1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have toward all the saints, 5because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Good News 6which has come to you, even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing, as it does in you also, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth, 7even as you learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on your behalf, 8who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.
9For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, 11strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy, 12giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, 13who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love, 14in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For by him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth, visible things and invisible things, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things have been created through him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things are held together. 18He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile all things to himself by him, whether things on the earth or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.
21You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds, 22yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him, 23if it is so that you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Good News which you heard, which is being proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a servant.
24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly, 25of which I was made a servant according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you to fulfill the word of God, 26the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints, 27to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28We proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; 29for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.
Paul authored the epistle to the church at Colosse and critical scholars did not question his authorship until the 19th century. Regardless, Paul identifies himself as the author of this letter and it is generally agreed that Paul wrote this letter ca. A.D. 60. Epaphras was the founder of this body of believers and was also the person that Paul sent to deliver this letter. Moreover, the Muratorian fragment, which dates around A.D. 180, includes Colossians. This fragment also considers Paul as the author and was considered a divinely inspired epistle within the early church.
Modern critics claim that there are some 33 words used in this epistle, which is not evident in other established Pauline letters. Yet, in Galatians there are some 35 words used that are not employed elsewhere in other letters that scholars generally accept as Pauline. These words, whether common or uncommon, can easily be explained by the topics addressed. It is customary to use different words for different occasions.
Colossians is a concise theological treatise seeking to refute the growing Hellenistic mysticism of the day. Thus, Paul identifies various heresies creeping into the church. As usual, Paul always warns the Christian church to beware of heresies and false teachers. The church at Colosse was facing two main heresies on the rise: early Gnosticism and Judaizers. While the Judaizers were more of a problem in the early churches throughout Asia Minor, the Colossians were facing an ascending Gnostic heresy. Thus, as is customary with Paul, he continues to remind the believers that the Law does not save, nor are we held hostage to the Mosaic Law for we are free in Christ, while also warning them of the growing Gnostic menace.
Colossians is a high Christological treatise, due perhaps to one particular heresy that attacked the deity of Christ. Thus, Paul says Jesus was “the image of the invisible God” (1:15) who created all things , for whom all things were created for Him, and how all things consist in him. Paul could not be clearer in his Christological defense. Given the fact that this letter was authored in A.D. 60, it serves as primary evidence that the divinity of Christ was a common belief in the first century and not a later embellishment by the church.
Paul also speaks of salvation in this epistle. He reminds its recipients that the unsaved man is “alienated” and an enemy of God, but through faith in Christ, all men may be “reconciled” to Him. God, thus, delivers believers from the power of darkness and sin, conveying them into the Kingdom of the Son “through His love” and makes believers “qualified” to be “partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”