This book is a letter. Paul wrote 13 letters that are part of the Bible. He wrote this letter to the church* in Colosse. Paul never visited that city. But he prayed for the people there many times. [1]

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Paul wrote the letter about thirty years after Jesus went back into heaven. He opens the letter with a greeting. He ends the book with another greeting and a request for prayer. Paul was not alone when he wrote this letter. His friend Onesimus was with him. Before he met Paul, Onesimus had been a slave.

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Many people in Colosse believed in Jesus. But some people said things about Jesus that were not true. Paul did not want the people to believe the false teachers. So he wrote this letter to help them.

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He wanted the people to remember the truth about Jesus. So he told them many things about Jesus. Jesus was God. [2] We saw God when we saw Jesus. He made all things. He became a man and died on a cross*. God made Jesus alive again. And Jesus did this to bring people back to God. He did this for all kinds of people. He did this for both Jews* and people who were not Jews* too.

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Jesus was the great one. No one had more power than Jesus. No one was as wise as He was. Paul did not want people to forget that.

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But some people at Colosse said other things about Jesus. They were not sure if Jesus was a man at all. They were not sure that Jesus had a real body. And some of them said that what Jesus did on the cross* was not enough to make people right with God. They wanted people to go back and follow the laws of Moses. They wanted people to eat some things and not eat other things. They said that this would help them be right with God.

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Paul did not want people to believe these bad teachers. [3] He wanted the people to follow Jesus. Jesus was the only one who could make people right with God. He had the power to rescue people from their sin*. He had the power to change people’s hearts. Laws and rules could not change people’s hearts. Traditions could not make people friends with God.

Paul said that people that trusted* in Jesus had a new life. But what did this new life look like? The last part of the letter answers that question.

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People who had this new life from God turned away from the sin* of their old life. God made them to be kind and humble. They learned to forgive* people. They learned to live in peace* with God and other people. They were grateful and patient. They acted in wise ways. They cared for their family. They honoured God when they worked.

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Paul wanted the people in Colosse to live in this new way. They belonged to Christ now. They should think about the things in heaven*. [4] They should not act in evil* ways. [5] But they should serve God and love other people. [6]

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Paul greeted many people at the end of the letter. He greeted both Mark [7] and Luke. [8] Those two men helped write the story of Jesus in the books called the gospels*.

 

[1] Colossians 1:3-8

[2] Colossians 1:15-17

[3] Colossians 2:16-23

[4] Colossians 3:2-4

[5] Colossians 3:5-11

[6] Colossians 3:12-14

[7] Colossians 4:10

[8] Colossians 4:14