Letter to the Colossians
An Epistle of Paul
Throughout Paul’s three major missionary journeys he founded many churches, trained and established elders (πρεσβύτεροι) in local congregations, and equipped other missionaries to further the work of church planting. Epaphras was one such missionary with whom Paul had worked closely and it was he who had planted the church in Colossae. Paul’s letter to the Christians at Colossae would have added the weight of his apostolic authority and affirmed what had been taught by Epaphras whom Paul referred to as “a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf.”
A major emphasis in Paul’s letter to the Colossians is the headship of Christ over his church (indeed over all things). The letter contains a very strong and clear attestation to the true deity of Jesus Christ, aligning Jesus with the work of creation described in Genesis 1. The letter is short, but it packs many heavy hitting doctrines for all that.
In Colossians 4:3 Paul refers to the fact that he was currently in prison for the gospel. This was very likely a reference to his time in house arrest in Rome while he was awaiting his time before Caesar (c.f. Acts 28:16, 30-31). Such being the case Paul most likely wrote this letter sometime between 60-62 A.D.
Below you will find links to study guide questions upon each of the chapters of Colossians as they become available. The English Standard Version of the Bible is the translation being used for the development of these biblical study guides. Enjoy!
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