HISTORICAL CONTENT Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul while under house arrest in Rome. Colossians is one of Paul's four letters from prison (Ephesians, Philippians and Philemon are the others). The church in Colossae was more than likely planted by Epaphras. This letter was written to correct false teachings that were plaguing the church. A BLUEPRINT FOR SPIRITUAL DECEPTION Dilute: “to make something thinner or weaker by adding water or another solvent to it.” Gnosticism: Is derived from the Greek word meaning knowledge. At the core of all versions of Gnosticism is the idea that only through attaining secret knowledge can people find their salvation and overcome the material world. The deity of Jesus is diluted (1:15-17) “Christ is the invisible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.” Colossians 1:15 The authority of Jesus is diluted (1:18-20) “He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.” Colossians 2:10 The atonement of Jesus is diluted (1:20-22-2:13-15) “He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of His blood on the cross.” Colossians 1:20 POPULAR RELIGIOUS VIEWS OF JESUS Jehovah's witnesses - When Jesus was born on earth, He was a mere human and not God in human flesh. They also believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead spiritually but not physically Mormons - Minimize Jesus' death on the cross. They believe atonement came in the garden of Gethsemane not on the cross. They believe at his resurrection Jesus became a god, as opposed to the eternal Son who took on flesh. Islam - Deny the deity of Christ, the trinity, and His sacrificial death on the cross. They deny the oossibility of substitutionary atonement. When we minimize Jesus' atonement, you must elevate human achievement. When you dilute Jesus, you dilute the virtues of Christianity. GNOSTIC VIEWPOINTS Self control was not a good virtue (2:1-10; 3:5-11) Relational responsibility wasn't important (3:11-4:1) Having a mission or purpose was pointless (1:28; 4:2-18) “If we are saved, it is because God rescued us and not because we learned to swim. God is the verb, we are the noun. God does the saving, we do the receiving”. -Max Lucado View Digital Bulletin | Tools and resources available at thisismybible.io | Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @thisismybibleio