Day 342 Reading Schedule: Colossians1-4

Colossians 1: Christ, the Head of All Things

[Summary]

This chapter is about Christ, the image of God. The problem that the Colossae church faced at the time was the temptation of false teachings regarding Christology. The Colossae church, which did not have the knowledge or experience to properly defend itself against this, finally sent Epaphras to Paul to seek an answer. Epaphras met Paul in prison, and Paul sent this book containing lessons about the urgent situation of the Colossae church to the Colossae church through Tychicus. This chapter, which is the beginning of this book containing such content, develops Paul’s unique Christology toward the Colossae church, where heretical doctrines were prevalent at the time. The content of this chapter is divided into the first half (vv. 1-14) consisting of Paul's thanksgiving and prayers toward the church in Colossae, the middle part (vv. 15-23) preaching about the person and ministry of Christ, and the second half (vv. 24-29) explaining to the Colossians the connection between God's plan and Paul's own ministry.

Colossians 2: Warning Against Heresy

[Overview]

This chapter specifically refutes and sternly warns about the heretical ideas that have infiltrated the church in Colossae. This chapter hints that there were a group of opponents in the church in Colossae who believed in vain philosophies. The philosophy they followed was not based on Jesus Christ, the Lord of all rulers and authorities, but on the worship of cosmic spirits, Jewish ceremonial practices, strict ascetic practices, and legal regulations that demanded the worship of angels. Paul responds to these opponents by arguing that the truth of Christianity is superior to any form of vain philosophy. The first paragraph of this chapter is Paul’s prayer and exhortation for the Colossians (vv. 1-7), the second paragraph is Paul’s warning against false teachings (vv. 8-15), and the third paragraph is about the ethical obligations of those who are in Christ. In other words, it specifically talks about how to counter false teachings (vv. 16-23).

Colossians 3: The New Life of the Christian 

[Overview]

The doctrinal teaching that true Christians are free from the law changes from this chapter to ethical exhortation and instruction. The parable of the old man and the new man in this chapter is closely related to the parable of the first Adam and the last Adam in Romans (cf. Rom. 5:12-21). The change from the old man to the new man occurs when the disobedient and helpless way of being of the first Adam is abandoned and the transforming power of Christ, the last Adam, is empowered. This change aims to restore the image of God that was originally given to humans. The content of the argument is divided into three parts. In the first paragraph, Paul emphasizes what the new goal of humans is and what it means to become a new person (vv. 1-11). In the second paragraph, he mentions the new nature that true Christians should have (vv. 12-17), and in the third paragraph, he presents the principles of conduct that each person should have in his or her position more specifically (vv. 18-25). 

Colossians 4: Paul's Exhortation and Greetings

[Overview]

This book was written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome along with Ephesians, and thus has many similarities with Ephesians. However, while Ephesians focuses on the doctrine of the church and argues for unity in Christ, this book focuses on Christology and refutes the teachings of false teachers. This chapter concludes this characteristic of the book, and at the same time, several general exhortations and a lengthy greeting are added. Therefore, at first glance, it may seem like several secondary exhortations are connected in a scattered manner, but in reality, the basic outline of the duty of prayer and missions is very solidly structured. In other words, the exhortation for Christians to intercede in prayer for the gospel ministry in verses 2-4 can be said to be the core of this chapter. The content of this chapter is composed of the first half (verses 1-6) that talks about the prayer life of the saints, and the second half (verses 7-18) where Paul, who placed great importance on human relationships in his pastoral ministry, asks about the well-being of those with whom he had good relationships and exchanges final greetings