Colossians is a fantastic book to understand the supremacy of Jesus, how we are complete in Jesus, and how all we need is Christ and nothing else! In this Colossians Bible Study, I have given an overview of the book of Colossians.
I’ve given a brief introduction to the book of Colossians and a summary of the book of Colossians chapter by chapter.
If you want the book of Colossians explained in-depth, I’ve provided links to my Colossians inductive bible study/ Colossians chapter commentaries.
Who wrote the book of Colossians?
Apostle Paul wrote the book of Colossians. When did Paul write Colossians? Scholars believe that Paul wrote this book, most likely around A.D. 62-63. During which imprisonment did Paul write Colossians? Paul wrote the book of Colossians during his first imprisonment in Rome (Colossians 4:3 NKJV, Colossians 4:10 NKJV, and Colossians 4:18 NKJV).
Who is Paul speaking to in Colossians? Paul is speaking to the church in Colossae. Why did Paul write to Colossians? It is believed that Paul most likely wrote this letter after Epapharas from Colossae visited Paul in Roman custody (Colossians 1:7 NKJV).
Paul wrote this letter without meeting the Colossian church in real life (Colossians 2:1NKJV). How many chapters are in Colossians? There are 4 chapters in Colossians.
Colossians background – What is the historical background of Colossians?
What is the history of Colossians? Colossae was a small city near Laodicea (Colossians 4:15 NKJV), around 160 km from Ephesus in Asia Minor. The Colossian church is one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation.
What happened to Colossae? Colossae was destroyed in 1192-1193, and the people there relocated to modern-day Honaz. What is Colossae called today? Colossae is a site in modern Turkey today. For more information on the historical background of Colossae, visit Wikipedia.
What is the purpose of the book of Colossians?
The purpose of writing this letter was to address the doctrinal issues that the Colossian church was facing. The Colossian church let the world’s philosophy get mixed up with their Christian beliefs. Some scholars describe it as “The Colossian Heresy”; some even call it the “local angel cult.” For more information, visit Wikipedia.
The Jewish Christians brought their traditions of circumcision etc., and the Greeks got their mythology into their church, and also, some pagan traditions were being followed. The Colossian church started believing that they needed to do more to sanctify themselves and thought accepting Jesus was not enough.
It was important to set the doctrinal issues right, so Paul wrote this letter.
What is the main message of Colossians?
What is the main message Paul is conveying in Colossians? What is the main theme of the book of Colossians? The main message or the main theme of Colossians is establishing Jesus as supreme over all creation. Paul established this by highlighting three main points.
What are the three main points that Paul made in Colossians?
- Paul revealed the mystery of God- Christ in you, the hope of glory.
- Paul addressed the false doctrines of the Colossians church and explained how Christians are complete in Christ as the Godhead bodily.
- Paul gave specific instructions on how to put off our old selves and put on our new selves. He explained how the family order and work order are meant to be.
Let’s briefly overview Colossians with a summary of the book of Colossians chapter by chapter.
Summary of Colossians 1
In Colossians 1, Paul beautifully explained the supremacy of Jesus by laying a solid foundation about who God the Father is and who Jesus is. How is God described in Colossians? God the Father delivered humanity from the power of darkness and conveyed humanity into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
What do we learn about Jesus in Colossians? Who is Jesus in Colossians? Paul established the Supremacy of Jesus. He explained that Jesus is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn over all creation. All things were created – by Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus.
Jesus is BEFORE all things, and in Jesus all things CONSIST. Jesus is the HEAD of the church. Jesus is the BEGINNING of creation. Jesus is the firstborn from the DEAD. Through Jesus’ blood, we are also resurrected from spiritual death.
Jesus is preeminent – which means SUPERIOR over everything on earth and in heaven. Everything fully and permanently dwells in Jesus. The mystery of God is Christ in you, the hope of glory!
Paul appreciates the faith, hope, and love that the Colossian church has and tells them they need nothing more than Jesus. Finally, Paul talks about how he rejoices in the afflictions as a minister of the Gospel and encourages the Colossian church to be good stewards of the Gospel of hope.
This is the overview of Colossians 1, explaining the summary of Colossians 1. If you want Colossians inductive bible study, read my easy-to-understand Colossians 1 Commentary Bible Study, where I discuss each verse in-depth with key lessons from the book of Colossians for chapter 1, plus Colossians 1 Bible Study questions pdf that you can download.
Summary of Colossians 2
In Colossians 2, Paul provided a fantastic solution for all Christians in Colossians 2 to safeguard themselves from false doctrine. He gave his formula to become an unshakeable Christian.
Encouraged heart + Christians knit together in love + Complete understanding of the mystery of God = Unshakeable Christian.
Paul encouraged the Colossians church to walk in Christ, to be rooted and built up in Him and establish themselves in faith with THANKSGIVING.
Paul addressed the main doctrinal issues of the Colossians church by warning the Colossians of a few important things.
What are the warnings in the book of Colossians?
- Paul warns that the Colossians church does not need circumcision as a physical act to attain salvation but circumsice your heart with baptism in Christ.
- Paul warns the Colossians church not to indulge themselves in any Angelic worship. Jesus is our High Priest, and Christians do not require any other medium to reach God.
- Paul warns the Colossians church not to fall into the trap of allowing the judgment of religious or legalistic regulations regarding food and drink. Or even to follow certain days, such as the sabbath/new moon. Paul says that these temporary, religious, and legalistic things have no contribution toward attaining salvation.
Paul not only warned but also encouraged the Colossians church. How did Paul encourage the Colossians? Paul explained that Jesus sacrificed Himself to pay for the allegations against us. Jesus nailed our handwriting of requirements on the cross; disarmed the principalities and power over us because of our sins.
Paul encouraged the Colossian church that Jesus is the head of all principalities and rulers of this world. Those principalities have no power over Christians anymore. Paul also encouraged them to live like heavenly beings and not be concerned about following carnal religious regulations.
He also explained the meaning of Jesus as the Godhead bodily and how everything is knit together in Him. Finally, he describes how accepting Christ and being baptized make Christians the citizens of heaven.
In short, Paul said that all the Colossians church needed was Jesus and nothing more!
This is the overview of Colossians 2, explaining the summary of Colossians 2. If you want Colossians inductive bible study, read my easy-to-understand Colossians 2 Commentary Bible Study, where I discuss each verse in-depth with key lessons from the book of Colossians for chapter 2, plus Colossians 2 Bible Study questions pdf that you can download.
Summary of Colossians 3
In Colossians 3, Paul wonderfully explained how the Colossians church was to put off the old man and put on the new man after accepting Christ and taking baptism. Paul explained that when we take baptism, we agree that we are dead in Christ and are now raised with Christ.
This now becomes our new identity which is Christ inside us and not us. We are hidden in Christ, and He appears so that we also appear with Him in glory.
Paul lists the worldly things like fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness and lists the things Christians need to put off, like anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy language.
Paul advises the Colossians church to “put on” Tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, to bear with one another, to forgive one another as Christ forgave you, and to LOVE – which is the bond of perfection above everything else.
Paul motivates the Colossians church to put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. He encourages the Colossians church to renew their minds so that everything points to Christ in them and to Christ in others because Christ is all and in all.
Paul calls the Colossian church the “elect” of God, which makes them special. But with it comes great responsibility! He explained this further by teaching how family and work order should be here on earth.
Paul gave instructions for:
- Wives to submit to their husbands
- Husbands love their wives
- Children to obey their parents
- Parents do not provoke their children and
- Bondservants/Employees (in the modern world) to work as if working for the Lord
Paul explains that whatever we do, we should do everything for God! Paul explains that everything comes from God, and He is the rewarder of our work on earth. Christian living should be based on Christ, whose life is to appear so that we also appear with Him in glory. In other words, everything about us and others should point to Jesus.
This image is the overview of Colossians 3 at a glance. You can download the summary of Colossians 3 by clicking on the image and saving it. If you want Colossians inductive bible study, read my easy-to-understand Colossians 3 Commentary Bible Study, where I discuss each verse in-depth with key lessons from the book of Colossians for chapter 3, plus Colossians 3 Bible Study questions pdf that you can download.
Summary of Colossians 4
In Colossians 4, Paul instructs the Colossians church about prayer and speech. Regarding prayer, he emphasizes three main points; he tells them to continue to pray earnestly, to be vigilant in prayer, and with thanksgiving. This tells us that prayer is very important in a Christian life!
Paul requests the Colossians church to pray for him and all the disciples with him to be able to share the Gospel and for God to open doors for opportunity. Paul also encourages the Colossians church to prioritize their time to speak wisdom and to share the Gospel with the people outside.
Paul further gives instructions to the Colossians church about their speech. He says that their speech should: ALWAYS be with grace and seasoned with salt; so they can answer outsiders’ questions.
As Christians, we are the salt of the world, and our speech should be seasoned with salt. Paul says that when our speech is graceful, wise, and accustomed to the situation, the listener will be attentive and accepting. Paul says that this will enable Christians to answer even the tricky questions.
Paul sends greetings on behalf of his six companions- Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Luke, and Demas. They were with him during his imprisonment, and he informs them they are of great comfort to him during his hard time in custody.
Paul dedicated his whole life to Christ and to sharing the mystery of Christ. Paul ends the letter with his salutation (signed his name) and requests the Colossians church to remember his chains. Paul’s life and words greatly encourage all believers to prioritize sharing the Gospel, even if it means persecution in this world.
This image is the overview of Colossians 4 at a glance. You can download the summary of Colossians 4 by clicking on the image and saving it. If you want Colossians inductive bible study, read my easy-to-understand Colossians 4 Commentary Bible Study where I discuss each verse in-depth with key lessons from the book of Colossians for chapter 4 plus Colossians 4 Bible Study questions pdf that you can download.
Book of Colossians Bible Study Tools
Here are a few Bible Study tools from the Book of Colossians which may be of help for further study.
If you want Bible Study Questions from all the chapters of the book of Colossians in one pdf, you can download book of Colossians bible study pdf.
If you want all the lessons from the book of Colossians in one pdf, you can download Life-Lessons from the book of Colossias pdf.
If you are interested in the Colossians bible study guide, you can get the following helpful Colossians bible study tools.
Book of Colossians Commentary Spurgeon – Commentary on Colossians (Spurgeon Commentary Series)
Book of Colossians Commentary John Macarthur – Colossians and Philemon MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Volume 22
Also, be sure to Read:
- Easy to Understand Colossians 1 Commentary with Bible Study Questions (plus Downloadable Life-Lessons)
- Easy to Understand Colossians 2 Commentary with bible Study Questions (plus Downloadable Life-Lessons)
- Easy to Understand Colossians 3 Commentary with Bible Study Questions (plus Downloadable Life-Lessons)
- Easy to Understand Colossians 4 Commentary with Bible Study Questions (plus Downloadable Life-Lessons)
