COLOSSIANS

This series covers St. Paul's letter to the Colossians written just after the middle of the first century. Colossae is a city in modern day Turkey. Back in Paul's day, it was located in the region of Phrygia, which was a part of the Roman province of Asia Minor. It contained a very diverse population, and because of this, it was a melting pot of various religious and philosophical viewpoints. In such an environment, it's hardly surprising that the original faith of the community was under attack. False teachers had infiltrated the church and had begun to question the person at the heart of the church's faith, namely Jesus Christ.

The specifics of their teaching is hard to determine, but at its heart, it undermined the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. Paul calls it a “hollow and deceptive philosophy.” The Colossians feared spiritual forces they could not see, but instead of trusting in Christ, they were being encouraged to seek security through the keeping of Jewish laws, the worship of angels, and a mixture of pagan practices involving visions and ascetic behaviours.

Paul's response to these false teachers is one of the most remarkable documents in the New Testament. His writing on the nature and being of Christ contains some of the most extraordinary claims in Scripture. "He is the image of the invisible God" is a phrase rich not just in theological content, but is also one of great beauty. "In him all the fullness of the deity dwells bodily" is again a statement that not only deepens faith but leads to worship.

The later chapters widen the discussion into areas of practical life application. Christ is worthy of our worship and sufficient for salvation, and he is also the one who is able to supply the power to live a holy life.  Colossians is a letter, therefore, that has tremendous potential to help us grow spiritually - ideal, in fact, for a deovox series.

One episode will be released each week, and we do encourage you to take advantage of the devotional guides you'll see below. Deovox can be used individually or in a group setting.  

The Lord bless you as you listen.