External Evidence: Paul is strongly affirmed to be the author of Colossians 1. Colossians 1:12 The efficient cause of our salvation is the only mercy of God the Father, who maketh us meet to be partakers of eternal life, delivering us from the darkness wherein we were born, and bringing us to the light of the knowledge of the glory of his Son. The Supremacy of Christ … 20 and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross. Hello Martha. In spite of whom we were, what a rich inheritance we Gentiles have! The Gentiles were far less sharply differentiated from the Israelites in Old Testament than in New Testament times. If Luke were a Gentile, it would have been far easier, and far more believable, to accuse Paul of bringing Luke with him into the Temple, rather than Trophimus. Also, there are many personal references common to Philemon and Colossians. Jew and Gentile would comprise one new unit, the church. Here I show this incorrect. The Details of Gentile Halakhah in Christ (Eph 4:17—6:9) The Call to Arms (Eph 6:10–24) Summary of Ephesians 4–6; Jews, Gentiles and the Apostolic Mission in Colossians. There is no longer a separation. It does not appear that St. Paul had preached there himself, but that the Colossians were converted by Epaphras, a disciple of the Apostles. However, as St. Paul was the great Apostle of the Gentiles, he wrote this Epistle to the Colossians when he was in prison, and about the same time that he wrote to the Ephesians and Philippians. The Gentiles would also be "of the same body." As evidenced in nearly every letter we’ve looked at, Paul lived in volatile time where Jews and Gentiles frequently clashed and disputed. Two points discredit this theory. It is most probable that they were a mixture of both; but that the principal part were converted Jews is most likely. Paul to the Colossians. It was not disputed in the later decades: From the epistle it is evident that the Colossian Christians were Gentiles (Colossians 1:27) for whom, as such, the apostle feels a responsibility (Colossians 2:1). In the book of Romans, Paul encourages unity as people of God and begs the Jews and Gentiles to have peace and love with not only each other but with everyone in the world. The problem of the theology of Colossians: ... 21, 24, 27. In saying this, they were not trusting in the sufficiency of Christ. Gentiles, like the Jews, needed their sin to be cleansed in order to have peace with God. Ephesians 2:11-13, 19-20 - Do not lose sight of the fact that you (in Ephesus) were born "Gentiles", known by those (the Jews) whose bodies were circumcised as "the uncircumcised". In the Old Testament, they were sometimes referred to as aliens or strangers, but God always welcomed aliens or strangers if they obeyed the Law. Longenecker says that the Colossians appear to have been supplementing the gospel. Whether the Colossians to whom the apostle addresses this epistle were Jews or Gentiles, cannot be absolutely determined. There were … The contrast between the Gentile worshipers and the Jewish leaders is jarring Most compelling to me is the fact that the wise men were Gentiles. The population of Colossae was probably quite diverse -- especially in light of the nearby highway. Were the gentiles Paul preached to non Hebrew speaking Israelites. What Happened When the Gentiles First Received the Holy Spirit? In the Ephesian Epistle this declaration is made a direct introduction to practical exhortation (comp. What most do not think about is: the people of Colosse were new Gentile converts and they were concerned about those around them judging them for doing these things. Gentile converts were welcome, but not their sinful beliefs and practices. while he was on his third missionary journey. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him. These letters were sent by the hand of two other helpers, Tychicus and of course, Onesimus, the converted slave (Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7-9) It seems that Philemon was a member of the church at Colossae and Tychicus was there also. This is where the converted slave Onesimus returned to as well for both are mentioned in Colossians 4:7-9. In the midst of this, Paul and the other apostles were trying to bring both sides to God through Christ Jesus. The New Testament scriptures do not explicitly require the observance of the Holy Days by Gentiles, so we want to avoid making any requirement that Gentiles observe these days in the same manner that are incumbent upon the Jewish people. Colossians 3:11, ESV: "Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all." Colossians was likely penned, as were Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon, during Paul’s first imprisonment at Rome (1:24; 4:18). The Colossians are exhorted to allow no one to judge them with regard to a Feast, New Moon or Sabbath day. Family and order See Leviticus 19:23, 20:2, 25:10, 18, 26:32. (24-29) Here (as in Ephesians 3, in the same connection) St. Paul dwells on his own mission to set forth the universal gospel to the Gentiles. Also, the seeds of what later became the full-blown Gnosticism of the second century were present in the first century and already making inroads into the churches. I’m overwhelmed when I think of the mercy of God! AUTHOR: THE APOSTLE PAUL2 A. (Colossians 1.15–17) Paul praised the Lord’s goodness in his letter to the (mostly Gentile) church in Ephesus: “Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. You were without Christ, you were utter strangers to God's chosen community, the Jews, and you had no knowledge of, or right to, the promised agreements. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. This body that included Gentiles and Jews was the church of Jesus Christ. The numerous parallels of vocabulary and matters discussed in Ephesians and Colossians link these epistles together. Colossians was undisputedly Pauline until the nineteenth century a. This is a false teaching by many of the black Hebrew Israelite groups due to their hatred for white people. Gentiles were long seen as enemies of the Jewish people, yet Christ provided good news for both Jews and non-Jews. (3) Vices that were distinctively Gentile are mentioned in 3:5-7. First, Paul calls the Gnostic teachings the "tradition of men" (Col. 2:8) and the "commandments and doctrines of men" (Col. 2:22). They assume that the Gentile Colossians were not keeping these days, but the heretics (who are usually labeled "Jewish Gnostics") were trying to force them to observe them. The Later Church Fathers accepted it3 b. We know that Antiochus III had settled about 2,000 Jewish families in the general area in 213 BC. The Gentiles were considered as heathens – they were cut off from the blessings of Israel. 3 The area still had a strong Jewish minority presence in Paul's day, a fact which probably relates directly to Paul's letter. The gospel of Jesus Christ went first to the Jews, then to the Samaritans who were half-Jew, half-Gentile. He sends to them Tychicus ( Colossians 4:7 ), who is accompanied by Onesimus, one of their own community ( Colossians 4:9 ), and urges them to be sure to read another letter which will reach them from Laodicea ( Colossians 4:16 ). As the Gentile nations were not given tithing laws, and Levites were not instructed to go to the Gentiles and take tithe from them, the term “the land” in Leviticus 27:30 really refers to the Land of Israel. Paul’s point in writing Colossians is to say that Christ is sufficient. The Gentile magi traveled something like 800 miles to worship Jesus; Jewish leaders couldn’t be … This is the claim by many Hebrew Israelites. Instead of creating their own culture, they wanted to just adopt and make changes to the … Consequently, it is not necessary to date Colossians in the second century at a time too late for Paul to have written the letter. A Local Instance of the Apostolic Mission to the Nations (Col 1:1—2:5) Holy and Believing Brothers and Sisters at Colossae (1:1–2) 21 Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds because of your evil deeds. (2) There is a scarcity of Old Testament allusions. Romans 1:18ff shows how those ancient Gentiles were accountable to God for their beliefs and conduct. These Albino Gentiles needed to form a new identity. Paul was born in Rome (Gentile territory), but he was still very aware of the Laws and was a Pharisee. Colossians 1:12 In … For example, Colossians 1:27, "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Before Jesus Christ came to completely forgive ( Ephesians 1:7-8 ) and take away sin ( 1 John 3:5 ), this meant rigorously keeping the Law of Moses and sacrificing when the Law was inevitably broken. And again, “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,” Colossians 1:27. Jesus also promised that it would go the non-Jews, or Gentiles. They were not admitted without any restrictions. Just because they were scattered does not mean they became Gentiles. He reports the decision … Colossians 3:11 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] Colossians 3:11, NIV: "Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." "And He is the head of the body, the church" (Colossians 1:18). Question: Colossians 2:16 is a famous verse that people use to justify eating the unclean meats and not keeping the holy days and the Sabbath. It was very likely that Paul wrote his letter to the Romans around 55-56 C.E. The fact that Luke was not mentioned in the accusation is a strong indication that he was not a Gentile. Col. 4, 5, 6); here it leads up to the earnest remonstrance against speculative errors in Colossians 2, which precedes a similar practical exhortation. Luke is clear that some boundaries were imposed on gentile converts. Even for the Jews, tithing was limited only to the Land of Israel and adjacent areas. Paul further amplifies the point in Romans 2:12-16 by suggesting that even the patriarchs, who had no written revelation from the Lord, possessed a sense of the … The Albino Gentiles United together from different Gentile tribes and were “a people who are not a people”. 1 I. [30] The Apostle Paul wrote to remind them of this promise and guard them against moving their on going trust from Christ to other philosophies and traditions which did not depend on Christ. Paul discourages the people from adding things to the gospel like feasts, mysticism, and food laws (224). 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