Colossians 1:3

Read all of Colossians, the entire short book, everyday before you dissect the daily verse or passage. Today’s passage is Colossians 1:3

Colossians 1:3 ESV

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

PAST: answer what this verse meant to the original recipients in the PAST.
While the letter was written by Paul, he was with Timothy and included him as someone he prays with often and “does life with”. Giving thanks to God always was a common practice and encouragement to the people of the early church. Paul often stated that he prayed for other Christians he was writing to by giving thanks to God for them and also praying for them. It is interesting to note that Paul clearly states that he is praying for them and is thankful for them.

EVERYONE: re-write the verse in your own words to reflect the universal truth that applies to EVERYONE.
It is important to remember to give thanks to God for those who are in your life that are brothers and sisters in Christ. It is equally important to pray for those people.

PRESENT: what does this verse mean to you and how should you apply it today in the PRESENT.
Using Paul’s example, I want to practice thanking God for the Christian family He has placed in my life and also remember to pray for them. Paul was a great example to all Christians, and I find that I personally relate to him and his ministry most in regard to his struggles and his ability to see things very clearly. Praying specifically for those who are in my Christian circles does not happen daily and I need to do this more. I know I can be increasingly more hermit-like, and while I suppose Paul lived some of his later years in prison, he still made time to write letters and let people know he cared deeply for them.

TO MY READER: Share your thoughts in the comments. Feel free to share your entire PEP so we can learn from each other. Blessings! ~ Jen

Colossians 1:1-2

Read all of Colossians, the entire short book, everyday before you dissect the daily verse or passage. Today’s passage is Colossians 1:1-2.

Colossians 1:1-2 ESV

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

² To the saints and faithful brothers¹ in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

PAST: answer what this verse meant to the original recipients in the PAST.

The church of Colossae was a melting pot of cultures and religions. Paul wrote the letter while in prison and was not the founder of the Colossae church. In his introduction to the letter in verses 1 and 2, Paul is sharing his credentials: he is an apostle of Christ Jesus. As a former Jew who would persecute the Christians, for Paul to claim this is driving home who he is. The second part “by the will of God” is claiming that it was not of his own choice that he is a follower of Christ but that it was God’s will. This is important to note because Paul came later after Jesus died and rose again. Jesus came to him on the road to Damascus while Paul was on a mission to kill Christians. Jesus literally blindsided Paul and asked him why he was persecuting his church. Paul, in an act of obedience and humility, went on to be one of the most influential Christian evangelists who helped plant many churches, and to this day influences all of the Christian church through his letters.

Paul is writing this letter to the “saint and faithful brothers in Christ”. Many translations put in brothers and sisters, but the tradition of the day was to write to the men of the church, so it is a literal translation and more accurate to simply be “brothers”. The Greek word for brothers is adelphos which implies they are a part of the same family. Paul is claiming these people as his family. While stating he is a chosen apostle of God, he is also claiming that the people of the Colossian church are rightfully and faithfully a part of God’s family which makes them siblings in a spiritual sense.

The term “saints” may be confusing in modern day language, so even though the literal translation of the Greek word hagios is “saints”, the word is more understandable as “holy ones” which is also “set apart ones” or “God’s people. In essence, Paul is claiming the recipients of the letter to be his faithful brothers in Christ who are a part of his family as he gives a blessing at the end from “God OUR Father”. (emphasis added)

EVERYONE: re-write the verse in your own words to reflect the universal truth that applies to EVERYONE.

This letter is from Paul, who was chosen by God to be an apostle or messenger of God’s word. All who are chosen by God are to be a vessel to proclaim the good news of God’s word and plan. As Christians, we are holy, set apart for good works and should be faithful in doing the will of Christ. God is our Father who has incredibly given us grace (things we do not deserve) and peace (a blessing of huge proportions!)

PRESENT: what does this verse mean to you and how should you apply it today in the PRESENT.

Paul was someone I greatly look up to as a fellow Christian. I need to remember to feel the weight of what it means to be saved and chosen by God. That through God’s will, I am one of His children and that I am an apostle (messenger) of his good news. I must remember that I am set apart, and this means I need to choose goodness and light rather than darkness. It reminds me that as a holy thing, I must continually seek God’s will and not my own. I must remain faithful and follow Jesus as my Lord, rather than lean on my own understanding. What a massive blessing to be in Christ with other believers and that we are giving grace and peace directly from God who is our Father!

TO MY READER: Share your thoughts in the comments. Feel free to share your entire PEP so we can learn from each other. Blessings! ~ Jen

DEDUCTIVE VS. INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY

As we start our inductive Bible study on the book of Colossians it is important to put into perspective the difference between Deductive and Inductive Bible study.

Deductive Bible study is considering a topic and then finding individual Bible verses to help support that topic. This, in my opinion is a potentially dangerous way of study. It is taking Bible verses like Philippians 4:13 and twisting the original meaning to make it fit with the topic. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” I have seen this verse specifically in Rick Warren’s “Daniel Plan” on weight-loss. This verse had nothing to do with selfish goals like weight-loss. The specific line in the letter to the Philippians was written by Paul to Timothy to let him know that even in chains Paul can be content in all things. By the intended context, you should be content if you are overweight. Please go ahead and read all of Philippians 4 and you will see it clearly.

It is interesting to see how many Christians try to make the Bible say what they want it to say. They pick and choose individual Bible verses out of context to help prove their point, rather than desire to see God’s point. Another great example of this is seen in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” If you read this verse based on modern usage of words, you might be inclined to think Jesus came to give you an abundant life now, in this lifetime. If you read it in the original context, with an understanding of the original meaning of the word perissos you will find that Jesus is referring to eternal life. It has the implications of “beyond” or in this case, the afterlife. Jesus wants you to have eternal life, not more riches and happiness here in this life.

Inductive study is a way of taking specific verses and making sense of them based on the context and broader message as seen throughout the entire Bible. It is observing the context of the who, what, where, when, and how, then interpreting that to what it means in a universal sense, and then applying it to your personal life now. There are several ways of remembering this.

TRADITIONAL
Observation
Interpretation
Application

PEP METHOD
Past
Everyone
Present

An easy way to start Inductive Bible Study on your own is to look first at the context of the book you want to read. In our case, we are reading through Colossians. Do some research as to who the Colossians were and why Paul was writing to them. Below are some basics points to help you get started. You may also consider getting a good commentary such as “The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon by  Douglas J. Moo. It is also a good idea to check out various translations. I personally use the ESV which is a word for word translation. Some like to use the NIV or NLT as those are more thought for thought. The KJV or NKJV are a bit more difficult to read but may be used as well.

It is very important that when you notice differences in translations of word choices that you look up that verse using the Strong’s Concordance. A free version of may be used at www.blueletterbible.org and you may easily look up the verse, then select the TOOLS button to the left of the verse. It will open up a chart that gives you each word or phrase broken down and just to the right of each phrase you will see a Strong’s number that looks like G2532 (that is the number for the Greek word “and”) or H853 (the number for the Hebrew word “and”). Click on that number and you will find a wealth of information to help you better understand the word and how/why it was used.

COLOSSIANS INTRODUCTION

The book of Colossians was written by Paul to the church of Colossae. It was around 60AD and Paul was in prison when he wrote to them. Paul did not plant the church in Colossae, nor did he visit. He heard of their faith through his friend and brother in Christ, Epaphrus. Epaphrus is the one who planted the church as Colossae.

Colossae was a major city for about 5 centuries prior to Jesus’ arrival. It was located on the western side of modern day Turkey. There was a main road that went through Colossae at that time, lending to its melting pot culture. It is said that it was mostly made of of gentiles, but there were many peoples living in Colossae including Jews. The road was moved about 10-12 miles west through Laodicea causing Colossae to diminished substantially in size and prestige.

Around the same year of the writing of Paul’s letter, there was an earthquake that flattened the entire city of Colossae and Laodicea. It is estimated that Paul’s letter came first, and the earthquake happened after. Both cities were rebuilt, but no doubt many believer’s lives were taken at that earthquake. Paul’s warning may have come just in time.

The reason Paul wrote the letter was to warn the Christians of some “false teachings”. These false teachings were never described and some scholars feel it is due to the nature of the city being one that contained many religious beliefs. The letter is full of encouragement to help them stay strong in their faith.

HOMEWORK – WEEK ONE

Read all of Colossians, the entire short book, everyday before you dissect the daily verse or passage.

Day 1: Colossians 1:1-2

1. PAST: answer what this verse meant to the original recipients in the PAST.
2. EVERYONE: re-write the verse in your own words to reflect the universal truth that applies to EVERYONE.
3. PRESENT: what does this verse mean to you and how should you apply it today in the PRESENT.

Day 2: Colossians 1:3

1. PAST: answer what this verse meant to the original recipients in the PAST.
2. EVERYONE: re-write the verse in your own words to reflect the universal truth that applies to EVERYONE.
3. PRESENT: what does this verse mean to you and how should you apply it today in the PRESENT.

Day 3: Colossians 1:4

1. PAST: answer what this verse meant to the original recipients in the PAST.
2. EVERYONE: re-write the verse in your own words to reflect the universal truth that applies to EVERYONE.
3. PRESENT: what does this verse mean to you and how should you apply it today in the PRESENT.

Day 4: Colossians 1:5

1. PAST: answer what this verse meant to the original recipients in the PAST.
2. EVERYONE: re-write the verse in your own words to reflect the universal truth that applies to EVERYONE.
3. PRESENT: what does this verse mean to you and how should you apply it today in the PRESENT.

Day 5: Colossians 1:6

1. PAST: answer what this verse meant to the original recipients in the PAST.
2. EVERYONE: re-write the verse in your own words to reflect the universal truth that applies to EVERYONE.
3. PRESENT: what does this verse mean to you and how should you apply it today in the PRESENT.

Day 6: Colossians 1:7

1. PAST: answer what this verse meant to the original recipients in the PAST.
2. EVERYONE: re-write the verse in your own words to reflect the universal truth that applies to EVERYONE.
3. PRESENT: what does this verse mean to you and how should you apply it today in the PRESENT.

Day 7: Colossians 1:8

1. PAST: answer what this verse meant to the original recipients in the PAST.
2. EVERYONE: re-write the verse in your own words to reflect the universal truth that applies to EVERYONE.
3. PRESENT: what does this verse mean to you and how should you apply it today in the PRESENT.