ychicus (Col. 4:7, 9; Eph. 6:21).
Philippians was sent by the hand of Epaphroditus
(Phil. 2:25; 4:18).

THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS

The Church at Colossae--The city of Colossae was
situated about 110 miles east of Ephesus where Paul
spent so long a time during his third missionary journey
(Acts 19:10). We have no record of any visit of Paul to
this city or how the church was founded (Col. 2:1).
It is supposed that Ephaphras might have organized this
church (Col. 1:7).

+The Occasion+ (and purpose) of this Epistle was
evidently the coming of Epaphras to Rome to consult Paul
about the affairs of this church (1:7, 8).

In chapter 2:8-23 we have some account of the things
which were troubling this Christian community and
drawing them away from faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
False teachers had appeared at Colossae who were
confusing the minds of the Christian converts. The
starting point of the error of teaching was the old oriental
dogma that matter is evil and the source of evil (2:8),
that as God is good the world could not have come directly
from God. To bridge the chasm between God and the
matter of the world a long chain of intermediate beings
was conceived to exist. This doctrine played havoc with
the simplest moral conceptions for if matter is evil, and
its source, then man's sin is not in his will, but in his
body. Redemption from sin can come only through
asceticism and the mortification of the flesh.

The result of all this was a lowering of the dignity of
Christ, taking away His saving power and the "substitution
of various ascetic abstinences and ritualistic practices
(2:20) for trust in Him, the worship of angels (2:18),
and a reveling in dreams and visions." "This was kindred
to a type of speculation which later became rife under
the name of Gnosticism."

To these ideas Paul opposed the true doctrine of the
Headship of Christ (2:19) and that He is the only link
between God and the universe (1:15-17). "By Him
were all things created (1:16) that are in heaven and that
are in earth." Christ is the only Mediator (1:13, 14).
In this faith there is no place for ascetic mortification.
Evil is in our unwillingness to live the life in Christ. In
Christ we are dead to sin and risen with Him to a life
of holiness (2:20-23; 3:1-4). Christ is not only our
Redeemer (1:14) and the Head of the church, but the
source of creation and its Lord (1:16, 17). We have
a similar error (against w