Where it fits

Colossians is the twelfth book of the New Testament, with four chapters. It is a letter to the church in Colossae, a small town in the Lycus Valley in what is now western Turkey. Paul had never visited (2:1). The church had been started by Epaphras, who came to Paul in prison and told him how things stood (1:7–8; 4:12). Paul names Timothy as co-sender, and the letter is traditionally dated around AD 60 to 62. Some scholars think a close associate wrote it in Paul's name, while others defend Paul's authorship. Read straight through, it takes about ten minutes.

Who, to whom, and why

Epaphras brought good news and a worry. The church was growing and loving well, but teachers were offering something extra: a “philosophy” that Paul calls empty deceit (2:8). Paul mentions rules about food and drink, festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths, the worship of angels, and strict treatment of the body (2:16–23). The pitch seems to have been that faith in Jesus was a good start, but serious believers needed more to reach God.

Paul's answer is to show how big Christ is. Chapters 1 and 2 are the heart of the argument. Paul prays for the church (1:3–14), gives one of the grandest descriptions of Jesus in the New Testament (1:15–20), and argues that believers already have everything in him because they died and were raised with him (2:6–15). Chapters 3 and 4 turn to daily life. Because they have been raised with Christ, they are to set their minds on things above (3:1–4), put off anger, lies, and greed, put on compassion, kindness, humility, and patience, and let love tie it all together (3:5–14). The letter ends with greetings to and from a long list of friends (4:7–18).

Three ideas to hold on to

1. Jesus is Lord over everything. Paul says Christ is “the image of the invisible God,” that all things were created through him and for him, and that in him all things hold together (1:15–17).
2. Nothing needs to be added to him. God's fullness lives in Christ, and believers have been made complete in him (2:9–10). Rules and rituals can have their place, but Paul calls them shadows, and says the reality belongs to Christ (2:16–17).
3. A raised life looks different. Having been raised with Christ, believers set their minds on things above (3:1–2). The result is ordinary: compassion, forgiveness, thankfulness, and doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus (3:12–17).

Passages people ask about

• Colossians 1:15–20. A poem-like passage about Christ as Creator and Reconciler. “Firstborn of all creation” doesn't mean Jesus was created. In the ancient world, firstborn spoke of rank and inheritance, and the next lines say everything was created through him.
• Colossians 3:1–17. Put off the old life and put on the new, a list that ends with thankfulness.
• Colossians 3:18–4:1. Instructions for wives, husbands, children, parents, slaves, and masters. Parts of it are hard for modern readers. Paul addresses each group as people who answer to Christ, and tells masters they have a Master in heaven (4:1).

How it points to Jesus

Colossians puts Jesus at the center of everything: creation, the church, and the end of history. Paul calls him the one through whom God made all things and through whom God reconciles all things, by the blood of his cross (1:16, 20). The festivals and rules of the Old Testament were shadows, he says, and Christ is the substance (2:17).

A common misunderstanding

The household instructions in Colossians 3:18 are sometimes read as Paul simply endorsing the social order of his day. Paul writes to Christians living inside that order, and he addresses wives, children, and slaves as people who answer to Christ directly, while telling masters they too have a Master in heaven. Whether that goes far enough is still discussed. Philemon, probably sent at the same time, shows Paul applying these ideas to one real case.