Search The Scriptures —Study 0 — Philemon

Study 0 From the Book of Philemon is: The Introduction of the book of Philemon

Introduction

The epistle to Philemon contains no systematic presentation of doctrine. It has one avowed purpose—to ask Philemon to receive back a runaway slave who had been in his service and had absconded with his money.  The man had come into contact with Paul in Rome and had been converted and transformed into a new man. It was not easy for Paul to let him go; it was harder still for Onesimus to face his former master.  But it was hardest of all for Philemon to take him back.  These men were Christians, however, and that made all the difference. The letter is one of great charm, tact, graciousness and love, and provides and unforgettable picture of Christianity in action.  Though no place-names are mentioned, it is clear that the letter was written at the same time as that to the Colossians.

Search The Scriptures —Study 6 — Colossians 3:18 - 4:18

Study 6  From the Book of Colossians is: Colossians 3:18 - 4:18

With this lesson we end the short book of Colossians to jump to the book of Philemon

1.     3:18 – 4:1. Observe how, in giving directions about the life of a Christian household, Paul urges ‘upon each party its own duties and the other’s rights’. What overriding concerns should influence all alike, and why?

2.     4:2-6. List the activities here demanded as essential (a) to prayer, and (b) to our relations with non -Christians. In my own practice of Christian self-discipline, to which of these points do I need to give more attentions? Can I learn from verses 3, 4, 12, how to pray for others?

Note. 3: 21. “Provoke” : by excessive fault-finding and little or no praise.

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Search The Scriptures —Study 5 — Colossians 3:1-17

Study 5  From the Book of Colossians is: Colossians 3:1-17

1.     Verses 1:11. What results, (a) positive and (b) negative, should follow from being ‘raised with Christ’; in other words, what should the experience make us (a) do, and (b) stop doing?

2.     Verses 12-17. Make a list from these verses of the divinely intended characteristics of active Christian living; and prayerfully examine your own living in the light of these standards.

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Search The Scriptures —Study 4 — Colossians 2: 8-23

Study 4  From the Book of Colossians is: Colossians 2:8-23

1.     What four defects does Paul find in the false teaching (verse 8)? In what ways does he then set forth Christ as the one absolutely sufficient Saviour (verses 9:15)? List the treasures and the benefits which are ours in Him.

2.     Verses 16-23. It is quite clear that the false teachers stressed (a) the observance of holy days, (b) the worship of angels, and (c) ascetic practices. On what grounds does the apostle show all these to be mistaken, useless and hurtful as a means of salvation?

3.     Verses 11-15. How is he way in which Christians have been ‘circumcised’ from the rite practised by the Jews? By what ceremony has Jewish circumcision been replaced for Christians? How is its symbolism related to the death and resurrection of Christ? Cf. Rom. 6:1-14.

Note. Verses 11, 12. ‘By putting off the body of Flesh’: the false teachers advocated the rite of circumcision as a means of purification. Paul’s answer is that in the believer’s identification with Christ in His death and resurrection the whole body which has been governed by fleshly desires is put off, and a new man emerges. This far more than fulfills all that the rite of circumcision signified.

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Search The Scriptures —Study 3 — Colossians 1:24 – 2:7

Study 3  From the Book of Colossians is: Colossians 1:24 – 2:7

1.     In 1:24-29 what does Paul say about (a) his sufferings (cf. Acts 9: 15, 16); (b) his commission; (c) his theme, and (d) the method aim and inspiration of His ministry?

2.     2:1-7. What is essential if Christians are to stand firm in the faith and not be misled? How may they gain encouragement to continue and become more fully established? Do you (a) covet such progress for yourself (b) pray like this for others?

Notes

1.     1:28. The false teaching suggested that full participation in knowledge and consequent maturity was restricted to a select few. The gospel makes it possible ‘in Christ’ for all alike –for ‘every man’.

2.     1:29; 2:1. ‘Striving’: a metaphor from the Greek games a word used again in 4:12. It describes here earnest conflict, straining every nerve, in prayer.

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Search The Scriptures —Study 2 — Colossians 1:15-23

Study 2  From the Book of Colossians is: Colossians 1:15-23

   1.     What is revealed in verses 15-20 concerning our Lord’s relation to God, to creation, and to the church? What practical effects should this revelation have on our Christian faith and life?

   2.     Verses 21-23. From what condition at what cost, and with what goal in view has Christ rescued us? What is required of those who desire fully to enjoy these benefits.

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Search The Scriptures —Study 1 — Colossians 1:1-14

Study 1  From the Book of Colossians is: Colossians 1:1-14

1.     Of what blessings which God has double ours in Christ does the gospel speak? What results did this gospel produce in the experience of the Colossians who heard it? Have I made as much progress as they had?

2.     In his prayer for the Colossians, for what further progress in the things of Christ does the apostle ask? Carefully note the items in Paul’s prayer. In which of these directions do I most desire or need myself to make progress?

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