About This Book

Colossians is written to steady a church that is being tempted by a more impressive, more complicated, more spiritual sounding message than the simple gospel they first received. Paul writes to show that Christ is not the beginning of the Christian life with other additions needed later. Christ is the whole of it. He is supreme over creation, sufficient for redemption, and present with his people by his Spirit. This letter strengthens preachers and teachers by giving them a clear centre of gravity, Christ himself, and by exposing the subtle ways that error creeps in through extra rules, extra rituals, and extra experiences.

The movement of the book is both theological and intensely practical. Paul begins with thanksgiving and prayer, then opens up a towering vision of Christ’s supremacy and saving work (ch.1). He defends the gospel ministry that proclaims Christ as the church’s maturity (ch.2), and then confronts the empty promises of human tradition, legalism, and spiritual show, insisting that believers are already full in Christ. From there, the letter turns to the new life that flows from union with Christ, a life of holiness, new relationships, and joyful endurance (chs.3 to 4). The spiritual burden is that the church would not drift into self made religion, but would grow in true godliness by holding fast to Christ.

Colossians trains the church to confess that Christ is enough, and to live as those who have died and risen with him.

Preach Colossians by keeping Christ’s supremacy and sufficiency in the foreground, then apply firmly but gently, because the letter unmasks respectable errors that often feel like maturity.

Structure of the Book

This outline keeps the letter’s argument intact, helping you plan a series that moves from Christ’s fullness to the church’s new life.

1. Thanksgiving and prayer for gospel growth
   Faith, love, hope, and the request for wisdom and endurance, ch.1
2. The supremacy and sufficiency of Christ
   Christ as Lord of creation and redeemer of the church, with reconciliation through the cross, ch.1
3. Ministry that proclaims Christ for maturity
   Paul’s labour to present believers mature in Christ, ch.1 to ch.2
4. Warning against spiritual counterfeits
   Human tradition, legalism, and inflated spirituality exposed as powerless, ch.2
5. New life from union with Christ
   Seeking the things above, putting sin to death, and putting on Christlike virtues, ch.3
6. Christ in the household and the church
   Worshipful speech, relationships, work, prayer, witness, and final greetings, ch.3 to ch.4

Key Themes

• The supremacy of Christ, Christ is Lord over creation and history, not one spiritual option among many.
• The sufficiency of Christ, believers lack nothing necessary for salvation, forgiveness, and growth.
• Union with Christ, the Christian life flows from being raised with Christ and hidden with him, ch.3.
• Reconciliation through the cross, peace with God is secured by Christ’s blood, shaping assurance and worship.
• True maturity, maturity is knowing Christ and being shaped by him, not chasing experiences or extra rules.
• Warning against legalism, man made religion may look wise but cannot restrain the flesh, ch.2.
• The new self, believers put off the old patterns and put on compassion, kindness, humility, and love.
• Word centred community, the word of Christ richly dwelling shapes worship, teaching, and thankful praise.
• Prayer and witness, prayer sustains gospel clarity and courage, especially as the church speaks to outsiders.

Recommended Commentaries

Colossians is short but densely packed, especially in its presentation of Christ and its warnings against spiritual counterfeit. A strong main commentary will help you trace the argument and handle the Christological claims with care, while a second voice can be helpful when the letter engages false teaching and when application touches the household and worship.

• The Message of Colossians & Philemonby Dick Lucas, Score: 9.0

  A strong, Christ-centred guide to Colossians and Philemon that combines faithful exposition with warm pastoral insight.

• The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon and to the Ephesiansby F. F. Bruce, Score: 8.7

  A restrained, lucid, and trustworthy evangelical commentary that continues to serve the church well.

• Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians and Philemonby William Hendrickson, Score: 8.4

  A warm, spiritually alert exposition that serves both study and devotion with steady insight.

Browse all Colossians reviews

Extra help is often most valuable in ch.1 where Christ’s supremacy and reconciliation are set out with rich theological language, and in ch.2 where the false teaching and Paul’s response must be explained without anachronism.

Preaching and Teaching Helps

Colossians is ideal for shaping a congregation’s Christ centred instincts, but it requires careful attention to context and to the kinds of errors that feel spiritually advanced.

• Keep the letter’s centre of gravity, make Christ’s supremacy and sufficiency the thread that ties every passage together.
• Explain the “extras” wisely, help people recognise modern versions of legalism, tradition, and spiritual pride without crude caricature.
• Preach ch.2 with precision, distinguish God given obedience from man made regulations, and show why self made religion cannot change the heart.
• Connect identity to behaviour, ch.3 flows from union with Christ, so application should be rooted in who believers are in him.
• Handle household instructions pastorally, show how the lordship of Christ reshapes ordinary relationships and work.
• Make prayer and witness concrete, encourage specific patterns of prayer for open doors, clear speech, and gracious evangelism.

This Book in the Story of Scripture

Colossians places the church firmly in the story of God’s redemption by declaring the cosmic lordship of Christ and the reconciling power of his cross. The promises of God, the hope of the nations, and the victory over hostile powers find their fulfilment in the Son, who creates and sustains all things and who brings sinners into peace with God through his death and resurrection.

The letter shapes assurance by insisting that believers are complete in Christ, and it shapes holiness by calling them to live out the new life they have received in union with him. It strengthens worship by lifting Christ high, strengthens mission through prayerful and wise witness, and strengthens church life by showing how the word of Christ and thankful praise should saturate the community.

Because Christ is supreme and sufficient, the church can reject spiritual counterfeits, walk in newness of life, and hold fast to hope with thankful hearts.