AUTHOR & RECIPIENT

• Colossians 1:1-2; 4:18

• 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

• 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

• 18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

APOSTLE PAUL

• Jew born in Tarsus

• Roman citizen

• Prominent, highly educated (UT) Pharisee

• Converted going to Damascus, A.D. 35

• Primary apostle to the Gentiles

• Tireless missionary

• Imprisoned in Caesarea and Rome

• Died in prison in Rome, A.D. 68

COLOSSE

• Located 100 miles east of Ephesus

• Colosse, Laodicea, & Hierapolis a tri-city

• Once prominent became a small town

• Mixture of Jews and unbelieving Gentiles

• Home of Philemon, his family & Onesimus

• Church established by Epaphras while Paul was in Ephesus on his 3rd journey

APOSTLE PAUL

COLOSSIAN LETTER

• Prison letters from Rome: Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, Philippians

• Delivered by Tychicus and Onesimus

• A.D. 61-63

• Small church in a religious pagan culture

• Warn against relapse into paganism

• Warn against heresy: untruth about Christ

• Exalt the Lord Jesus Christ

• Emphasize how to live as a Christian

WORLDVIEWS

• Metaphysics: – What is real?

• Epistemology: – What is true & how do you know?

• Ethics: – How do you live & by what standard?

• The new believers in Colosse were having their Christian worldview attacked.

DANGER OF RELAPSE

• Believers converted from unbelief, sensuality, and self-centeredness

• Evil past: habits and memories

• Evil culture: in the minority; different

• Evil “natural” (depraved) residual nature: redeemed but not glorified

• Satan & demons: constant temptations

DANGER OF HERESY• Faith is Christ is good, but not enough

• Faith is Christ is not the essential

• Minimize Christ’s supremacy & sufficiency

• Judaistic Ceremonialism necessary

• Mystical “new religious secrets”

• Religious visions

• Angel worship

• Asceticism necessary

• Mixture of mysticism, religion, paganism

RELEVANCE TO US• Naturalism: matter and energy only

• Modernism: science only not miracles

• Empiricism: know only through senses

• Pluralism: no single truth

• Pragmatism: truth doesn’t matter

• Relativism: no absolute truth

• Eastern mysticism: reincarnation

• Almost Christian: Christ is important, but…

• Exclusive religions: Christianity is wrong

WORLDVIEWS

• Metaphysics: – What is real?

• Epistemology: – What is true & how do you know?

• Ethics: – How do you live & by what standard?

• Colossians was written & saved because the believers in Temple, Texas are having their Christian worldview attacked.