We begin our study of Paul's letter to the believers of Colossae today. He is writing this letter to them to counteract heresy that has crept into the church at Colossae, a heresy that was taking away from the deity and supremacy of Christ. Paul's letter to the Colossians is considered the most beautiful and all-encompassing description of Christ found in any of his writings. In this letter he lifts up Christ as high as his human reasoning and skill of language is capable of lifting Him.
Paul is writing this letter while awaiting trial in Rome, and it is believed that he never actually visited Colossae in person because he will say later in the letter that he has not seen the people of Colossae or the people of Laodicea in the flesh. Colossae lay about ten miles from Laodicea bur was at least one hundred miles from Ephesus, a city we know Paul visited, so it appears he was never in the Lycus Valley where cities such as Colossae, Laodicea, and Hieraopolis were located. These three cities were comprised an important trade route, with people of many backgrounds and religions residing there and passing through, so it's easy to see how the gospel of Christ may have begun to be polluted in an attempt to blend it with pagan beliefs.
News of false doctrine in Colossae has come to Paul through a man called Epaphras. Some scholars think he may be the same man who is called Epaphroditus in Paul's letter to the Philippians. But other scholars think he is a completely different person, since Epaphroditus was presented to us as a citizen of Philippi, and Philippi was only a short distance from Ephesus which means it was a fairly far distance from Colossae. This doesn't mean Epaphroditus wasn't visiting Colossae during the same years he was visiting Paul at Rome, for we can clearly see this man's willingness to undertake long and dangerous journeys, but we simply don't have enough evidence to conclude whether or not Epaphroditus and Epaphras are the same person.
Paul begins, "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To God's holy people in Colossae the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father." (Ephesians 1:1-2) Timothy is likely acting as Paul's scribe, writing down Paul's words as he dictates them to him.
These men have heard that there is a growing body of believers at Colossae. They are very thankful to God for this. We all ought to be thankful anytime we hear that someone has come to faith in Christ, even if it's someone we have never met and will never meet in this lifetime. Every soul that is saved is a cause for rejoicing. "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people---the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world---just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit." (Colossians 1:3-8)
The Colossians were saved by their faith in the "true gospel". No other message has the power to save, for no other name than Christ's has the power to save. (Acts 4:12) This message was brought to them by Epaphras, whom Paul refers to as a "minister" in this letter. (This, by the way, is more evidence that Ephaphras and Epaphroditus may not have been the same person, as Epaphroditus is referred to in the letter to the Philippians as the messenger whom the Philippians sent to take care of Paul's needs. Epaphroditus is not presented to us as a minister, although he may have been one; we can't rule it out.)
The people of Colossae were not transformed by a distorted gospel, but by the true gospel which presents Jesus Christ as the Son of God, thereby making Him equal with God. Paul says he and Timothy are thanking God, "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ", for the faith the Colossians have in Christ and for the love which was placed in their hearts by Christ. He also makes reference to the Holy Trinity in verses 3-8, for we see him naming God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in these verses. In verses 3-8 we see the Godhead in its three persons and in its three offices: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is a fundamental fact of the gospel. God the Father sent God the Son to save us from our sins, and now that we are saved through our sins by faith in God the Son, God the Holy Spirit has come to indwell us to teach us about Christ and to prove to us that we belong to Him. "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God." (Romans 8:16) So here we have the gospel message at its most basic core. This is the gospel message the people of Colossae heard and believed. This is the gospel message that saved their souls and transformed their lives.
The cosmopolitan city of Colossae contained those who wanted to believe each person could find his own path to God, and these false beliefs were placing a stumbling block in the paths of those who had not yet come to Christ. Many in our world today believe there is more than one way to be right with God, but they have either been deceived by false doctrine or have deceived themselves. There are not "many ways to God". There are no rituals capable of making us right with a holy God and there are not enough good works we could do to cleanse ourselves of our sins. There is only one sacrifice acceptable to God, and that is the sacrifice He Himself provided when He sent His son to give Himself for us, and there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved than by the name of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus clearly told us there is only one way to God, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)
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