Chunks: Paul's Letter to the Colossians

Paul’s final words to the Colossians are “Grace be with you” (Col 4:18), echoing the words with which he greeted them at the beginning, “Grace and peace to you” (1:2). Just as we should understand his opening greeting as meaning much more than “Hi” or “Dear Colossians,” so too should we take his final words as meaning much more than “goodbye.” Paul’s prayer is that the lives of the Colossians would be saturated with God’s grace and peace, and that should be our prayer for ourselves and each other.

Paul probably used what’s called an amanuensis—essentially, a secretary who took dictation—to write to the Colossians. It may have been Timothy, but we can’t know for certain. Here at the end of Colossians and a few other letters, he takes up the pen himself to sign the letter and add a few final words. But as he does so, he becomes conscious of the shackles on his wrists, and bids the Colossians to remember his chains (Col 4:18). 

Just before he ends the letter, Paul shifts his greetings: instead of sending greetings from the people around him, he sends greetings or instructions to people in and around Colossae (Col 4:15-17). These greetings reflect the nature of so-called “circular” letters, that is, letters that were meant to be circulated beyond the original recipients. His encouragement and instruction to the Colossians, apparently, was meant for the edification of others as well.

Paul wrote to the Colossians from prison; we can’t be sure where. But wherever he was, he has others with him whom he considered his partners in the work of the gospel. He brings greetings to the Colossians from these co-workers (Col 4:10-14). Some, as we’ve seen, are Jews; presumably the rest are Gentiles. Epaphras, of course, was well known to the Colossians, and this is one of the few places that Luke is mentioned by name in the New Testament. We know little of the man named Demas, but what we do know is a sobering reminder not to take faithfulness for granted.

Among the people Paul names at the end of his letter, three are Jews: Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus, whom he calls his “co-workers” (Col 4:10-11). We know nothing about Justus, but Aristarchus is mentioned five times in the New Testament, and Mark is described at the “cousin of Barnabas,” making it possible to speculate a bit about the latter two. The larger point, however, is that while ministry is often a lonely profession today, Paul didn’t do ministry alone.

As he often does in his letters, Paul ends his letter to the Colossians by passing along greetings from other people who are with him, as well as sending specific greetings to people in the church to which he writes. We have little to no information about some of the people mentioned at the end of Colossians. But we do know a few things about the first two names on the list, Tychicus and Onesimus (Col 4:7-9), and the situation for Onesimus is a delicate one. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his followers to see themselves as the salt of the earth. Similarly, in Colossians 4:6, Paul urges the Colossians to let their conversations be “seasoned with salt.” This may be a practical extension of what he’s taught about “redeeming the time” and how the Colossians to relate to those outside the church. Do our conversations embody the character of the gospel?

Have you ever heard the idea of “redeeming the time”? By that phrase, we usually mean making good use of time that would otherwise be wasted. The phrase is a biblical one, coming from the King James translation of Paul’s words in Colossians 4:5; the New International Version translates it as “making the most of every opportunity” instead. It’s not simply a matter of trying to use every moment productively, but learning to see time itself from a heavenly perspective.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told his emotionally exhausted disciples to watch and pray. Similarly, as Paul begins to wrap up his letter to the Colossians (Col 4:2-4), he tells them to pray and be watchful. He asks them specifically to pray for his ministry, using language that echoes what he’s said earlier in the letter. But more generally, he also wants their prayers to be grateful ones; in their prayers, can they learn to be watchful for reasons to be thankful?

Paul wants Christian household relationships to be transformed from the inside out, and has pastoral advice for wives and their husbands, children and parents, even slaves. His final words are to the masters (Col 4:1). These words must also be read in context, and in concert with the parallel text from Ephesians. The all-powerful paterfamilias, the head of the household, was husband, father, and master, and more was expected of him than anyone else. 

In the previous episode, we considered what Paul said to slaves (Col 3:22-25) against the background of the situation between Philemon and Onesimus. In this episode, we read the passage from Colossians in tandem with the parallel passage from Ephesians 6. To do so will raise a question for all of us: what if we were to do our work as if Jesus were our boss?

The shortest of Paul’s letters was written to a prominent member of the Colossian church, a man named Philemon. One of Philemon’s slaves, Onesimus, had run away, and by law, Philemon had the right to see him punished or even executed. But Onesimus had met Paul and become a Christian. How should Paul handle the situation? In this episode, we explore how Paul’s words in Colossians 3:22-25 should be read in tandem with his letter to Philemon.

Slavery was a prominent feature of Roman society and its households, even in Christian households. We could wish for Paul to speak out boldly against the institution of slavery, but he doesn’t. Indeed, he spends more time teaching slaves to obey their masters than he does teaching the members of the nuclear family (Col 3:22-25). Still, he attempts to transform the institution from the inside out, as he does other household relationships. And what he teaches is of particular importance, given the controversy that pit the interests of a Colossian slave against his Christian owner.

If Paul’s instruction to wives that they should submit to their husbands is controversial, so is his instruction to children, telling them to “obey [their] parents in everything” (Col 3:20). Some of us may have experienced how domineering or even abusive parents have used such a verse to lord it over their children. But once more, we need to read Paul’s words against the background of the culture the Colossians took for granted—and verse 20 cannot be separated from verse 21.

Paul has taught the Colossians to be people of compassion, humility, and love, and naturally he would expect to see their relationships at home reflect the same godly character. In Colossians 3:18-21, he has important pastoral counsel for wives and husbands, children and parents, beginning with the instruction to wives that they should “submit” to their husbands. To read this rightly, we need to also consider how the parallel passage in Ephesians 5 is often mis-read.

You may already be familiar with the famous (or infamous) passage in Ephesians 5 that teaches wives to submit to their husbands. Colossians contains a similar passage, in which he seeks the transformation of households from the inside out. But before we begin our exploration of what Paul says in 3:18—4:1, we’ll use this episode to give the historical background we need to read the passage rightly.

Most of us have probably been taught to pray “in the name of Jesus,” which usually means ending our prayers with words to that effect. And there are good biblical reasons for doing so. But Paul teaches that we should do everything in the name of Jesus, and with gratitude (Col 3:17). He’s not suggesting that we say the words “In Jesus’ name” all day long. But what does he mean?

There’s a tendency in some churches to speak of “worship” as if it meant “worship music.” Worship is more than that. But there’s no denying the importance of music in our lives generally and in worship particularly. Paul thus tells the Colossians to sing “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” to one another (Col 3:16). We don’t need to distinguish these from each other; the more important point is that these are tangible expressions of their heartfelt gratitude.

Whatever problems were confronting the Colossians, Paul’s letter to them consistently conveys a sense of joy and gratitude. As we’ve seen, he’s urged them to let the “peace of Christ rule in [their] hearts,” echoing his opening greeting of “grace and peace.” Now he urges them also to live with “gratitude in [their] hearts” (Col 3:16), an echo of the grace of God that pervades the letter. 

We do not live in a peaceful world; it is therefore appropriate to pray for peace, for God’s shalom. As we saw back at the beginning of our study, Paul begins his letter by wishing “grace and peace” for the Colossians. Now, in chapter 3, Paul echoes his earlier language, teaching the Colossians to live in a way that embodies shalom in their relationships with one another.

Despite their old attitudes and habits, despite their ingrained prejudices, the Colossians are to be compassionate and kind with one another; they are to put up with and forgive one another. These are practical expressions of the love commanded of all Christians (Col 3:12-14). Given Paul’s language, we can think of love as the “overcoat” that goes over the other virtues they are to “put on,” or the “ligaments” that hold the body together. 

Reading between the lines of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we can imagine that the congregation had its conflicts and disagreements, that people carried grudges and grievances. Paul teaches that they must not only put up with each other, but forgive (Col 3:13). In so doing, he not only echoes the teaching of Jesus, but writes as one who knows without a doubt how much he himself has been forgiven.

Anyone who’s ever been part of a family or church family knows that people offend each other—intentionally or otherwise—take offense, and carry grudges. This was surely true in Colossae as well, and some of those offenses may have been related to the prejudices that have been eliminated by the cross. Paul therefore tells the Colossians to put on character qualities like compassion and humility—and pragmatically speaking, this may begin with learning to put up with one another (Col 3:13).

The do’s and don’ts of Paul’s letter are similar to the lists of virtues and vices that can be found in other writings of his day. The vices are like ratty clothing to be stripped off; Christian virtues, like a new wardrobe, are to be put on in their place (Col 3:12-14). It’s important, however, to not read these verses too individualistically. It’s not just about the spiritual transformation of individual Colossians, but of who they are together, as a community. 

In putting aside their old nature and their former pagan lifestyles, the Colossians must forsake a whole, sorry list of sinful attitudes and behaviors: greed, anger, and the like. Conversely, putting on their new nature in Christ means adopting godly character qualities such as compassion, humility, and patience. In teaching this, Paul uses language that the Jews in the congregation would have understood: even the Gentiles are now God’s “chosen” people (Col 3:12).

As Christians, we may be used to speaking appreciatively of our “church family,” a metaphor which suggests a caring community. But families in Scripture are often marked by conflict and division, the our church families are no exception. As Paul teaches, those who have put on their new nature in Christ will remember how the cross should overcome all of our divisiveness—and to make his point, he refers to some of the most fundamental prejudices of his day (Col 3:9-11).

If we’re honest with ourselves, the list of behaviors and attitudes Paul associates with our “earthly nature” is intimidating; no one is innocent of such a list. But when Paul teaches that we must “put [them] to death,” it’s because he’s already taught that we have died to such things and raised to new life in Christ. That’s the background to one of the most well-known ethical teachings of the New Testament: we are to take off the “old self” to put on the “new” (Col 3:9-10).

Many of us may have experienced what it’s like to live with a religion of “don’ts,” with a litany of all the things that a “good Christian” doesn’t do. And Paul does seem to lean that way in chapter 3, telling the Colossians all the things they must “put to death” (Col 3:5-7). But as he will continue to argue, it’s not just about what they shouldn’t do, but about living in a way that’s consistent with their new nature, with who they now are in Christ.

True Christian hope is much more than mere optimism; it looks forward with confidence to the future God has promised. As Paul has already said in chapter 1 the revealed mystery of the gospel itself is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). Then, in chapter 3, though he doesn’t use the word “hope,” Paul refers against to the glory that will come with the return of Christ (Col 3:1-4). That’s part of what he means by setting our hearts and minds on things above.

In Colossians 2, Paul dealt with the do’s and don’ts being urged on the Colossians, putting them in their proper perspective. At the beginning of chapter 3, then, he begins with his own “dos,” that is, what the Colossians should do instead. He doesn’t begin with behavior, but with the mind and heart: both should be “set…on things above” (Col 3:1-2).

Have you ever made New Year’s resolutions? Did you resolve to start doing something, or to stop? Prohibitions based on sheer will don’t tend to work terribly well, and this may be part of the reason that Paul is skeptical about the usefulness of religious rules. In fact, he seems to portray the restrictive rules of the false teachers a bit sarcastically, setting up the positive teaching of chapter 3 (Col 3:1-4). 

We may impose all kinds of rules on ourselves and others, and the rules may seem to make perfect sense. The question, though, is what such rules are meant to accomplish and whether they do, in fact, work. Paul has already suggested that the rules with which the Colossians were being confronted had their origin in pride. Now, as he ends chapter 2, he adds that the rules are also useless, because they do nothing to help the Colossians grow spiritually (Col 2:23).

Anyone who has raised kids (or tried to maintain a sense of order anywhere!) knows the importance of rules. What we want is for people to internalize the rules, not just obey them in some slavish and resentful way. Paul isn’t telling the Colossians that rules are entirely unnecessary. But to combat the kind of legalistic spirituality they’re being taught, Paul puts such rules in their proper perspective (Col 2:20-23).

Again, every religion has its dos and don’ts. In Colossians 2, Paul has dealt with some of the religious “dos” being pushed on the Colossians, and he will end the chapter by addressing the “don’ts.” Before we look at these verses, however, let’s locate his teaching against the background of what both Jesus and the Old Testament prophets taught about a true religion that isn’t just about following a restrictive set of rules.

Over the years, I have heard story after story of people who felt alienated and excluded within their congregations. One imagines that the Colossians may have felt that way in the face of what some people were teaching about the necessity of various religious observances or the importance of certain spiritual experiences. But Paul has a withering indictment of such false teachers: they think they’re an important part of the body of Christ, but have lost connection with its head (Col 2:19).

Paul has warned the Colossians to not listen to those who are boasting of their spiritual experiences as if such experiences made them better than other people, and the apostle has more to say on the subject. In this episode, however, we pause to consider the example of Paul himself, who has had his own remarkable spiritual experiences, but refuses to let this be a reason for boasting.

What Paul has taught in chapter 2 seems to suggest that people were teaching the Gentile converts in Colossae that they needed to observe certain religious rituals. If that is indeed what was happening, such folks may have done so in a way that was sincere but mistaken. What Paul says next, however, suggests another motive: pride. Their own spiritual experiences may have inflated their egos (Col 2:18).

As we’ve seen, Paul gives the Colossians freedom in Christ with respect to the Jewish regulations of circumcision and Sabbath observance. In Colossians 2:17, he then adds the various customs that were probably being urged on the Colossians were just “a shadow of the things that were to come,” whereas “the reality…is found in Christ.” Paul’s wording is difficult to translate into sensible English; what was he trying to say?

We’ve already seen how Paul speaks of the cross in a way that teaches the Gentile converts in Colossae that they have no need to be circumcised; they’ve already been circumcised spiritually in Christ. But what about other Jewish customs? Sabbath observance was the other mark of a true Jew; were the Colossians being pressured here too? As he did with respect to circumcision, Paul gives the Colossians some freedom with respect to the Sabbath (Col 2:16).

In Colossians 2, Paul uses different metaphors to speak of what God has done through the cross of Christ. The Colossians have been spiritually circumcised; they have had the charge against them taken away and nailed to the cross. In verse 15, he introduces yet another metaphor, reminiscent of conquering Roman generals—and to me, of C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia.  

When the Jewish leaders accused Jesus of falsely claiming to be the King of the Jews, Pontius Pilate knew they were forcing his hand. To have last word in the debate, he prepared a sign to be nailed to the cross along with Jesus: “Jesus the Nazarene, The King of the Jews.” Some scholars, then, believe that when Paul refers to a canceled “charge” in Colossians 2:13-14, he’s envisioning the sign that was posted above the crucified Jesus.

One of the themes of Jesus’ teaching was forgiveness; he himself embodied the compassion of God and expected his followers to be people of love and forgiveness themselves. Similarly, the forgiveness of sin is at the center of Paul’s understanding of the gospel, as we see clearly in Colossians 2:13-14. But some of Paul’s language is difficult to translate. What does he mean when he refers to the “charge of our legal indebtedness”? 

When we read the book of Acts as well as Paul’s letter to the Galatians, it’s abundantly clear that the apostle was vehemently opposed to requiring Gentile converts to be circumcised. In Colossians 2:11-12, he backs this up with a theological argument. But what Paul means precisely is an ongoing subject of scholarly debate; we’ll begin exploring the possibilities here.

Throughout the Old Testament and continuing into the days of Jesus and Paul, circumcision was a distinguishing mark of God’s people. Through the ministry of Paul and others, Gentiles were evangelized throughout the Roman Empire. But the question of whether Gentiles should be circumcised lingered. Paul seems to address this issue in Colossians 2:11-12, telling the Colossians that they’ve already been circumcised, though not in the way some might expect.

As we might expect in a letter such as this, filled with pastoral counsel, Paul gives the Colossians a number of dos and don’ts. On the one hand, they should walk in Jesus, be rooted in him, and be grounded in the apostolic gospel. On the other hand, they shouldn’t be carried away by fine-sounding but deceptive alternatives. More importantly, he’s given them the why in his portrait of the absolute supremacy of Christ—and memorably reiterates that theme in Colossians 2:9-10.

The apostle Paul could not possibly have imagined the online, virtual world we live in now. Some have called it an “attention economy,” in which marketing experts design “clickbait” to capture your attention and get you to click their link. But Paul did know about how new converts, having been raised in a pagan world, could have their attention captured by “hollow and deceptive philosophy” (Col 2:8). He wants the Colossians to be rooted in right teaching so as not to be deceived.

In a highly individualistic culture, “tradition” can be a dirty word, suggesting the pressure to do things a certain way “just because.” But Paul thinks of the apostolic tradition as something in which believers should be rooted, for the sake of their growth in Christ. He wants the Colossians to be grateful for what the tradition passed on to them, and to get themselves firmly established in it so they can sort out right belief from wrong (Col 2:6-7).

In some traditions, it’s common to speak of “receiving Jesus” by inviting him to take up residence in our hearts. Paul, too, speaks of the Colossians as have “received Christ Jesus as Lord” (Col 2:6). But does Paul mean that they received him into their hearts? Probably not: his way of using the word suggests not only receiving Jesus, but receiving a tradition about Jesus that’s been passed on through the church. 

Paul has never met the Colossians, and is writing to them from a distance. Yet he tells them that he is with them in spirit (Col 2:5). He’s not scolding them, as if to say, “I’m watching you”; quite the contrary, he continues to commend them for their faith. Yet he’s also concerned that they not be misled by other who are trying to deceive them. So, think: who has been with you in spirit, in a way that helped you grow as a Christian?

As a professor helping to train people for various ministries, I value knowledge. But I am also keenly aware of the ways in which knowledge can be pursued for its own sake, as a way of bolstering our pride. Paul wants the Colossians to have the knowledge they need and receive it as a gift, or indeed, as a valuable treasure (Col 2:1-3). But he teaches this against the background of what was probably their more self-centered approach to knowledge.