Colossians-Philemon

1:15-20
A beautiful poetic passage on the preeminence of Christ which was possibly another early church hymn. He is supreme over creation (15-17) and over God’s plan to reconcile both creation and people (18-20) to himself …by the blood of his cross.

1:24-29
As in Ephesians 3, the mystery hidden for ages but now revealed is that God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col 1:27 has the most succinct and memorable summary of the mystery - Christ in us!

2:6-15

Further to Paul’s prayers for love and unity in the Colossian church, he calls on them to continue in their faith, refusing to be ‘taken captive’ by non-Christian philosophy and human traditions. Instead, he calls on them to recognise their unity with Christ …who is the head of all rule and authority. (10) He explains their transformation from spiritual death to life based on God’s forgiveness, which cancels …the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (14)

2:16-23
Paul says they have died to the world, its self-made religion and asceticism, and ideas about what is spiritual.

3:1-11

Therefore since they have died and been raised with Christ, their mindset is on …things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (1) This leads to putting to death what is earthly in you, that is the the things which characterized their earthly lives and which led to fractured and divided communities, but now they are unified in Christ, who is all, and in all. (10)

3:12-17
A delightful description of the new community in Christ, leading to  an all-embracing conclusion about how this life is to be lived: And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (17)

3:18-25
Verses 18-22 read as straightforward and uncontroversial consequences of the gospel, rather than as the major issues of debate that often pre-occupy us. Reflecting on verses 18-22 in discussion, the group questioned whether we …as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved… (12) really have the mindset described in 1-17. If we do, perhaps we should expect the way of life described in 18-22 to be a natural consequence of having been raised with Christ. (3:1)

3:22-4:1 also repeats the message in Ephesians (6:5-7) to servants and masters about integrity and working for the Lord, aiming at an ‘inheritance’ from the Lord rather than men. It is well said that for disciples of Jesus, there is no such thing as a 'secular job'.

4:2-6

We felt the need to consider what for us is involved in the instruction to Walk in wisdom toward outsiders… (5) so that our speech is gracious and that we …may know how to answer each person. (6)

Philemon (v1-25)

See the ESV introduction to Philemon here. Beginning and ending with the usual prayers, blessings and greetings, the letter to Philemon can be seen as a case study in how the working relationships set out in Ephesians 6 and Colossians 3 should operate for those for whom Jesus is Lord, irrespective of their position in society.

Paul's message to Philemon is that Onesimus’ conversion had changed everything about his previous relationship to his former servant, so in his appeal for reconciliation he says ‘...receive him as you would receive me’ (17b) as a beloved brother… both in the flesh and in the Lord (16). So for Paul, the Gospel should in this case lead to a radical departure from the kind of relationship usually associated with the respective roles of ‘servant’ and ‘master’.