Colossians is another of the Roman epistles,
written by the Apostle Paul, approximately a.d. 62.
Colosse was located about 125 miles southeast of
Ephesus. This was a very rich area, with a large
population. There were both Jews and Gentiles living in
this city. Paul had never visited Colosse, as we see in
chapter 2:1, but during his ministry, Epaphras, whose
home was in Colosse, had been converted and had taken
the Gospel back home and founded a church there.
This letter emphasizes the preeminence of
Christ. We note the words “all,” “fullness,” and
“filled” being used over and over again. Paul’s theme is
that Christ is all in all, and we are made full in Him.
Christ is ALL the believer needs, and worldly desires
and philosophies are done away with when He is given
first place in our lives.
False teachers of Colosse had failed to give
Christ the place of preeminence in their lives. Many
times today Christ is looked upon as a great man among
great men. But He is not this! He is the Son of God,
preeminent over all. The warnings that Paul gives us in
chapter 2:2-10 are to beware of empty philosophies; in
verses 11-17 to beware of religious legalism; and in
verses 18-23 he tells us to beware of man-made
disciplines.
In chapter 3 Paul again emphasizes that Christ
must be preeminent in our lives. We, as Christians, must
give Christ full reign of our personal lives. We must
also give Him full reign in the home and in our daily
work and activities.
Paul tells us in chapter 4 that we, as
Christians, should watch and pray, walk in wisdom, and
have godly speech. In verse 5 he tells us to redeem the
time. With the crisis presently facing us in the Middle
East, we know the second coming of our Lord and Saviour
must be approaching. We, as Christians, should redeem
every minute of every day to live the type of life
pleasing to Christ. We should be the witnesses that
Christ wants us to be, in order that those around us may
be warned of the coming judgment to all who have failed
to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The
importance of living every moment for Christ should be
foremost in the minds of every Christian.