Colossians - Chapter 1

The letter was written during one of Paul’s many imprisonments. Unlike his other letters, this is addressed to a group of people that he had never met in a community that he hadn’t started. The church in Colossae was started by a fellow worker in Christ called Epaphras, who was from the city of Colossae (Col. 1:7-8; 4:12-13). Epaphras had recently visited Paul in prison to update him on how well the Colossians were doing overall. Epaphras had, however, also mentioned some of the cultural pressures that were tempting them to turn away from Jesus. Paul wrote this letter to encourage the Colossians, address the issues Epaphras had raised, and challenge them to a greater devotion to Jesus Christ.