“These letters remind us of the unity amid diversity that we are called to in Christ Jesus.”

Below are four of my favorite discoveries from my study of Colossians and Philemon. And I’ve included my favorite resources a little further down.

These letters remind us of the unity amid diversity that we are called to in Christ Jesus. The church in Colossae was very diverse. The diversity was due to its location at the crossroads of two once important and well-traveled highways. This newly formed church included Jews, Romans, Greeks, men, women, masters, and slaves. Paul greeted them as brothers and sisters from one Father (Colossians 1:1-2). In diversity, a family had formed.
The story that unfolded between Philemon and his slave Onesimus demonstrates Paul’s words, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” It is one of my favorite examples of how the gospel makes right what is broken in the world.
History informs us that a devastating earthquake hit the city of Colossae about the same time that Paul wrote the letters to the Colossian church and to Philemon. In light of this natural disaster, Paul’s architectural language in Colossians 1:23, to “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting…” is especially intriguing. He encouraged a city whose foundations were literally shaken to not shift, but remain stable in their faith.
Paul’s instructions given to all members of the common Roman household (Colossians chapters 3 and 4) would have been shocking when they were written. Women, children, and slaves were considered inferior, yet Paul addressed them as equals, giving them instructions in the same way he instructed the men.

I included both letters in one study because the Colossian church met in Philemon’s house. You will feel the continuity of the story when you read Colossians chapter four and the short letter to Philemon together.