Colossians: Day 1
Context:
This letter was written by Paul to the believers in Colossae in order to encourage them toward Christian maturity.
Verses 1:1-8
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Questions:
1. What does this passage teach us about Jesus?
2. What is the hope that we have? How / why does this impact our faith and love?
3. What does the Gospel fruit look like in your life? Why is this? How can you bear more fruit?
4. Who is the Gospel for? How does this impact your personal ministry / mission?
Interpretation:
Paul immediately affirms who Jesus is by telling us about His connection with the Father. Faith and love in this passage are based on hope, our hope is inseparable from our faith. Our hope is stored up in Heaven, and nothing can rob us of the reality of this hope. The true message of the Gospel is important (specifically in this passage) because Paul later discusses a false teaching that could derail peoples faith. The Gospel has always been and will always be for the entire world. The fruit is the result of a saving relationship with God, not our work for God’s favor. Epaphras originally planted the church in Colossae.