1:19-20, is not merely that humanity needs to be redeemed and reconciled to God; creation itself does. My sin isn’t just about me; nor is my...

When New Testament writers speak of the “church,” they’re not referring to a place or a building; they’re referring to a people. Moreover, as Paul teaches in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, those people together are “the body of Christ.” He uses the same metaphor in Colossians 1:18. There, however, his point is to insist that Christ is the “head” of the body. And later, in chapter 2, we’ll have to...

Compare how the four gospels begin. John has the earliest starting point, traveling back in time past the birth of Jesus, past the birth of Abraham, all the way to the very beginning of all things, to the creation itself. Paul’s portrait of Jesus is cosmic in this way: all things were created in him, through him, and for him (Col 1:16). In some ways, what Paul portrays is beyond human comprehensio...

In Jewish families of biblical times, to be the firstborn son was to have a position of status and privilege. That’s still true in many cultures today. As Paul begins his exalted description of Jesus, he calls him both “the image of the invisible God” and “the firstborn over all creation” (Col 1:15). Not only does Jesus show us the very character of God, but as Paul will also say in the very next...

If you consider yourself a follower of Christ, why do you follow him? Is it out of gratitude for what he did for you, for all of us, on the cross? That’s certainly an excellent reason. But there’s more to it than that; he is not only Savior, but Lord . Colossians 1:15-20 may be the most exalted description of Jesus in the New Testament, one which will take several episodes to unpack. Paul doesn’t...

We’re about to begin exploring the main body of Paul’s letter, in which he repeatedly emphasizes the supremacy of Jesus over all. Before we do, however, I want to take this episode to give a bit of theological perspective. Paul has prayed that the Colossians would know God’s will and have fruitful lives. Similarly, Jesus taught his followers to pray that the Father’s will would be done. But how sh...

When we’ve heard the gospel presented clearly, our response may be to believe—because it seems like the sensible thing to do. We may not have a sense of being rescued or set free, because our lives don’t seem all that bad. But the Bible routinely contrasts righteousness with sin, light with darkness. The apostle Paul, for his part, says that through Jesus, we have been rescued “from the dominion o...

Many families divide, unfortunately, over issues of inheritance, and this was true even in New Testament times. The importance of inheritance goes back even further into the Jewish traditions we find in the Old Testament. It’s significant, then, that Paul uses the language of inheritance (Col 1:12) to tell the Gentile believers in Colossae that they have now been adopted into God’s family, and sha...

Sooner or later, we all find ourselves having to endure some ongoing situation we don’t want, sometimes knowing that it’s the price we pay for doing the right thing. We grit our teeth; we grind it out. Likewise, Paul prays that the Colossians would grow in endurance and patience as they face their challenges. But he also seems to think that they can do so with joy and gratitude as well (Col 1:10-1...

As we’ve seen, Paul prays that the Colossians would know God’s will. But the Christian life isn’t just about what we know, but how we live—or to use a biblical metaphor, how we walk (Col 1:10). The two go together in a reciprocal relationship: we must know God’s will to walk in God’s way, but walking in God’s way also deepens our knowledge of God’s will. Knowing our destination but also navigating...

When Paul prays for the Colossians, he prays with gratitude for the way the gospel is transforming them. He prays that they would continue to grow spiritually, particularly in their “knowledge of God’s will” (Col 1:9-12). But “knowledge” may have been a loaded word for the Colossians, just as the phrase “God’s will” can be loaded for us. What did Paul mean?

Paul speaks of the gospel “bearing fruit” (Col 1:6) in a way that’s reminiscent of Jesus’ parable of the sower and the soils. And despite the problems he must address in the letter, Paul commends the Colossians for the fruit he sees in their lives. Consider the implications. If Paul can do that, then perhaps when we’re tempted to complain about what’s wrong with a congregation, we could begin inst...

Even as Paul tells the Colossians how he prays for them, he is again both following and transforming convention. It was common for letter-writers to express their gratitude to the recipient of the letter. But Paul’s gratitude has theological significance. He is grateful for the way the gospel is bearing fruit throughout the empire—and he sees that fruit in the faith, hope, and especially the love...