One of the greatest doctrinal controversies during the New
Testament age was the battle against gnosticism. Gnosticism started in Persia, came
into Judaism, and then into the church. The church at Colossae was bothered
with the forms and peripherals of gnostic teaching. A preacher from Colossae named Epaphras asked
the apostle Paul to assist him in combating this unhealthy teaching. Paul's response was the epistle to the Colossians with its great theme of the
sufficiency of Christ. The great
letter to Philemon also went to Colossae. Gary Hampton's excellent
summary of Colossians and Philemon is useful
for the student, teacher, and preacher.
51 pages