Colossians and Philemon – Course Book (Print)

Author: Bob Martin

This book serves as the textbook for the video course on Colossians and Philemon from SIBI External Studies. The first 8 chapters cover Colossians, "a very sharp, terse, impassioned, apologetic witness to a church facing heresy." Philemon occupies the final 4 chapters. Philemon "is a small but dynamic epistle that sets forth some of the Bible's greatest teching about the providential working of God."

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

I. Background and History ...................... 1
II. The Heresy at Colosse ....................... 15
III. God’s Wisdom Versus the World’s Wisdom . . . . . 27
IV. Using What You Have ....................... 40
V. The Supremacy of Jesus ..................... 51
VI. Combating Heresy .......................... 63
VII. Walking in Jesus ........................... 77
VIII. The Christian’s Relations with God and Man . . . . . 91
XIX. Philemon — Background and History . . . . . . . . . . 104
X. In Jesus Christ You Are Somebody . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
XI. Using God’s Gifts ......................... 127
XII. God Is Sovereign .......................... 141

INTRODUCTION:
About one hundred miles from Ephesus, in the valley of the River Lycus, near where it joins the Meander, there once stood
three important cities—Laodicaea, Hierapolis and Colosse. Originally they had been Phrygian cities, but now they were part of the Roman province of Asia. They stood almost within sight of each other. Hierapolis and Laodicaea stood one on
either side of the valley with the River Lycus flowing between; they were only six miles apart, and they were in full view of
each other. The third city, Colosse, straddled the river, twelve miles further up. (The Letter to the Colossians, Wm. Barclay)

When a New Testament book is studied, the geographical and cultural environment is extremely important to
understanding its teaching. The cultural background of Colossians must be considered before we can get an adequate understanding of the Holy Spirit’s teaching. Bob Martin does an outstanding job of opening our minds to the exhortations
and warnings of the apostle Paul as he writes to the church in Colosse and to his dear brother and friend, Philemon. Although Paul did not directly establish the church in Colosse, probably meeting in Philemon’s house, he expressed his deep love and concern for the brethren there.

Bob will boldly reveal the teaching of Paul as he assures the Christians in Colosse that Christ is all sufficient, and thus, there is no need and no room for any additions to the gospel. The Colossian brethren were in danger of being led back into the legalistic practices of Judaistic worship. In addition to this, they
were trying to add certain practices of paganism. Either or both of these additions would corrupt the pure truth of the grace of God by which these brethren had become children of God and in which they were to continue to stand.

As Bob Martin concludes his study, he will take you into the heart and lives of Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave,
Philemon himself and his fellow Christians and neighbors in Colosse. You will marvel at the workings of God as he brings Paul and Onesimus together in Rome and then travel back to Colosse and watch as Onesimus, now a Christian brother, is
reunited with his master. How will Philemon receive his slave? How will he respond to his slave-owning neighbors? Will he
continue to treat him as a slave? What a dilemma? Your faith will be strengthened as you almost close this book with a shout of victory!