Colossians Outline – a birds eye view
- Study Index for COLOSSIANS by Chester McCalley
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Colossians Outline
Colossians 1 – 2:3: Glory of Jesus Christ
Colossians 2:4 – 3:4 – Union With Christ
Colossians 3:5 – 4:1 – Christian Conduct
THE GLORIES OF JESUS CHRIST
or “The Image of the Invisible God” 1:1-2:3
A. The People of Jesus Christ 1:1-14
1. Greetings Extended to Them 1:1-2
a. Focusing on Paul 1:1
(1) His Authority
(2) His Companion
b. Focusing on the Church 1:2
(1) Their Spiritual Position
(2) Their Earthly Position
2. Prayer Made for Them 1:3-14
a. As Expressed in Thanksgiving 1:3-8
(1) Paul’s Favorite Trilogy of Words 1:3-5
(2) The Source of the Believer’s Hope 1:6-8
(a) The Arrival of the Gospel 1:6a
(b) The Distribution of the Gospel 1:6b
(c) The Power of the Gospel 1:6c
(d) The Bearer of the Gospel 1:7-8
b. As Expressed in Petition 1:9-14
(1) The Root of the Petition: Knowledge of God’s
Will 1:9
(2) The Trunk of the Petition: a Worthy Walk 1:10a
(3) The Branches of the Petition: Good Works 1:10b-14
(a) Knowledge of God’s Will Is to Reveal Itself in Our Character 1:10b
(b) Knowledge of God’s Will Is to Reveal Itself in Our Witness 1:10c
(c) Knowledge of God’s Will Is to Reveal Itself in Our Shared Power 1:11
(d) Knowledge of God’s Will Is to Reveal Itself in Our Mental Attitude 1:12-14
B. The Person of Jesus Christ 1:15-18
1. Jesus Christ in Relationship to God the Father 1:15a
2. Jesus Christ in Relationship to the Creation 1:15b-17
a. The Relationship Stated 1:15b
b. The Relationship Amplified 1:16-17
(1) Christ Is the Originator of All Things
(2) Christ Is the Builder of All Things
(3) Christ Is the Owner of All Things
(4) Christ Is the Predecessor of All Things
(5) Christ Is the Sustainer of All Things
3. Jesus Christ in Relationship to the Church 1:18
a. The Statement of His Position 1:18a
b. The Reason for His Position 1:18b
(1) Christ Is Head Because He Is “the Beginning”
(2) Christ Is Head Because He Is “the First-born”
c. The Aim of His Position 1:18c
C. The Work of Christ 1:19-2:3
1. Its Description 1:19-20
a. His Work in the Origin of Salvation 1:19
(1) It Centers in the Pleasure of the Father 1:19a
(2) It Centers in the Perfection of the Son 1:19b
b. His Work in the Accomplishment of Salvation 1:20
2. Its Application 1:21-23
a. Viewing Their Past 1:21
b. Viewing Their Present 1:22a
c. Viewing Their Future 1:22b-23
3. Its Propagation 1:24-2:3
a. Paul’s Ministry and the Church 1:24
b. Paul’s Ministry and the Word 1:25-27
c. Paul’s Ministry and the Individual 1:28-29
(1) Paul’s Methodology
(2) Paul’s Goal
d. Paul’s Ministry and the Local Church 2:1-3
(1) The Statement of the Struggle 2:1
(2) The Purpose of the Struggle 2:2-3
OUR UNION WITH JESUS CHRIST or “In Him We Are Complete” 2:4-3:4
A. The Threat to Our Relationship to Christ 2:4-8
1. The Methods of False Teaching 2:4-5
a. False Teaching Aims to Deceive 2:4a
b. False Teaching Uses Plausible Arguments 2:4b
c. False Teaching Can be Successfully Resisted 2:5
2. The Protection Against False Teaching 2:6-8
a. Their Continued Walk 2:6-7
b. Their Daily Threat 2:8
(1) The Danger of False Teaching
(2) The Description of False Teaching
(3) The Source of False Teaching
(4) The Content of False Teaching
(5) The Deficiency of False Teaching
B. The Glory of Our Relationship to Christ 2:9-15
1. He is the Solution to Our Inadequacy 2:9-10
a. The Fullness of the Son 2:9
b. The Fullness of the Sons 2:10
2. He Is the Solution to Our Sin Nature 2:11
3. He Is the Solution to Our Guilt 2:12-14
a. Our Former Condition 2:13a
b. Our Present Union 2:13b
c. Our Present Forgiveness 2:13c-14
4. He Is the Solution to Our Arch-enemy 2:15
C. The Obligations of Our Relationship to Christ 2:16-3:4
1. Negatively, We Must Refuse Religious Performance 2:16-23
a. By Remaining Free of Legalism 2:16-17
b. By Remaining Free of False Spirituality 2:18-19
(1) The Self-Abasement Program
(2) The False Worship Program
(3) The Experience Program
(4) The Problem with These Programs
c. By Remaining Free of Asceticism 2:20-23
2. Positively, We Must Recognize Our Position in Christ 3:1-4
a. Union with Christ: Its Features
(1) Our Position Relative to the Past
(2) Our Position Relative to the Present
(3) our Position Relative to the Future
b. Union with Christ: Our Mental Obligation
THE CONDUCT OF THE BELIEVER IN CHRIST
or “Putting Off and Putting On” 3:5-4:1
A. Our Inward Life 3:5-17
1. Its Negative Aspects 3:5-11
a. Items to Put Off 3:5-9a
(1) Manifestations of Sin in Sexual Conduct 3:5a
(2) Manifestations of Sin in Mental Habits 3:5b-7
(3) Manifestations of Sin in Social Habits 3:8-9
b. The Argument for Putting Off 3:9b-11
(1) The Old Self Put Off 3:9b
(2) The New Self Put On 3:10-11
2. Its Positive Aspects 3:12-17
a. Our Duty in Respect to Others 3:12-14
(1) In Terms of Attitude 3:12
(2) In Terms of Action 3:13
(3) In Terms of Priority 3:14
b. Our Duty in Respect to Ourselves 3:15-17
(1) The Peace of Christ Ruling 3:15
(2) The Word of Christ Dwelling 3:16
(3) The Name of Christ Motivating 3:17
B. Our Family Life 3:18-4:1
1. The Relationship of Wife and Husband 3:18-19
a. The Relationship of the Wife to Her Husband 3:18
(1) Her Duty
(2) Her Motivation
b. The Relationship of the Husband to His Wife 3:19
(1) His Duty
(2) His Danger
2. The Relationship of Children and Parents 3:20-21
a. The Relationship of Children to Parents 3:20
(1) Their Duty
(2) Their Motivation
b. The Relationship of Fathers to Children 3:21
3. The Relationship of Slaves and Masters 3:22-4:1
a. The Relationship of Slaves to Masters 3:22-25
(1) Their Duty
(a) Execution of the Requirements of the Master 3:22a
(b) Carrying Out One’s Job by Doing as Much as
Possible as Well as Possible 3:23
(c) Final Compensation Comes from the Lord, not
Men 3:24-25
(2) Their Motivation
b. The Relationship of Masters to Slaves 4:1
(1) Their Duty
(2) Their Motivation
- Study Index for COLOSSIANS by Chester McCalley
-
Colossians Outline
Colossians 1 – 2:3: Glory of Jesus Christ
Colossians 2:4 – 3:4 – Union With Christ
Colossians 3:5 – 4:1 – Christian Conduct
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