Key word: Complete
Written to the church at Colossae in Southern Asia, modern day Turkey, while Paul was a prisoner in Rome around 62 A.D., it is more concerned about false teaching than Philippians and Ephesians. And whereas the Galatian churches were being infiltrated by false gospels, the Colossian church was being inundated with faulty philosophies, which were distracting them from the supremacy of Christ. We see these interrelated themes in the first two chapters, which comprise the doctrinal portion of the epistle. In chapter one, the preeminence of Christ is showcased. He is:
1. The very image of the invisible God (v. 15).
2. The firstborn of all creation (v. 15).
3. The creator of all things (vv. 16-17).
4. The head of the church (v. 18).
Over all, in this small letter, Christ is directly referenced a total of 77 times. He is definitely the central focus of the book.
But chapter two reveals that serious philosophical and theological errors were distracting the believers from the centrality of Christ. The concern is summarized in 2:8, but there were at least 4 enemies of the truth found in Colossae church.
1. Traditions of men were replacing the Word of God (2:8-10).
2. Fixating on rituals instead of Christ (2:16-17).
3. Mysticism (2:18-19) was being relied upon in place of Christ.
4. Asceticism mistaken for spiritual life (2:20-23).
Instead of embracing these distractions they should do five things:
1. Keep seeking things above (3:1).
2. Set your mind on things above (3:2).
3. Consider yourself dead to sin (3:5).
4. Put aside sin (3:8).
5. Put on Godliness (3:12-14).
The great news found in Colossians is that because of Christ, we have been made complete, our key word (2:10). Our great challenge is to set our minds on the things above – 3:2 key verse.
Key verse: Colossians 3:2 – Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
