Colossians 4: Bible Study

Read Colossians 4

• What stood out to you most after reading this chapter in the Bible?

Reflect on these questions

• In verses 2-4, Paul begins giving the Colossians his final thoughts. Paul emphasizes prayer in these closing remarks.

• How does Paul tell the Colossians they should pray? What does Paul ask them to pray for?

• The heart of the book of Colossians is the supremacy of Christ and its impact on our lives. With that in mind, why is one of Paul’s closing thoughts focused on prayer?

• In verses 5-6, Paul offers a powerful reminder that the life of believers should include intentional witness to unbelievers. He advises that our conversations should be “gracious,” and “seasoned with salt.” There are only eight instances of the word “salt” in the New Testament. Every other instance is from Jesus’s references to Christian witness (engaging others through evangelism) in His Sermon on the Mount. It’s clear that Paul is using salt as an analogy for spreading the gospel.

• We typically want our food to have at least some salt or seasoning. At the same time, we don’t want our food to be too salty. Our efforts toward engaging others in evangelism can be very similar. Some of us might be afraid of bringing God into a conversation. Others might be incredibly zealous in presenting Jesus to an extent that could become ineffective.

• Which one of those two tendencies describes you best? Is there anything you can do to create a healthy balance when engaging others for Christ? 

• (Note: Being “a bad witness” who means well is usually better than not being a witness at all. Let’s have faith to start being witnesses. Then, we can grow as we go!)

Respond with faith in action

• Some commentators have categorized Paul’s closing remarks in verses 2-6 as covering “the inner life of prayer” and “the outer life of witness.”

• Do you see an opportunity to grow in one, or even both of those things? How so?

Colossians 3: Bible Study

Read Colossians 3

• What stood out to you most after reading this chapter in the Bible?

Reflect on these questions

• In verses 5-9, Paul uses clear, emphatic, and decisive language to describe how we as Christians treat sin in our lives. His statements can be translated to english phrases like “put to death,” “rid yourselves of,” and “completely strip off.”

• Which words or phrases about removing sin stand out to you most, and why?
  

• Verses 12-17 includes a list of qualities and behaviors that Christians should grow in over time. Yet this “to-do list” only comes after a statement on our identity in Christ. Verse 12 begins like this: “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved…”

• Why do you think the Holy Spirit led Paul to remind the Colossians of their Christian identity before giving them a list of Christian qualities and activities?

Respond with faith in action

• Read verse 10 again. Here, Paul uses the phrase “putting on the new self” to describe a kind of growth that involves our intentional, consistent participation as we grow from one stage or level of faith to the next.

• What habits or practices can you adopt to grow into new, higher, or more developed stages or levels in your relationship with God?

Colossians 2: Bible Study

Read Colossians 2

• What stood out to you most after reading this chapter in the Bible?

Reflect on these questions

• In Colossians 2:6-7, Paul uses three different things as analogies for the Christian life. They are walking, being rooted (like a tree), and building on a firm foundation.

• Which of these three analogies is your favorite, and why?

• In verses 2:4 and 2:8, we see that Paul’s primary concern when writing to the Colossians was addressing a variety of ideas that people were attempting to blend with their Christian faith, in spite of Christianity’s clear claims to exclusivity (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and ideological supremacy (Colossians 1:15-20; 2:9-11)?

• Why can it be so tempting to blend the world’s ideas, values, and standards with our Christian faith, even when these things contradict one another?

Respond with faith in action

• In verses 2:9-11, Paul echoes Colossians 1:15-20 and uses the gospel to present Jesus as vastly superior to competing thoughts that were creeping into the Colossian Church. (These include early Gnosticism, Greek mythology, and Jewish legalism.) All of our greatest spiritual needs are met in Jesus; therefore, we should live in a way that allows us to stay connected to Him. In Colossians 2:16-23, Paul unpacks that principle in the context of the Colossians’ daily lives.

• How can you live in a way that allows you to deepen your connection with Christ, and depend on Him for all you need?

• What changes or adjustments can you make?