Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

1:3 God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul will place a significant emphasis on the lordship of Jesus Christ in this letter. He is careful to affirm, however, that Jesus is not a separate God, yet he has a close relationship with the Father, for he is the Son and agent of God.

1:4-5 faith . . . love . . . hope. Paul spoke frequently of the importance of these three Christian virtues (see Rom. 5:1-5; 1 Cor. 13:13; Gal. 5:5-6; Eph. 4:2-5; 1 Thess. 1:3; 5:8), which were seen as foundational to the Christian life (see also Heb. 6:10-12; 1 Pet. 1:3-8, 21-22). In this passage, faith and love are based on hope, which is presented not as the action of hoping but as something objective--in the sense of "the thing hoped for"--that Christians can anticipate with confidence (see Col. 3:4). Because it is laid up for you in heaven, no earthly ruler or demonic power can rob believers of the reality of this hope.

1:5 the word of the truth. This contrasts with the false teaching Paul later describes as "empty deceit" (2:8).

1:6 in the whole world. It has now been roughly 30 years since Christ's death and resurrection and Pentecost (see Introduction: Timeline). The gospel has indeed spread from Jerusalem into Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, and likely into Egypt, North Africa, and Persia as well.

1:7 You learned it from Epaphras makes it clear that Paul did not plant the church at Colossae. The people heard the gospel from Epaphras (a shortened form of "Epaphroditus"), who is a fellow Colossian (4:12). The term for "learned" (Gk. manthanō) is closely related to the term "disciple" (Gk. mathētēs). More than merely listening to a simple gospel presentation, Paul makes it clear that the gospel involves systematic instruction in the faith and in how to live as a Christian. on your behalf. The ESV footnote indicates that some manuscripts read "on our behalf" (rather than "on your behalf"). If this is the original reading (as several scholars suggest), this would mean that Epaphras has been a faithful ambassador in place of (or on behalf of) Paul among the Colossians. The name T. Asinius Epaphroditus occurs in an inscription found at Colossae, showing that the name "Epaphroditus" (Epaphras) was in use in the region.