Sermon Tone Analysis

I. Introduction

One of the first things you should do when coming to a book study is to try to grasp the big picture of the book.

What is it all about?

Why was it written?

If you had to sum up the message of the book of Colossians in a few sentences or even a few words what would you say?

If someone where to ask you, “what is the book of Colossians all about?”

What would be your immediate answer?

This is the purpose of the introduction.

To give us a frame work understanding of the book, to ensure that we are interpreting the text as close as possible to the original meaning that Paul gave it.

In order to do that we need to answer some basic questions about the book:

Question #1- To whom was the letter written?

The city of Colossae, at one time, was a city of great importance.

In the fourth and third centuries BC it was a thriving textile center, and its importance was due especially to its location at the crossroads to two well-traveled highways.

Later on those roads were moved and the city declined in importance by Paul’s day.

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The diversity of population and exposure to the latest ideas via travelers on its major highway meant that Colossae was a place where many different religious and philosophical viewpoints thrived and probably mixed together.

This diversity helps explain the apparently syncretistic religious movement that was affecting the Colossian Christians and that gave rise to the letter.

As far as we know Paul never went to Colossae, and he certainly did not found the church

Epaphras was most likely the founder of the church.

Interestingly, Epaphras was a convert of Paul from the time of Paul’s three year ministry in Ephesus on his third missionary journey (Acts 19).

We assume that Epaphras was one of the number that dwelt in Asia and heard the gospel, got saved, and then took the message of Jesus back to his home city of Colossae and started a church.

This means that the church in Colossae was founded around A.D. 53-55, about seven to ten years before Paul wrote this epistle.

So Epaphras gets saved, takes the gospel back to Colossae and starts a church.

7-10 years go by and there is a problem that creeps into the church, so Epaphras travels to where Paul was in prison for the sake of the gospel and was eventually imprisoned himself.

Now with Paul and Epaphras in prison, Paul writes the letter to the Colossians and commissions Tychicus to deliver the letter.

Epaphras’s reason for making this trip to visit Paul was almost certainly that he wanted to enlist the apostle’s help in dealing with a dangerous yet slippery variation on the Christian gospel that had arisen in the community.

Paul writes to a community, then, that he has “grandfathered” through his “son,” Epaphras.

Paul, then writes this letter to a primarily Gentile church, whom he has never met, but has a burden for due to his relationship with former convert Epaphras.

Question #2- Who wrote the letter?

The Apostle Paul- some debate, mostly among liberal scholars.

Question #3- When was the letter written?

The question of when is tied to the question of where.

We know that Pau is in prison at the time of writing the letter.

There are several options to pick from, but it probable that Paul wrote the book of Colossians from his Roman imprisonment around A.D. 60-61.

Some scholars suggest that Paul met Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave, while he was in prison.

Philemon probably belonged to the church at Colossae, and Paul took advantage of the situation to address his other concern: the problem which Epaphras had discussed with him.

Epaphras had earlier journeyed to Paul to help him in whatever way he could, representing the three churches of the Lycus valley.

Further, since Onesimus and Tychicus had to travel through Ephesus to get to Colossae, Paul took advantage of the occasion to write to his good friends at Ephesus.

Question #4- Why was Colossians written?

One of the primary reasons Paul wrote Colossians was to deal with false teaching that had crept into the church.

Rather than fall prey to false teaching Paul wants these believers to remain strong in the faith.

The purpose of the letter, then, is to provide the resources that the Colossian Christians need to fend off some kind of false teaching to which they are exposed.

Epaphras has journeyed all the way to Rome, thousands of miles, just to present to his mentor, the apostle Paul, with the problem and to enlist his help in responding to it.

What was the content of this false teaching?

Hollow and deceptive philosophy

2. Depends on human tradition

3. depends on the elemental spiritual forces of this world

4. Does not depend on Christ

5. Advocating the observance of certain food restrictions and of certain Jewish “holy days”

6.

These false teachers practiced ascetic disciplines

7.

They focused on angels

8. they made a great deal about visions

9.

They were proud

10.

They were loosing their connection with the head of the body, Christ

11.

These false teachers were teaching a set of rules, that Paul calls worldly, as an important means of spiritual growth.

The false teachers were probably people from within the Colossian Christian community who were bragging about their ability to find ultimate spiritual “fulfillment” via their own program of visions and asceticism.

This program was drawn partly from Judaism, particularly in its focus on rules about eating and observing certain days.

They were preoccupied with spiritual beings, probably because they viewed them as powerful figures capable of having a significant influence on their lives.

The false teachers were appealing to spiritual beings, visions, and rules to find security in this very uncertain universe.

In doing so, they were questioning the sufficiency of Christ.

Here is the essence of the false teaching: it is “not according to Christ” (2:8)

Any teaching that questions the sufficiency of Christ—not only for “initial” salvation but also for spiritual growth and ultimate salvation from judgment—falls under the massive christological critique of Colossians.

What Paul wants for these believers is to be firm, mature believers in Christ.

Believers that need not look anywhere other than Christ.

Christ is to them central, He is sufficient, He is preeminent!

Paul’s desire is for maturity in the faith!

And the message He wants to get across is that the only way for one to be grounded, faithful, and mature is through Christ!

Any teaching that questions the sufficiency of Christ—not only for “initial” salvation but also for spiritual growth and ultimate salvation from judgment—falls under the massive christological critique of Colossians.

This is the message of Colossians.

Jesus Christ is: Central, Sufficient, Preeminent!

Don’t be fooled by man made philosophies that are not according to Christ.

Rather,