Background Philemon was a prominent Christian in Colossae whose house served as a meeting place for at least part of the church there (Phm 1:2). Like Epaphras, he had likely come to know the Lord through Paul’s three year ministry in Ephesus when “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Phm…
Col 4:2-6 What does it mean to “devote” oneself to prayer, and what does this teach us about the importance of prayer? See also Acts 1:14, 6:4, Rom 12:12; Mat 7:7-8, 21:22, Jn 14:13, 15:7, 16:23, 1 Jn 5:14-15. Why is it necessary for God’s people to always be prayerfully alert and watchful? See Mark 14:38,…
Col 3:5-11 At the end of chapter 2 Paul concluded that as a result of our being buried with Christ in baptism we are dead to all the ceremonial law and ought not to allow others to judge us in regard to the commandments and teachings of men (see Col 2:16-23). What other practical conclusion…
Col 2:16-17 In the previous verses Paul taught that the Gentile believers were made alive together with Christ while they were yet dead in the uncircumcision of their flesh, and that in Christ man’s debt to the ceremonial law of the Jews was taken away and nailed to the cross. What conclusion does Paul draw…
Col 2:8-12 What is the basic falsehood and deception behind the “elementary principles of the world” and that underlies all of the philosophies and traditions of men? Hint: contrast Col 2:10a and Jer 33:2-3 with the summarizing statement of the first tenet of the Humanist Manifesto (II): “While there is much that we do not…
Col 2:1-3 What was the struggle Paul had for the Gentile Christians in Colossae, Laodicea, and other places he had never visited? Why would their knowing of his struggle on their behalf encourage or comfort their hearts (Col 2:2)? When a church is confronted by false teaching does everyone immediately see it as false? What…
Col 1:21-23 How does Paul describe the former state of the Christians to whom he was writing? Do you think he is writing to predominantly Jewish or Gentile believers? See Col 1:27, 2:16-17, and note that the NASB “alienated” in Col 1:21 is the same word translated as “excluded” in Eph 2:12 and 4:18, the…
Note: One can see in the false teaching confronting the Colossians the seeds of Gnosticism that were already being sown and beginning to germinate in Paul’s day. Gnosticism was a widespread philosophy held in various forms by a host of cultic groups in the second century. The common belief of Gnosticism was that God…
Col 1:1-2 Compare this greeting with that in the first two verses of Ephesians (Eph 1:1-2), noticing the similarity and difference; considering the two letters are so similar and appear to have been written at the same time, why do you suppose Paul included Timothy in the greeting to the letter to the Colossians but…
Paul’s conversion (Acts 9:1-7): c. 33 a.d. (possibly as early as 30 a.d.) Paul in Damascus (Acts 9:8-25), Arabia (Gal 1:17), Jerusalem (Gal 1:18-19, Acts 9:26-29): c. 33-36 a.d. (or possibly 30-33 a.d.), and Tarsus (Acts 9:30, Gal 1:21): c. 36-43 a.d. (or possibly 33-43 a.d.) Barnabas to Antioch (Acts 11:19-24): c. 41 a.d. Paul…