A Revealed Truth Colossians 2:1-8
Paul speaks of his goal for the many who have not personally met him.
- What are these goals? (2:2)
- Why would these goals be so important to Paul? [reflect on what Jesus said (John 15:11-17) and then for which he prayed (John 17:20-23).
- Pastor Steve said, “See to it that you don’t get deceived by the classroom or the coven.” How does Jesus being revealed truth prevent deception?
- What do “love” and unity have to do with living out the “mystery” of Christ’s calling on our lives?
- We often misplace our values by focusing on treasures that are not of God. How do you need to reprioritize your values to center them on Christ—to place your treasures in what He offers (2:3)?
A Redeemed Life Colossians 2:9-15
“Paul uses the analogy of circumcision to describe the transformative work Christ has done in our lives. Circumcision was a symbol of God’s covenant (His contract) with His people
The mark of identity for the nation of Israel is circumcision. Paul talks about “a circumcision not performed by human hands” (2:11). What is the mark of identity for a believer?
- Paul contends the believer shares common experiences with Christ in verses 9-13, what are they?
- By extension of what God has done in His Son, the Son is the “head over every power and authority”—meaning that ultimately He has power over everything: all people, all things and all of creation. What authorities or powers do you fear?
- How can Christ help you overcome your fears? One of the keys to worshipping God with our entire being is overcoming our fears with His help.
- What convinced you that trying to live up to religious rules couldn’t change you on the inside?
- How does trying to live up to these rules and failing cause us to doubt the power of God to transform us?
- What are some of those rules that tend to repeatedly derail our faith? “When I become so immersed in who God is that the very idea of doing something that would hurt his heart is foreign to me.”
- What are those things I still do that hurt God’s heart? Dare to list them in the privacy of your own home or if you have an accountability partner start sharing them and let God help you. (When we confess, the things we confess no longer have control over us.)
- What must happen to rid myself of them?
- “You were created to live in a holy, loving relationship with the God of heaven.” How does know this help to bring transforming power to your life?
Background Information
Paul was in a Roman prison when he wrote to the church in Colossae. False teachers were coaching the Colossians to worship angels and follow special rules and ceremonies. Paul corrected this thinking through his letter, stressing that faith in Christ is sufficient for salvation and that nothing needs to be added to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Colossae — Ancient city in Asia Minor, located in the southwestern part of present-day Turkey, and remembered primarily for the apostle Paul’s letter to the church there (Col 1:2). Colossae was near the Lycus River, a tributary of the Meander. The city flourished during the 6th-century bc. According to Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian, when the Persian king Xerxes came to Colossae, it was a city of great size. Another Greek historian, Xenophon, related that Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian empire, had passed Colossae still earlier on his way to Greece.
Colossae, the city to which tradition says Paul wrote Colossians.
Colossae was situated in the region known as Phrygia and was a trading center at a crossroads on the main highway from Ephesus to the east. In Roman times relocation of the road leading north to Pergamum brought about both the growth of Laodicea, a city 10 miles away, and Colossae’s gradual decline. Colossae and Laodicea shared in the wool trade. Thus the name Colossae was derived from a Latin name collossinus, meaning “purple wool.”
