Salutation
This is a standard form of greeting
Paul is identified as an apostle of Christ Jesus
God is the one who commissioned and empowered him
The letter is addressed to the faithful at Colossae
It includes the typical address of “grace and peace”

A prayer of Thanksgiving for the Colossians
Colossians are showing two great qualities
They have faith in Christ and love for their fellow men
They also have hope for a glorious reward
Their reward will be the future blessedness of God’s people
The source for having this hope is the gospel
There is power in this gospel
It also conveys “God’s grace in all its truth”
The author is also grateful for the work of Epaphras

Prayer of petition
It is a prayer, first, for an ever-growing knowledge of God’s will
Instead of persuading God to change, we are the ones to change
This will enable them to live worthily of the Lord
They will be pleasing to him
They will be strengthened with God’s power
As a result, they will bear fruit in every good work
Fruits will include patience, fortitude, and joy
Author is also grateful for the benefits the Christian has received in Christ
Colossians have a share in the inheritance of God’s people
God has already transferred them to his kingdom
Darkness gives way to light and condemnation to forgiveness
Slavery gives way to freedom and the power of Satan to power of God

He argues for the unqualified supremacy of Christ
In relation to God, Christ is his image or exact likeness
The nature of God is perfectly revealed in the Christ
As firstborn of God’s creation, Christ is Lord over creation
Through him, creation came into being
He is “before all time” and actually holds things together
He not only sustains creation but is also its unifying principle
He is also the head of the body (the church)
He guides and governs it
He was also the firstborn of the dead

Christ is the complete revelation
The purpose of his coming was reconciliation between God and man
The method of reconciliation was the blood of the cross
In Christ, God reconciled all things to himself
This reconciliation includes everything on earth and in heaven
Another purpose of reconciliation was aimed towards holiness
People should want to stand before God, worthy of his love
They also should stand firm in the faith and have hope in the gospel
Regardless of what happens, people must never lose this hope

His ministry was one of suffering and preaching
The Colossians were the beneficiaries of the sufferings Paul had endured
He suffered because he had brought the gospel to them
He also identified his suffering with Christ’s afflictions
For these reasons, his sufferings were a source of joy to him
His was also a ministry of preaching
God had commissioned him to evangelize the world
This was both a high privilege and a sacred trust
He was a servant of the church, but a steward of God
The nature of his work was to make the gospel available to all people
He described God’s word as a “mystery” that had been hidden till now
The glorious riches of the mystery: “Christ in you the hope of glory”
The ground for salvation is the indwelling Christ
This is available to everyone
Everyone is perfect in Christ
This is why Paul labored without concern for the cost to himself

Pastoral concern for Colossians
Paul repeats how he labored for them
His concern is that they may be encouraged in heart
He hopes they will have the strength, convictions to refute false teachings
He has this hope because they are united in love
They will understand the fulness of the Christ, embodying all wisdom
He refers to the false teachings as “fine-sounding arguments”
He prays that they will not be deceived
To that end, though not present, Paul felt a spiritual oneness with them
He rejoiced in their orderliness and steadfastness in faith
Though they were under attack by these false philosophies, their faith was intact

A call to be steadfast
Just because they are firm does not mean they should be still
Those who receive Christ as Lord must now walk with him
They need to build their lives in Christ and to be established with him
Faith is the means of their growth
They have been taught the truth and they should stick with it
For this, Paul is very grateful

The false “philosophy”
The intent of the philosophy is to enslave
It is hollow and deceptive (it has nothing of wisdom in it)
Hollow means there is no truth in it
These teachings have derived from humans and not God
They rest on the basic “principles” of this world
(Principles could refer to the angels, spiritual elements)
Colossians have all they need in Christ
The fulness of the deity is found in him, nothing needs improvement
This fulness continues through to the community
Those who are “in Christ” have complete fulness
There is nothing lacking in their relationship to God

Distinction between spiritual and physical circumcision
They have no need for circumcision done by man
They have already been circumcised by Christ
They have put off their sinful nature      
They have been buried and have arisen with him in baptism through faith
Through baptism they have been forgiven, regenerated, and justified
Baptism is both the vehicle and the expression of God’s faith
Before they were dead in their sins; now they are spiritually alive
Not having sins means freedom from legalistic rituals
The death of Christ canceled humans’ indebtedness to God
Through his death he also triumphed over evil powers
Because of Christ’s death, evil no longer has control over believers

The end of legalism

2:16-17         Colossians were not to be bound by food laws or                         religious festivals
                        (These might have been human regulations beyond                         Jewish practice)
                        Paul declares they are free from all these
                        Anything less would indicate they were still under
                        the evil powers
                        People believed such regulations were a shadow
                        of what was to come
                        The rules, themselves, somehow led to some
                        eternal truth
                        But now, this reality has already been achieved                         through Christ

2:18-19          Nor do believers need to worship angels
                        (Possible reference to mystery religions)
                        These individuals claim to be superior to others                         because of visions
                        Their thoughts are of human origin
                        They are puffed up, filled with vanity
                        They have lost sight of the “Head” (Christ in relation
                        to the church)
                        It is Christ who supports and nourishes the body                         (church)
                        When the body (church) is under Christ, God
                        provides its growth
                        To separate from Christ is to separate from the                         church

2:20-23          The issue of asceticism
                        If they are no longer subject to principalities of world,                         why submit to them
                        Such rules are enslaving; they can only make
                        people fearful of sinning
                        Dietary rules cannot lead to salvation
                        Moreover, such rules and regulations change; after
                        a time, food decays
                        It’s as though people stake a claim on that which                         cannot endure
                        Such actions appear to be based on wisdom, but
                        this is deceptive
                        Mostly these are examples of false humility
                        Everything is based on how it looks; there is no                         underlying truth
                        Such actions do not help us understand God better
                        Nor can they help in preventing sinful behavior
                        In fact, asceticism is a complete failure
                        Christianity is not about rules, but about living in                         relationship
                        Believers who live in the Spirit, walk by the Spirit

The author puts forth his views on how to live what they already are

Foundation of Christian life
First, they are to set their hearts on the things above
“Above” means spiritual reality, not earthly things
They are also to keep their minds fixed on heavenly things
That should be their focus and not the things they have left behind
This new life is “hidden” in that it cannot be easily explained
Still their lives are bound to Christ

The old life that is left behind
They are to “put to death” a series of vices and prohibitions
Five of the vices relate to sexual sins
God’s wrath is upon these sins
These characterized their previous lives
Their lives were enslaved to these passions and evil powers
But now they should have a new attitude toward sin
They must “rid yourselves of all such things as these”
List of sins involved two categories: internalized and verbalized
Last on the list is lying
Lying causes severe damage to all relationships
They have put off this sin through baptism

The new selfhood
The new self is the new being
The new self is “renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator”
God is the one that empowers the renewal of the new self
Racial, religious, cultural, and social distinctions are removed
“No Greek nor Jew…no slave nor free…, but Christ is all, and is in all”
Those who are God’s chosen people will embody various virtues
(Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience)
These are all “godly” qualities, important in human relationships
The focus of these virtues is the well-being of others
When conflicts do happen, people should “bear and forgive” one another
They are to forgive as they have been forgiven
All this should be done through love
Love binds them together in perfect unity
The point of all this is to let Christ rule in your hearts
As members of one body, they have been called to peace
This inner peace comes from Christ and is to be shared with others
Lastly, they should all give thanks to God the Father

Proper worship
The word of Christ is to dwell within people richly
They will then teach and admonish one another with all wisdom
They will also worship through psalms, hymns, and songs
(Scholars aren’t sure about the distinctions between these three)
All such singing will express gratitude to God
The abiding principle is to do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus
The best testimony is an obedient life
Lastly, they should always give thanks to the Father through Christ
This is done not out of duty, but with freedom of thanksgiving

Household codes
These reflect ancient social norms for families to keep society stable
(Typically these are found late first century and beyond.  They address the problem caused by the fact that the parousia did not occur quickly.  This is an attempt to adapt the gospel in light of the social wisdom of the day.)

3:18-19          Wife-husband relationships
                        Wives are to submit to their husbands as is fitting in                         the Lord
                        “As is fitting” suggests that was the social norm of
                        the day
                        In turn, husbands are to love their wives and not be                         harsh with them
                        The marriage relationship is to be governed by love
                        Its only aim is to promote the well-being of the other

3:20-21          Child-parent relationships
                        Children are to obey their parents in everything
                        This is acceptable and pleasing to the Lord
                        In turn, parents are not to provoke or tyrannize their                         children
                        They are to earn their child’s obedience, not
                        demand it
                        If the children are to be respectful, the parent is to
                        be loving

3:22-4:1         Master-slave relationships
                        (Slaves probably had the hardest time as Christians.                          Their equality in the church did not translate to
                         equality in society.  The ancient world had an                         advanced system of slavery in place.  Many believe                         that the abolishment of slavery would have led to the                         breakdown of society.  Still, the delay of the parousia                         led to slaves becoming restless.  They wondered                         when their equality might become a reality.)
                        Slaves are to obey their masters in everything
                        Slavery is placed within the scope of Christ’s
                        lordship
                        First, slaves were no longer to seek their master’s                         approval
                        Slaves were to work from their hearts
                        Reverence for God should impel their human                         activities
                        Second, they had a new point of reference
                        Their compensation came from God, not from
                        wages (or lack thereof)
                        Ultimately, God will judge those who have done wrong
                        God will judge masters who are not fair or just
                        (Might also refer to the slave who fails in his duties)
                        In turn, masters are to demonstrate fairness in                         dealings with slaves
                        (No NT writer ever agitates for the abolition of
                        slavery)
                        Earthly masters still have a Master in heaven
                        To the extent that they keep this in mind, there will
                        be no problems with slaves

More instruction regarding corporate worship
Members of the congregation should devote themselves to prayer
The manner of prayer is important:  watchful and thankful
Thanksgiving and prayer are appropriate responses for the Christian
Paul invites them to also pray for him and for the receptivity of the message
He asks that “God should open a door” – provide the opportunities
The message, of course, is the mystery of Christ
Paul writes that he is in chains (this is not a prayer for his release)
He used his imprisonments as opportunities to preach the gospel
His prayer is that he should preach more clearly
He prays that they will be wise in the way they act towards unbelievers
Their actions will authenticate their faith
Along with actions, come witnessing to their faith
They should be able to speak confidently and correctly
Speech should be “full of grace” and “seasoned with salt”
(God inspired, wholesome, palatable)

VI – 4:7-18 -- Final Greetings and Conclusion

Several commendations
Tychicus:  a dear brother, a faithful minister, and fellow servant
Paul and Tychicus met in Ephesus (Acts 20:4)
He sent him to Colossae as his personal messenger
He was to encourage (parakaleo -- comfort) them
Onesimus: faithful and dear brother
He is the slave who ran away from Philemon

Greetings from others
Only three Jews remain in Paul’s company
He was comforted by these three, but no doubt sad that there were only three
Aristarchus was a fellow-prisoner
Mark (the cousin of Barnabas) with whom Paul had a falling out (See Acts 15:39)
Nothing further is known about Justus
Epaphras: one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus
He might have been the founder of this church, which would account for why he was “always wrestling in prayer” for them
Luke and Demas are also mentioned
Luke is referred to as a physician and might be Paul’s companion
Demas “deserted” Paul later on (See 2 Tim 4:10)

Special greetings and instructions to them
Paul extends his greetings to them as well
He makes special reference to Nympha and the church at her house
He also asks that they share this letter with the congregation at Laodicea and that they read the one he sent to them (which we don’t have)
Obviously Paul’s letters were meant to be shared
Archippus was given special mention and told to finish the work he received in the Lord
No one knows exactly what this “work” might have been

Benediction of grace
Paul claims to have written the greeting with his own hand
Typically that meant the rest had been dictated to a secretary
As always Paul blessed them with “grace be with you”
Paul knew that words weren’t enough; ultimately their success or failure would be a measure of the grace they received from God
It is God, alone, who could keep them strong and faithful