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▼ Show Notes

We are confident that the Apostle Paul wrote this beautiful letter. This city was on the trade route to the east. It was an important city at one point, but it declined over the years and today, it lies in ruins. The church here appears to have been founded by people who heard the gospel while Paul was in Ephesus.

Christology

This letter is about Christology – the study of Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul’s greeting established the fact that he is credible as an Apostle. He didn’t do this in all of his letters, but he seems to do so when writing to the churches he hadn’t visited. It appears that this church was either started by ordinary people who had heard the gospel elsewhere or by Timothy.

Paul, once again, has to correct false teaching in this church. We saw this in our study of Philippians. It is noteworthy that false teaching comes from inside and outside of the church. This is sadly true today.

False Teaching and Legalism

Paul corrects the legalists in this letter. The self sufficiency of man in legalism can feel good to us. Legalists are nice, moral people. But they are sadly misguided in terms of their pursuit of righteousness or right standing before God. Paul also addresses Gnostics in this letter. They thought that knowledge was only understood by them and was the key to salvation. They taught that all matter is evil. They denied the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and they viewed angels incorrectly as creators of the world. This church also had to deal with asceticism. These were people who believed that true worship involved deprivation of basic pleasures or earthly things. Ascetics and legalists appeared and still appear to be spiritual, but they deny God and His beautiful gospel in Jesus Christ.

This letter is about the person and work of Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ deserves glory, and the theme of this letter is the preeminence of Christ. The church is the body of Christ. Christ is sovereign and is preeminent. Please enjoy this powerful series.

Thank you for listening to Relentless Truth. Please share this episode with your friends and family. Please share our work on social media. Your endorsements have been incredible in spreading our reach across the world. Please contact me at john@johnwarrenmedia.com, and please visit our website for more information about our work at johnwarrenmedia.com. #theology #christian worldview

“This letter to the Colossians is about Christology-the study of Jesus Christ our Lord.”
John Warren