54+ articles · Verse by verse
Articles.
Long-form study. Plain English.
Every article does the hard work — what the words meant to the first readers, the historical context, the first-century background — then hands it to you in words you already know.
54 articles · page 1 of 3
Why Paul's Greetings Always Begin with 'Grace and Peace -Col. 1:1-2b
Two words open almost every letter Paul wrote. Grace and peace are not filler, and even the order they come in is carrying something.
The Triumph of the Gospel: Why the Message of Jesus Will Always Prosper - Col. 1:3-8
Epaphras planted the church at Colossae, and the gospel bore fruit there without Paul ever setting foot in the city. The message does not depend on the messenger.
Unlocking the Mysteries of Spiritual Understanding: A Biblical Perspective - Col 1:9
Paul prays they would be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. A look at what he is actually asking God for.
Strengthened by His Power: The Spiritual Man in Christ -Col 1:11
Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power — and then Paul says what that power is for. It is not what most of us would have guessed.
The Practice of Sacrifice: Understanding God's Unique Approach - Col 1:13 Part 1
A poster in our church window read “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” I said amen, then wondered how that sounds to someone walking past.
Ep. Col 1:13–14 Delivered from Darkness
He has delivered us. Past tense, already finished. Why you are not working to maintain a rescue that has already happened.
Meeting the Creator of the Universe: The Identity of Jesus Col. 1:15-18 part 1
What would it be like to meet the One who spoke worlds into existence? Some people did, and Paul tells us exactly who they were talking to.
The Divine Challenge: Why Jesus' Name is so Offensive to Modern Society Col. 1:15-18 Part 2
Claiming Christ made everything strikes plenty of people as arrogant and exclusionary. The real question is not whether it offends, but whether it is true.
Not the Pastor, Not the Pope: Christ as the Ultimate Authority of the Church
With thousands of denominations to choose from, newcomers ask which church is the right one. Paul is answering a different question: who is its head?
The Unique Message of the Gospel: Why Christianity Stands Apart from Other Religions Col. 1:21
Alienated, enemies in the mind, and then reconciled through a death. Paul's blunt description of where the Colossians were and what actually changed.
Can We Stray from the Faith? Examining the New Testament Warning (Col 1:23) Part 2
“If indeed you continue in the faith.” That small word if has unsettled readers for centuries, and it deserves an honest look rather than a quick answer.
Participating in Christ's Sufferings: What It Means to Be a Christian
Paul says he fills up in his own flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. The sentence alarms people, and once you see his meaning, it should not.
Breaking Down Barriers: The Mystery of Unity Between Jews and Gentiles-Col. 1:24-29 Part 2
The mystery hidden for ages turns out to be this: Gentiles included, Christ in you. What was being kept quiet, and why it was finally said out loud.
Him We Preach: The Singular Focus of Paul's Preaching Col. 1:24-29 Part 3
Him we preach. Two words that mark the boundary of Paul's whole ministry, and quietly rule out a great deal of what passes for preaching now.
A Father's Love: The Heart of an Apostle - Col. 2:1-10 part 1
Paul agonises over a church he has never met face to face. What that says about the kind of love that binds a minister to people he barely knows.
Beyond Signs and Wonders: The True Markers of a Spiritually Healthy Church Col 2:1-10 Part 2
Paul rejoices over the Colossians' good order and steadfast faith, not over their signs and wonders. What a healthy church actually looked like to him.
Beyond the Physical: Decoding Paul's Absent in Body, Present in Spirit Col. 2:1-10 Part 3
Absent in the flesh, present in spirit. Paul uses that phrase more than once and clearly means something by it. Working out what.
Ep. Col 2:1-10 Beware of False Teachings: Paul's Warning to the Colossians
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit. Paul's warning to Colossae, and how the very same trap is still being set.
The Spiritual Meaning of Circumcision: Cutting Away the Heart (Col. 2:11-15) Part 1
A circumcision made without hands. Paul takes the oldest sign of the covenant and moves it from the body to the heart.
The Significance of Christian Baptism: Explained - Col 2:11–15 Part 2
Buried with Him in baptism, raised with Him through faith. What the early church understood baptism to actually be doing.
Believing in the Resurrection: Why It Matters - Col 2:11–15 Part 3
Paul ties baptism directly to resurrection. If the raising is not real, then the symbol has nothing left to point at.
The Burden of the Law: How Christ Set Us Free Col. 2:11-15 - Part 4
The handwriting of requirements that stood against us, nailed to the cross. Something in all of us resists rules, and Paul says what Christ did with them.
Beyond Angels and Demons: The Spiritual Hierarchy in the Bible (Col 2:11–15) Part 5
Principalities and powers. Popular culture is fascinated by the occult, but the Bible's picture of the spiritual hierarchy is stranger and far more ordered.
Listening in on Paul's One-Sided Conversations: Insights into Early Christianity (Col. 2:16-19)
Reading Paul is like hearing one side of a phone call. You can work out a great deal about the other voice, and here that voice was teaching something dangerous.