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.
