Colossians & Philemon
- Susie Renzema
- Jul 31
- 4 min read
Happy August!
What started as a desire to journal an entire book of the Bible has turned into a walk through Paul’s letters. As I was working on the layout for the book of Colossians I learned that Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are referred to as Paul’s prison letters. There is substantial evidence that suggests that all four were written from Paul’s house arrest in Rome. Having journaled two of them that makes sense, they have remarkable similarities. But when you consider that Paul couldn’t leave Rome, and maybe couldn’t leave wherever he was staying, it left him dependent on news coming from others who visited him.
Unfortunately the news he was hearing wasn’t all good. Because of his imprisonment, it was likely that those with other ideas about how the Gentile Christians should conduct themselves were taking advantage of his absence. They were committing heresy, which is defined as “an opinion or doctrine contrary to church dogma.” The specific opinion or doctrine was circumcision. At first glance, that might look like a “them and then” problem, not an “us here and now” problem. After spending three months in these letters, (Galatians is not a prison letter, however, it also dealt with false teaching regarding circumcision) it most definitely is an “us” problem too.
The structure of each of the letters, except Philemon, is also the same, and although that could be argued as just Paul’s style, it is also intentional. The beginning of each letter starts with Paul rather urgently reminding his readers of who they are in Christ, and more importantly of what Christ has done for them through his death, resurrection, and ascension. I can almost hear him saying, “and another thing…” as he piles one attribute of God on top of another in Christ. Think of the momentum of Ephesians 1 and 2, or the meticulous laying out of right doctrine in the book of Galatians, as well as the call to maturity in Philippians 3. In each of these letters he’s reminding them of the freedom they possess because they have put their faith in Christ Jesus. He then makes his point by raising these questions: Why, why in light of all this, would you willingly go back to the slavery of the law? Why would you allow someone to take the Good News and besmirch it with a bunch of manmade rules? Why after tasting the freedom of salvation by grace through faith would you willingly walk back into thinking it’s something you can earn?
So this is where it becomes an “us, now” problem, or maybe it’s just a “me” problem but I kind of doubt it. How often do you have to remind yourself that the work of salvation was finished on the cross? How often do you catch yourself trying to work harder for Jesus? How often do you read scriptures like John 15: 1-17 and ask yourself, “How exactly do I abide? Am I doing it right? It sounds so simple, there must be something I’m missing, I should try harder.”
Please tell me I’m not the only one, we all do this. Then along comes someone with some manmade rules, only they don’t call them that. They come disguised as tips, or hacks, or habits to cultivate; and many of them are good, but many are not. Think of all the manmade rules around food today, talk about a burden! I spent many years in a diet program that implied, sometimes overtly and sometimes covertly that my ability to hear God’s voice through the Holy Spirit was hindered when I ate food off my plan. I’m not advocating wanton gluttony here, but let me say what a burden that was to carry and most definitely not true. We also have all kinds of rules and such around how to spend time with the Lord in his word. I have listened to countless new mommies feel burdened with guilt because they can’t do what they did before they had children, and you know what? You’re not supposed to, and that’s ok. These are just a couple of examples and are not meant to get us off track. The point is that we can’t earn our salvation and we also don’t “work” to keep it. However, we do certain things out of obedience and as part of our journey of sanctification, and that’s where it can get confusing. That’s why it’s a timeless and universal problem, not just an isolated incident for the early church. And I might add, the reason to read these letters of Paul’s. To be not only reminded but also encouraged, as they were meant to do for the recipients in the early days of the church. If any of this rings true for you, come along as we finish up the prison letters for the month of August. Because Colossians and Philemon are both relatively short I’ve combined them, and built in some catch up days since it’s the last month of the summer.
One more thing, this journal plan in not meant to be a burden or a mandate for how to engage with the word, it’s an option. The most important thing is that you find some way to engage with the word, this happens to be my way, but I understand that it might not be for everyone. The important thing is to find what works for you. If you’re new here, welcome, my prayer is that this page is a blessing not a burden.
