Colossians in 2min

Connecting Colossians to the Big Picture of the Bible

The Key Ideas of Colossians

To understand the book of Colossians in 2 minutes, let's place it within the big picture of the Bible. The Bible reveals God's plan to rescue humanity through Jesus Christ. The Old Testament shows why rescue is necessary by introducing the problem, humanity's rebellion and separation from God. In the New Testament, we find the heavenly solution to this problem, and the letters of Paul show that the solution is found in Jesus.

The book of Colossians was written after the Holy Spirit had come to Earth. Colossians shows that Jesus Christ is above all else. So, with that, let's dive in. The church in Colossae consisted of Jews and Greeks. That being the case, it was heavily influenced by Jewish legalism and Greek philosophy. The Jews wanted to keep the law, while the Greeks were sinking in philosophical theories.

In short, Jesus Christ no longer held first place in their hearts. In his letter to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul responds to these two problems and reminds them of the following. The Christian faith is not about rules or ideas, but about a person, Jesus, the Son of God. He created the world and holds everything together in heaven and on Earth. That is why he is above all things. And the same applies to the church.

Summary + Application to Christ

Christians do not merely believe in Jesus, they're intimately connected to him. He is their head in heaven, and the church is his body on Earth. And how does that work? Through Jesus' death and resurrection, a Christian is someone who becomes a new person. Because Christ lives in them, their focus is now on heaven, and this heavenly focus is evident in everyday life.

Action Steps

Those who live with Christ no longer focus on what seems important on Earth, but on what matters to God. And Paul describes what this looks like, getting rid of old behaviors and priorities and replacing them with godly behaviors and priorities. So, the book of Colossians shows that Jesus Christ is above all else. Go ahead and read Colossians and notice how it describes Christ as Lord over all.