|
Cappuccino with Colossians
|
CAPPUCCINO WITH COLOSSIANS
Coffee Cup Bible Series
If you need your flesh to be revived by
your spirit, try this study and your hunger for the Word will naturally
grow. You'll want so badly to read ahead, yet happily wait with anticipation
of what is to come. -Georgia
|
|
|
For further study:
Notes
- Bible.org has wonderful
audio messages, articles, and textual notes on Colossians
- Dr. Tom Constable, a professor at Dallas Seminary, has
compiled extensive notes on the Book of Colossians. He makes his notes available
online for free. You can access the .pdf file by following this link: Constable
notes
- Matthew Henry's complete commentary
on Colossians
Visual Art
- Join people from all over who are studying the Bible
and creating simple works of
creativity the size of playing cards as part of their
contemplations.
- For online searches of biblical art relating to
Colossians, follow this link to biblical
art
After the NET Bible notes, my
favorite commentary on Colossians
is by Kent Hughes.
Testimony on Col. 3:15
Leaders' Notes from Kelley Mathews:
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The city of Colosse lay in the
Lycus Valley about 120 miles east of Ephesus. It had been an important town
during the Persian War of the fifth century B.C. Since then new trade routes had
carried most traffic to its neighboring towns of Laodicea and Hierapolis and had
left Colosse only a country village. The
inhabitants were mainly Greek colonists and native Phrygians when Paul wrote
this epistle, though there were many Jews living in the area as well. Antiochus
the Great (223-187 B.C.) had relocated hundreds of Jewish families from
Mesopotamia to this region. They seem to have been more liberal Jews than those
in the neighboring province of Galatia to the east.
Apparently the Colossian
church came into being during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, because
Acts 19:10 says that Paul remained in Ephesus "for two years, so that all
who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” Thus a
new, thriving church sprouted in Colossae though
Paul had never been there himself
"Without doubt Colossae was
the least important church to which any epistle of St Paul is addressed."3
The only information available to help us reconstruct the
heresy threatening the church comes from indirect allusions and the emphases in
this epistle. We conclude that the false teachers were not giving the person and
work of Christ proper interpretation or emphasis. They were distorting and
minimizing these doctrines.
Paul wrote Colossae to
counter the growing influence of Gnostics (Gnosticism)
[undeveloped at this point in time, but in its embryonic stage] who considered
themselves of superior knowledge who could help “lesser” ones attain deeper
spirituality. Gnosticism is from gnosis, “to know” and thus
Gnostics were the “people in the know” who considered themselves the spiritual
elite. According to them, it was by knowledge as opposed to faith, that humanity
was to be regenerated. Gnostics held the basic doctrine that matter
(physical or created) was evil and that only the spirit was good. They reasoned
that God could not be involved in creation, because being perfect he could not
touch matter which was intrinsically evil.
Notwithstanding there was an
emphasis on higher knowledge of the cosmic order. There were also elements of
Judaistic ritualism and traditionalism present (2:8, 11, 16; 3:11). However,
contrary to orthodox Judaism, the false teachers were encouraging the veneration
of angels who they believed controlled the operations of nature to some degree
(2:18-19). There was an emphasis on ascetic self-denial (2:20-23) and apparently
the idea that only those with full knowledge of the truth as taught by the false
teachers could understand and experience spiritual maturity (1:20, 28; 3:11).
These emphases later developed into Gnosticism, though in Colosse the Jewish
emphasis was more prominent than in later Greek Gnosticism.
The primary purpose of the letter was clearly to combat
this false teaching. The two main problems were the doctrine of Christ and how
this doctrine affects Christian living. The primary Christological passages
(1:14-23; 2:9-15) present Christ as absolutely preeminent and perfectly adequate
for the Christian. The Christian life, Paul explained, flows naturally out of
this revelation. The Christian life is really the life of the indwelling Christ
that God manifests through the believer.
Paul probably wrote this epistle from Rome toward the
middle or end of his first house arrest there between 60 and 62 A.D. He
experienced confinement though he enjoyed considerable liberty there for about
two years. Many of Paul's fellow workers were with him when he composed this
epistle (4:7-14). This view of the letter's origin generally fits the facts
better than the Caesarean and Ephesian theories of origin.
There are many similarities
between Ephesians and Colossians. The major distinction between them is that in
Ephesians the emphasis is on the church as the body of Christ. In Colossians the
emphasis is on Christ as the head of the body. Stylistically Colossians is
somewhat tense and abrupt whereas Ephesians is more diffuse and flowing.
Colossians tends to be more specific, concrete, and elliptical while Ephesians
is more abstract, didactic, and general. The mood of Colossians is argumentative
and polemical, but that of Ephesians is calm and irenic. The former is a letter
of discussion; the latter is a letter of reflection.7
Paul evidently wrote both letters about the same time. These two
epistles, along with Philippians and Philemon, constitute the Prison Epistles of
Paul.8
PURPOSE
Three purposes emerge from
the contents of the epistle. Paul wanted to express his personal interest in
this church, which he had evidently not visited. He wrote to warn the Colossians
of the danger of returning to their former beliefs and practices. He also
refuted the false teaching that was threatening this congregation. The
outstanding Christian doctrine that this letter deals with is Christology.
Paul's great purpose was to set forth the absolute supremacy and sole
sufficiency of Jesus Christ.
"The church today desperately
needs the message of Colossians. We live in a day when religious toleration is
interpreted to mean 'one religion is just as good as another.' Some people try
to take the best from various religious systems and manufacture their own
private religion. To many people, Jesus Christ is only one of several
great religious teachers, with no more authority than they. He may be prominent,
but He is definitely not preeminent.
"This is an age of
'syncretism.' People are trying to harmonize and unite many different schools of
thought and come up with a superior religion. Our evangelical churches are in
danger of diluting the faith in their loving attempt to understand the beliefs
of others. Mysticism, legalism, Eastern religions, asceticism, and man-made
philosophies are secretly creeping into churches. They are not denying Christ,
but they are dethroning Him and robbing Him of His rightful place of
preeminence."
(Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible
Exposition Commentary, 2:105.)
Overview of Colossians
Theme: the sufficiency of Christ. In answer to heresy pervading the
church at Colossae.
1. Sufficiency of Christ (1:3–2:7)
(1) Prayer for the
Colossians: This prayer deals with the heart of the epistle: the heretics claim
to have a superior knowledge, yet their very philosophy chokes out any
productivity for God. Followed by an early Christian hymn about Christ’s deity.
(2) Christ is reconciler
of “all things,” and as such has reconciled the Colossians to God.
2.
Turning the
Tables (2:3–3:4)
Paul argues against the
views of the heretics at Colossae, using their own language to affirm his
gospel, showing that their view is insufficient, and that Christ is sufficient.
(1) In response to the
heretics’ wrong views, Christ’s sufficiency is promoted:
(a) Christ, as fully God, has ultimate authority
(b) the power which raised Christ from the dead is available to believers
(c) the death of Christ is not defeat, but triumph
(2) To return to human
regulations and lack of real appreciation for the true mystery, Christ himself,
contradicts believers’ corporate life in Christ
3. Call to Live the True Christian Life (3:5–4:6)
Although Paul uses many
imperatives, beneath the surface is the fact of Christ’s sufficiency for
sanctification (or else the commands would be irrelevant).
(1) His sufficiency
enables believers to grow individually because believers have already put off
the old man and have put on the new man. Thus, their battle against sin is
rooted in their changed nature—a direct result of the sufficiency of Christ
applied.
(2) Christ’s sufficiency
enables believers to act responsibly in the extended home.
(3) Christ’s sufficiency
enables believers to focus on the needs of others. Pray for Paul, gain
opportunity in their evangelistic efforts; and make the most of their
opportunities in sharing their faith.
During Group Time Teach
Members to Do a Word Study
Col 3:23 Whatever you
do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that
from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord
Christ whom you serve.
1. Find your word to investigate.
Right click on “heartily”— “from the soul”
2. ID? G5590,--this is the Strong’s
Number. In the book, find the word and it will have a number plus definition and
other similar words it is connected with. Commentaries and dictionaries often
use the Strong’s number to identify and categorize words and definitions. Like
an ID tag.
Strong’s Lexicon: 2a the seat of the feelings,
desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul etc.)
Go to NAS Hebrew-Aramaic & Greek Dictionaries (same,
but more concise definitions)
5590
ψυχή
psuchē; of unc. origin;
breath, the soul:— heart(2), heartily(1), life(36), lives(7), mind(1), minds(1),
person(1), persons(3), soul(33), souls(14), suspense (1), thing(1).
3. Another resource: G5590, Theological
Dictionary of NT
This will take you through the usage of this word
found in Greek literature, Hebrew translations, NT uses—breaks down by category:
Gospel/Acts, Pauline, other Epistles, etc.
4. important to check English and Greek (or Hebrew)
definition in order to gather the most basic meaning of the word. See how each
time the word is used in the Greek reveals a certain connotation. As you survey
each category, you’ll find the most primary interpretations of the word.
OT
parallel word: nephes=breath, life, corresponding to
one’s person or soul—as breath was necessary and so parallel to life and living,
the word came to incorporate the fuller meaning. While there are some occasions
where it denotes other body parts, most often it means:
The Heart. The heart holds a special place as the
most common anthropological term (850 instances). Although localized exactly, it
denotes the totality in its inner worth. Like breathing, it has an ebb and flow.
But its cessation does not mean death (1 Sam. 25), since it has more than a
physical sense. It is the point where impressions meet (1 Sam. 1:8; Ps. 13:2).
It comes close to conscience (1 Sam. 25:31)
Paul’s usage:
Phil. 2:30 Epaphroditus hazarded his
ψυχή for the sake of
Christ’s work when he was near to death.
In 1 Th. 2:8 Paul says of himself and his fellow-workers
that they would give not only the Gospel but their own
ψυχαί for the community.
Here the reference is not so much to the giving of physical life in death as to
the giving of that which constitutes life, e.g., time, energy, and health.
Concerning Prisca and Aquila in Rom. 16:4 – they sacrificed
themselves to the uttermost for his
ψυχή. Here again we are
probably to think of the fuller sense of life, so that the point is, not that
they kept the apostle from death, but that they tried to make for him the good
and healthy life that was needed for his work.
It is a neutral term—one can hate “en
ψυχή” as well as one can
pursue God “en ψυχή”—
parallel to
δύναμις
(dynamite!), describes man’s
total commitment, although with ref. to his powers of soul rather than his
physical powers.
In conclusion:
To work “heartily” or “with all
your heart” –is to serve God, the source of your life, the giver of your breath,
with passion, force, enthusiasm, energy, and commitment—not til your body drops
dead, but to the limits of your inner being—which, since it is renewed day by
day by the Spirit of God, should and can be limitless, constant,
Bible study resources
Web sites:
These sites include numerous search functions, word study
options, original language helps, resource books (commentaries, dictionaries,
etc), and links to related material. You could use these sites and perhaps never
need to buy a resource book for this purpose.
http://biblestudy.crosswalk.com/
http://net.bible.org/bible.php -- NeXt Bible Learning Environment
Software:
www.bibleworks.com
www.logos.com Logos Bible Software
www.e-sword.net
http://www.biblesoft.com/
Biblesoft PC Study Bible
Books:
Commentaries
Concordances—based on the version of the Bible you read
most
Bible dictionary
Bible Atlas
Greek/English and Hebrew/English Lexicons
Check out all of the Coffee Cup Bible Studies:
Espresso with Esther
Mocha on the Mount
Solomon Latte (Song of Songs)
Java with the Judges (includes Hannah)
Premium
Roast with Ruth
Frappé with Philippians
Kona with Jonah
Sumatra with the Seven Churches
Contact us for more info
| 
)