Colossae

by P.L. Hickling, Southport, U. K. | Category: New Testament Churches Of God (Their History, Order And Conf | Aug 1982

The City of Colossae

In New Testament times Colossae was a city in decline. As the map shows,

it lay in the valley of the Lycus, a tributary of the Meander, on the main

route from Ephesus to the east, about ten miles east of Laodicea. It was originally the point at which the road to Sardis and Pergamum branched off, and this meeting of the ways made it an important town, referred to in the time of Xerxes (c.484 - 425 B.C.) as "a great city of Phrygia". Under the Romans it declined, partly because the road to Pergamum was resited further west, and in the time of Strabo (c.60 B.C. - A.D. 20) it could be referred to as "a small town", while its neighbours Laodicea and Hierapolis increased in importance. Today its uninhabited site lies about ten miles east of the town of Denizli, in western Turkey.

The people of the city included, besides the native Phrygians, numbers of Jews and Greeks. It was administered by the Romans, falling within the province of Asia.

The Coming of the Gospel

Although the apostle Paul went through Phrygia while travelling from Antioch to Ephesus, and took the opportunity to strengthen the disciples as he did so (Acts 18:23; 19:1), we do not know that he ever visited Colossae himself. In his letter to the Colossians he refers to "you, and ... them at Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh", implying, at least, that those in the two churches were among those who had not seen him. However, he spent two years teaching in Ephesus, which was the principal city of Asia, and from Ephesus the word of the Lord spread out over all the province. This must have happened partly through those who came up to the metropolis, listened to the arguments of Paul in the lecture hall of Tyrannus, believed them, and took the news away with them; but also fellow-workers of the apostle went out to evangelize the hinterland. It seems probable that one of these was Epaphras, himself a Colossian. Having received the gospel himself, he went back to spread the good news among his own people, working in the towns of Laodicea, Hierapolis and Colossae (Col. 4:13). The word was readily received, and churches were established which had a close relationship with each other; for example, Paul was able to ask that the letter he had sent to the Colossians should be exchanged with one sent to the Laodiceans.

The development of the church

All the knowledge we have of the church in Colossae is what can be deduced from the apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians. This depicts a church which was showing the fruit of the Holy Spirit's work in its corporate life. Those in it were faithful (Col. 1:2), holding on to the truth they had received, so that Paul was able to give thanks for them. More than this, they had "love ... toward all the saints" (1:4). The Lord Jesus had given the commandment to His disciples that they should love one another as He had loved them; it was to be their distinguishing characteristic (John 13:34,35), and the Colossians showed by this that they were true disciples. Neither was their experience static, simply resting in what they had received when they first believed, but the truth of the gospel was "bearing fruit and increasing" (1:6). Aided by the prayers of the apostle Paul and his fellow-workers, their spiritual life developed and showed itself by their behaviour and the good works which they did. It is worthwhile to note the part which Epaphras played in this. He had preached the gospel to his fellow townsmen, and they had believed, but this was not the end of his concern for them. Far away in Rome, with the apostle Paul as the letter to the Colossians was written, he was, as Paul tells them, "always striving for you in his prayers, that ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness, that he hath much labour for you" (4:12, 13). This continued labour in prayer must have played no small part in the maintenance and development of the church.

The threat of false teaching

In spite of the good condition of the church in Colossae, some of the things which Paul had been told by Epaphras must have given him cause for concern. It seems that there were teachers who were importing elements of current philosophical speculations into the church. The period was one of religious ferment, and throughout the Hellenist world there had sprung up a multitude of "mystery religions", which offered the prospect of higher spiritual knowledge to initiates. Scripture does not set out in detail what was being taught at Colossae, but it seems to have been a teaching taking in elements from both Judaism and Gnosticism. From the former came an emphasis on the observance of the Law, so that some would condemn disciples who did not keep the Old Testament regulations on diet and the sabbath (Cot. 2:16) and some appeared to advocate circumcision. This was a very widespread attitude among converted Jews, which had to be dealt with by the council at Jerusalem (Acts 15). From Gnosticism came the idea of a series of angelic intermediaries, interposed between men and God. These Gnostic teachings, not fully developed at this time, regarded matter as intrinsically evil, so that if God, wholly spiritual and wholly good, was to communicate with men, he must do so through a hierarchy of angels to avoid contamination. These angels therefore become effectively the ruling powers in the world. The Greek phrase ta stoicheia, translated "the rudiments" in Col. 2:8 originally meant "things set in a row", then the alphabet, then the rudiments of any subject ("the ABC"), and it was eventually applied to elemental powers believed to be controlling the universe. Communication with these powers was thought to yield spiritual strength and knowledge. Even today, those who practise witchcraft hold similar ideas, and they too place great emphasis on the training of the will (2:23).

All of these teachings tended to detract from the position of Christ as the only mediator between God and man, and placed an unjustified emphasis on the observation of regulations and restrictions which were of solely human origin. Hence the Colossians were in danger of diverting their efforts to things which were of no value to God, and so losing their prize (2:18). Even more seriously, they might destroy their communion with Christ Himself. When we think of the susceptibility of the church in Colossae to error, we should remember that it had probably only been in existence for about five or six years, and it was composed of new converts from a variety of backgrounds. In their search for deeper spiritual insight they might easily be convinced by someone who seemed to offer a special way, known only to a few.

The apostle Paul's teaching

Characteristically, Paul does not attempt a detailed condemnation of each aspect of the false teaching, but refutes it by a positive exposition of the person and work of Christ. In his letter he emphasizes the preeminence of Christ above all creatures. Not only does the physical creation owe its existence to Him, but so also do "things invisible"; there can be no angelic being which is superior to Him. Christ is also the only one through whom reconciliation to God is possible; He has "made peace through the blood of His cross" (1:20). The Colossians' own status before God depended on Christ's status. With Him as the risen Head, in whom all the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily, they were made full, as members of His body. They had died with Christ, had been buried and raised with Christ, and Paul exhorted them to set their minds on "the things that are above, where Christ is" (3:1). A Christ-centred faith and practice was the answer to all the problems they might encounter, and the apostle carefully shows them this in his teaching.

Practical teaching was needed too; the young church still needed

instruction in Christian behaviour, and Paul showed them both what should be avoided and what should be pursued. It seems that the church was at this time pressing forward well, and at this point the scriptural record ends.

What happened to the church in Colossae?

John, in writing the Revelation, addresses "the seven churches which are in Asia" (Rev. 1:4) and does not include Colossae among those he names, although Laodicea is mentioned. At this time, thought to be about thirty years after the epistle to the Colossians was written, was there no church in Colossae? Even among those seven, Colossae's sister church at Laodicea was in a very poor spiritual condition. It had been seduced by the prosperity of the town and had become worldly, shutting out communion with Christ (Rev. 3:20). The church at Ephesus was under the. threat of having its lampstand removed (Rev. 2:5) unless it repented. Perhaps Colossae had deteriorated in the same way, to the extent that it had ceased to exist as a church of God. We do not know for certain; but the ominous silence of the word of God about Colossae warns us that apparently thriving churches can cease to exist in a very short time.

P.L. Hickling, Southport, U. K. | Aug 1982
New Testament Churches Of God (Their History, Order And Conf