Colossae was nestled in the Lycus Valley, running between two high mountain ranges, not too far from Laodicea. Paul passed through this area because the main highway ran through both, but didn’t preach in any of the cities. One of Colossae’s leading citizens, Epaphras, converted to Christianity in Ephesus. The man brought this gospel back to his hometown, and a church grew there. He came to visit Paul somewhat early under Roman house arrest. Epaphras eventually came back to his hometown with a letter for the church in the company of Onesimus with a letter for Philemon.
This was part of the old Phrygian Kingdom, and the Cult of Cybele. The temple of Diana in Ephesus was actually the new name for the old temple of Cybele. The worship there was little changed with the new name. The Greek invasion brought another layer of philosophical assumptions and religious belief to the Lycus Valley, but the old Phrygian scholarship was still very strong. The Jewish population wasn’t that large, and they were known to be somewhat paganized. Despite this, the Judaizers were very active in the region once their campaign began. If not the birthplace of Gnosticism, the valley was certainly one of the strongest centers for it. The Judaizers contributed much to Gnosticism.
The biggest threat to Christian faith in Colossae was the many direct philosophical attacks on the divinity of Jesus, so Paul’s letter seeks to more firmly assert it. The first half of this chapter is devoted to greetings, Paul’s thanksgiving for the church and his prayer for them. This prayer ends with an emphasis on the centrality of Christ.
We note that verses 15-20 read like a hymn or poem, structured in Greek to be memorized and quoted often. It is a very dense statement of doctrine. The word “firstborn” is used twice. First, He was alive and mature before any part of Creation existed, and also had authority over it. Indeed, He was the agent of Creation. Paul pointedly declares that not a single authority in existence escapes Jesus’ dominion, simply because He made them, and they exist only for His convenience.
Not only does He precede all of Creation, but He holds it all together. The system remains intact only as long as He wants it so.
It’s only natural that He is the Head of His Body, the church. He is also the firstborn from the dead, the forerunner of the resurrection to come for all His saints. If we do not follow Him, we aren’t even on the path. The Father was pleased for the fullness of His own power and authority to be expressed in the Son.
Finally, the Father chose Him as the agent of reconciliation. By embracing Jesus as Lord, we make peace with God from the Fall. And while we could not possibly comprehend what it means, Jesus is also the agent of peace for beings in Heaven who have offended God.
At the conclusion of this lyrical statement of faith, Paul goes on to remind the Colossians that the same reconciliation includes them. They were once completely off the rails morally, and their lives portrayed it. But because of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, the Elect can be presented before the Father as cleansed from the Fall. The Covenant is now open to them. They can exercise covenant privileges by remaining firm in their faith.
Paul refers to the mystery kept from the various authorities for centuries. This was God’s plan to nominate and then call the Elect from every nation on earth, something of which the Elohim Council had no awareness. Once it was done via the Cross and resurrection, it was too late for them to protest. The power of Election and faith carries them through trials, same as Paul.
