The Message of Colossians & Philemon

The Bible Speaks Today: New Testament

by Dick Lucas

Even healthy churches are never completely immune to the intellectual and spiritual pressures of their time. The church in Colossae was no exception. False teaching shaped by the spirit of the age was rising within the community, suggesting that a fuller knowledge and freedom was available beyond what ordinary Christians had experienced. Paul's response was adamant: all God's fullness is in Christ alone, and everyone who is in Christ shares in his triumph. The epistle to the Colossians is filled with teachings and warnings that are relevant to the church in every era. In this revised Bible Speaks Today volume, Dick Lucas identifies key themes of Paul's letter and considers applications for today. Guiding readers through each passage, Lucas explores the great truths of the faith packed into Colossians: freedom, victory over evil, knowledge of God, unity, and other aspects of the riches available in Christ. This new edition of a classic BST volume includes a new interior design, lightly updated language, and updated Scripture quotations throughout.

Genres: Theology, New Testament, Reference, Biblical Studies, Christian

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Richard Charles "Dick" Lucas is an Anglican evangelical cleric, best known for his long ministry at St Helen's Bishopsgate in London, England, and for his work as founder of the Proclamation Trust and the Cornhill Training Course.

(Some early books released under R. C. Lucas.)

Reviews

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dick Lucas' exposition of the books of Colossians and Philemon has been challenging and engaging for the most part. Colossians in particular is full of so many gems about unity, the sufficiency of Christ and freedom which Lucas brings to the fore with great skill. The only reason its getting only 4 stars is that I found some of the chapters covering Colossians 3 a little weak in comparison to the rest of the book.

Considering the apparent slender pickings of commentaries on these books - a solid choice.

[Angus Mcfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ran into this book some time ago but it's been sitting on the shelf for some time. A sermon series at church motivated me to get it out and have a read. It's an old edition but it survives the test of time in general, although I wonder whether a it would have focused more on non Christian than Christian doctrinal error of written today. The main benefit for me was seeing the relevance of Pauls letter in different ways for me and more generally, for today's church. Like all modern churches, Colossians was not founded directly by an apostle or visited by one (that we know of), nor was it a major centre of Roman or Greek civilization, so it fits the humble local church. Likewise the religious background is syncretistic and relatively non specific, vague, and at the time of writing, undramatic. Again, similar to most modern local churches, and individuals, where the tendencies to deviate from the gospel don't manifest as outright heresy.

[Rick Dugan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give this book 3.5 stars, but since that isn't possible, I rounded up. Overall, it's one of the better evangelical commentaries on Colossians and Philemon. Good insights that you won't find elsewhere, presented in a clear manner, and useful for those preparing sermons or Bible studies from Colossians. So why not more stars? Two reasons. First, on multiple occasions he slides into criticism of the Roman Catholic Church. I can understand doing this for contrast on occasion, but it happened so often that it felt more like he had an axe to grind. It didn't enhance the commentary on Colossians and Philemon. Second, the book would have been richer had there been more reference to the Christology of the early church Fathers who forged out our doctrine of Christ, which is so central to Colossians. Athanasius' emphasis on the incarnation for salvation would have accented Paul's Colossian Christology in a way our modern ears need to hear.

[Timothy Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems that a harmful tendency or teaching had arisen in the church at Colossae and that Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians to counter this threat. The problem is that commentators cannot agree about what those teachings or tendencies were. We are left to read between the lines, as Lucas admits that he does, asserting that he has no choice but to do so.

The author discerns seven features of ideas that were being promoted in Colossae: spiritual fullness, spiritual freedom, protection from evil powers, impressive asceticism, deeper knowledge of God, a sense of superiority and resultant division. The implication was that the teaching the believers had received from Paul’s co-worker Epaphras fell short. Lucas prefers to call the proponents of these ideas ‘visitors’ rather than false or new teachers, though that presumes they arrived from elsewhere rather than from within the local church.

‘The Bible Speaks Today’ does not purport to be a series of commentaries in the traditional sense. The books are rather expositions, seeking to bring out the message of the text, rather than narrowly focusing on what it says. Each chapter expounds a discrete paragraph of the text much as a careful preacher might do from the pulpit. You won't be able to go to it to look up the meaning of a particular phrase or verse. Lucas is meticulous in trying to make sure we have a correct understanding of what Paul wanted to convey to his readers.

The author acknowledges that his relentless pursuit of the seven tendencies or teachings of the ‘visitors’ might weary us but says he is only following Paul. I admit that I did find it a little wearying and not entirely necessary! There is a case for saying that we should not expend too much time or energy trying to work out the circumstances or intentions of the writer when they are not revealed to us but just take the text at face value.

Having said that, Lucas provides us with very warm expositions to help us navigate a way through the books of Colossians and Philemon and makes sure that we don't lose sight of the fundamental truths of Christ and of the gospel found there. The book could be used equally well for group study (there are study questions at the end) or for personal devotional Bible reading and preachers will find plenty to help them in sermon preparation.

[wearyworld · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Beale has bored you, O'Brien has wearied you, and McKnight has confused you, Lucas will rescue you. This is one of the few commentaries on Colossians that is genuinely helpful for sermon preparation.

[Simon O'Mahony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Helpful

[Peter Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, brief, pastoral commentary on Colossians. A bit thin in some spots, but does give a solid overview of the book along with good application.

[Will Dole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. The Bible Speaks Today Series varies in value (they're usually worth looking at), but I'd put this right up there with Derek Kidner on Ecclesiastes as the best I've read in the series.

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful and accessible.

[Gareth Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

[James Bunyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant- D Lucas is a fantastic expositor and he shows Paul's intention and emphasis with a clarity that leaves you loving Jesus more!

[Robert Samsel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite commentary on Colossians but still useful for a different perspective.