What does the Bible say?

Questions to help you grow in your familiarity with the Letter to the Colossians

Located about 100 miles east of Ephesus, Colossae was a Greco-Phrygian city in Asia Minor.
Colossae was about ten miles from Laodicea At one time Colossae had been a large city, but when
Paul wrote to the Colossian church, it had become just a small town in contrast to its nearest
neighbors, Hierapolis and Laodicea. From the New Testament record, these two neighboring
cities appear to also have contained a congregation of believers Philemon 2 with Col. 4:16 and
are mentioned in Colossians 2:1; 4:13. Significantly, the letter to this small group of believers
became one of the most important because of what it teaches us regarding the person and work of
Jesus Christ. The inhabitants of the area were Gentiles, but there was a considerable quantity of
Jews among them.
Like several of his letters, Paul wrote this letter from a Roman prison about 63A.D. There is
some commonality between this letter and the letter to Philemon as they were written at about the
exact same time and several of the people mentioned in chapter four are also mentioned in the
letter to Philemon.
“Paul probably wrote the letter because of the visit of Epaphras from Colosse (Colossians 1:7).
It is likely that Paul himself had never visited the city (Colossians 2:1)”.

Day One: Read Colossians chapter one

1. a. What was Paul’s prayer for the church in Colossians 1:9-11?

2. What promise do we as believers already have fulfilled in Christ? See verses 12-13.

3. a. What does Paul say about the nature and person of Jesus? See Colossians 1:15-19.

b. Compare John’s description of Jesus in John 1:1-3, does it differ from Paul’s?

The word fullness was "a recognized technical term in theology, denoting the totality of the
Divine powers and attributes." (Lightfoot, cited in Robertson)

According to Vincent, pleroma was used by the Gnostic teachers in a technical sense, to express
the sum-total of divine powers and attributes "Christ may have been ranked with these inferior
images of the divine by the Colossian teachers. Hence the significance of the assertion that the
totality of the divine dwells in Him." (Vincent)
What does the Bible say? Questions to help you grow in your familiarity with the Letter to the Colossians

4. What did Paul mean in verse 19 when he said that it pleased the father that all the fullness
should dwell in Jesus? Also see Matthew 28:18 and Jn 14:6-10.

5. How did Jesus’ death on the cross reconcile us with God (Colossians 1:20)? See
Ephesians 2:1-8.

6. What did Paul mean in verse 24 when he said that he wants to fulfill the sufferings
of Christ? See Acts 9:15-16 and 2 Corinthians 11:22-28.

Day Two: Read Colossians chapter two

1. What conflict is Paul referring to in verse 1; who and what was he contending about? See
Eph 6:11-13.

2. What does it mean to be “rooted and built up in your faith” in verse 7? Also see Psalm
119:9-16 and Timothy 3:13-16.

3. How does what Paul said to the church in Colosse in verses 8- 9 relate to what he said to the
church in Ephesus. See Ephesians 6:10-18.

4. What was Paul’s exhortation to the church in Colosse in verses 11-14?

5. How did Jesus defeat all principalities and powers and make a public spectacle of them
from Colossians 2:15? See 1 Cor 15:1-4, 24-26, 54-55.
What does the Bible say? Questions to help you grow in your familiarity with the Letter to the Colossians

6. a. What did Paul caution the believers in Colosse not to do in verses 16-23?

b. How does this compare to what said to the church in Galatia? See Galatians 3:1-3

Day Three: Read Colossians chapter 3

1. How can we set our minds on things above, instead of things here on earth in verse 2? See
Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3 & Romans 12:1-2.

2. How do we put off the old man in order to put on the new man in verse 10? See Romans
6:11-14 and Romans 8:9-11.

3. How do we put on the things that Paul listed in verse 12 or what Peter listed in 2Peter
1:5-8?

4. What should we do to ensure that the peace of God is ruling in our hearts? See Colossians
3:15-16?

5. a. What must we do in order to establish and maintain a Godly home from verses 18-21?

b. Why do you think these are effective in strengthening the home?

6. What attitude can help you do all things as unto the Lord? See Ps 100:3-5.

Day Four: Read Colossians chapter four

1. How are we to determine what is just and fair in our business dealings in light of Mt 7:12?
What does the Bible say? Questions to help you grow in your familiarity with the Letter to the Colossians

2. a. What did Paul mean by “redeeming the time” in verse 5?

b. What can you do to “redeem the time”? See Ephesians 5:15-17.

"Distorted accounts of Christian conduct and belief were in circulation; it was important that
Christians should give no color to these calumnies, but should rather give the lie to them by their
regular manner of life." (Bruce)

3. What does it mean to have your speech to always be with grace, seasoned with salt from
verse 6? See Ephesians 4:29-32.

4. What is significant about Paul’s instruction to welcome Mark when he comes in verse 10?
See Acts 15:36-40.

5. Why do you think Paul these three Jewish converts to Christianity were especially
comforting to Paul?

(Side Note) Adam Clarke drew out a logical conclusion from the words, These are my only fellow
workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision: "It is evident, therefore, that Peter was not
now at Rome, else he certainly would have been mentioned in this list; for we cannot suppose that he was in
the list of those who preached Christ in an exceptionable way, and from impure and unholy motives:
indeed, there is no evidence that Peter ever saw Rome."

6. Paul instructed them to read his letter to the church at Laodicea. What else do we know
about this church? (Revelation 3:14-19)

Paul closes this great epistle with a few other exhortations and instructions to churches and
individuals. If time permits read the short letter to Philemon and see if you can find the individuals
mentioned in that letter to help piece together what was going on behind the scenes in Paul’s
personal life as he penned this letter regarding the man Onesimus and Archippus.