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Colossians 3:1-4

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Colossians 3:1-4

1.) What did the text mean to the Biblical audience?

According to the AMG Concise Bible Commentary at the time that this letter was written, Paul was in a Roman prison awaiting his trial. He wrote the letter in response to accounts of a church in Colosse being persuaded by false religious teachers and leaders. People were mixing Christian doctrine with pagan mythology. "The teaching was an early form of Gnosticism, a heresy that created serious trouble throughout the church during the 2nd century¹.” The established church was very new in its formation and it was easily swayed by non-Christian influences. The reason for this letter was to pull the false teachings out of the church and reinstate the real truths of God's Word and its principles. It was also written to establish the authority and role of Jesus Christ. This particular passage was a reminder that we are dead to the old way of life as an unbeliever and born to a new life in Christ. The passage before 3:1-4 says to avoid "outer religion" and the one preceding tells us to live a Godly life.

2.) Measuring the width of the river to cross:

The difference between our situation today and that of the Biblical audience in that time I believe is that they didn't have as many resources and support. Today we have plenty of churches, Christian bookstores, Christian leaders, Biblical studies, etc. In that time period I imagine that church communities felt isolated, lost and disconnected. They didn't have as many church leaders who were knowledgeable of scripture to help guide them in the right truths and teachings of God's Word. Nor was Scripture finished and accessible to give them a complete solid foundation of God's wisdom.

3.) What is the theological principle in this text?

The similarities of then and now is that we are always

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