Christ All Sufficient: Colossians and Philemon Welwyn Commentary Series

Paul, under house arrest in Rome, wrote two letters which were both sent to Colosse at the same time and by the same messenger, a man named Tychicus. Colossians is packed with good things, written in response to a problem in the church at Colosse. It seemed that there was a real danger that an impressionable young church might be seduced away from uncomplicated and straightforward devotion to Christ. There was a new mood in the church, a worrying tendency to be influenced by currents of thought from outside, from society at large, a danger that is still present in our own day.

The most important consequence of the new teachings was that they would wean people away from Christ in subtle ways by making them preoccupied with other things in addition to him. In order to counter this emphasis, Paul wrote a letter that is full of Christ.

The second letter, the epistle to Philemon, was addressed to one of the members of the church in Colosse and related to another person from the same town. It is a highly personal letter, written from one Christian to another, and it has a fascination all its own. At its heart is a theme that is vital for all Christians.

Written from an evangelical, Reformed perspective. Section by section commentary. Phil Arthur studied history at Cambridge. He has been pastor of Free Grace Baptist Church, Lancaster, England, since 1988. He and his wife Barbara have three sons. He is the author of two other titles in the Welwyn Commentary Series, Patience of Hope (1 and 2 Thessalonians) and Strength in Weakness (2 Corinthians).