Colossians Outline

For the index for the Colossians Series, click here.

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Here are my four chapter outlines from Colossians:

Colossians 1: We Proclaim Him
I.   Greetings (vv. 1-2)
II.  We Have Heard of You
      A. From Epaphras (vv. 3-8)
      B. Our Prayer for You (vv. 9-12)
III. We Serve Jesus Christ
      A. He is Savior (vv. 13-14)
      B. He is Above All (vv. 15-20)
      C. He is Our Hope (vv. 21-23)
      D. I am His Minister (vv. 24-29)

Colossians 2: Do Not be Taken Captive by the World
I.  Hold on to Your Faith
    A. My Struggle for Your Faith (vv. 1-5)
    B. Walk in Christ (vv. 6-7)
    C. Christ's Work is the Foundation of Faith (vv. 8-15)
II. Separate from the World and its Teachings
    A. Focus on Christ (vv. 16-19)
    B. The World Gains You Nothing (vv. 20-23)

Colossians 3:  Keep Seeking Things Above
I.  Set Your Mind to Christ Above (vv. 1-4)
II. Live as Christ
    A. Put Aside the Old Self (vv. 5-11)
    B. Put on the New Self (vv. 12-17)
    C. Live in Proper Relationships (vv. 18-4:1)

Colossians 4:  Prayer and Wisdom for Ministry
I.  Prayer and Wise Conduct
    A. Devote Yourselves to Prayer (vv. 2-4)
    B. Have Wise Conduct Towards Others (vv. 5-6)
II. Greetings and Closing Remarks
    A. Tychicus Will Explain My Circumstances (vv. 7-9)
    B. Greetings from Others (vv. 10-11)
    C. Epaphras Commended (vv. 12-14)
    D. Share my Words Among the Churches (vv. 15-18)

You can take these four outlines and combine them to create a single outline of Colossians:

Colossians
I.  We Proclaim Him
    A.   Greetings (1:1-2)
    B.  We Have Heard of You
          1. From Epaphras (1:3-8)
          2. Our Prayer for You (1:9-12)
    C. We Serve Jesus Christ
          1. He is Savior (1:13-14)
          2. He is Above All (1:15-20)
          3. He is Our Hope (1:21-23)
          4. I am His Minister (1:24-29)
II.  Do Not be Taken Captive by the World
     A.  Hold on to Your Faith
          1. My Struggle for Your Faith (2:1-5)
          2. Walk in Christ (2:6-7)
          3. Christ's Work is the Foundation of Faith (2:8-15)
     B. Separate from the World and its Teachings
          1. Focus on Christ (2:16-19)
          2. The World Gains You Nothing (2:20-23)
III. Keep Seeking Things Above
     A. Set Your Mind to Christ Above (3:1-4)
     B. Live as Christ
          1. Put Aside the Old Self (3:5-11)
          2. Put on the New Self (3:12-17)
          3. Live in Proper Relationships (3:18-4:1)
    C.  Prayer and Wise Conduct
          1. Devote Yourselves to Prayer (4:2-4)
          2. Have Wise Conduct Towards Others (4:5-6)
IV. Greetings and Closing Remarks
    A. Tychicus Will Explain My Circumstances (4:7-9)
    B. Greetings from Others (4:10-11)
    C. Epaphras Commended (4:12-14)
    D. Share my Words Among the Churches (4:15-18)

As you can see, without the chapter breaks, you can combine like sections to show the flow of Paul's letter as a whole.

I cannot believe tomorrow is our last day of Colossians!  As we close, start thinking of what you have learned and how it can be applied.

Finding Paragraph Themes

For the index for the Colossians Series, click here.

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Paragraph themes are not something I do for every chapter or book, but it can be very helpful when doing an in-depth study or compiling notes on a book or subject.  Today, we will walk through how I find paragraph themes and use those in my study.

Step one:  Find the first (or next) paragraph; if it is only one verse, join with the previous or following paragraph based on context.  In our case, the first paragraph is Colossians 1:1-2.

Step two:  Read it and decide what the main point is.  For us, it would be a greeting.

Step three:  Repeat first two steps until chapter is complete.  Pretty simple, right?

Here's what my final list for Colossians 1 looks like:

Greetings (1:1-2)
Epaphras Told Us About You (1:3-8)
Our prayer for you (1:9-12)
Jesus is Savior (1:13-14)
He is Above All  (1:15-20)
Through Him We Have Hope (1:21-23)
I am His Minster (1:24-29)

I use these basic points to form a simple outline, using my chapter theme as the heading.

Colossians 1: We Proclaim Him
I.   Greetings (vv. 1-2)
II.  We Have Heard of You (vv. 3-12)
      A. From Epaphras (vv. 3-8)
      B. Our Prayer for You (vv. 9-12)
III. We Serve Jesus Christ (vv. 13-29)
      A. He is Savior (vv. 13-14)
      B. He is Above All (vv. 15-20)
      C. He is Our Hope (vv. 21-23)
      D. I am His Minister (vv. 24-29)

From here, each point can be further outlined or detailed.  If you are converting your notes into a lesson or sermon, this is a great way to organize your material.  (For Colossians 1, we have a simple three point lesson with underlying information.)

I normally make an outline for each chapter or section and then combine them at the end of the book so I have something simple to look over for each book; however, with a small book like Colossians, sometimes it is easier to get in the mindset of outlining and conquer the book at one time!

Outlining Tip:  For every 1 there should be a 2; for every A there should be a B.

Q:  I'm confused!  What is the difference between the sectioning we did yesterday and choosing paragraph themes (making an outline) today?
The main difference is how they are used.

Sections (from yesterday) are bigger and tend to focus on an overall topic; they are more inclusive.  Paragraph Themes/Outlining is more detailed and focuses on what the verses are saying; it is not a topic, but a summary.  These Paragraph Themes are more exclusive and typically cover a smaller number of verses.

Sectioning is the fly-over big picture (which is why is pairs with our Overview).  Outlining is a street map or guide to what the book actually says.

How to Section Colossians

For the index for the Colossians Series, click here.

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Sectioning works just the way it sounds -- breaking a big piece into smaller pieces (or sections).  You probably made some of your own sections (or saw a few of mine) while you were cross-referencing.  Those passages we used last week are simply sections of Colossians.

So how do we section Colossians in an effective way?  First, I would begin in Colossians 1 and just read (or skim) through the book, trying to find logical or topical breaks.  Most Bibles have headings that separate verses into big topical sections.

Make of list of the verses for each section and add a topic or heading of your own.  (Example:  Colossians 1:3-12 Paul's Prayer)  Try not to have verses that overlap between sections; use our large segments as an initial guide!  (Example:  Doctrinal headings and sections for Colossians 1:3-2:23)

As for our Overview sheet, I follow Kay Arthur's blocking method (on her At A Glance sheets).*

As you can see, there is ample room for the chapter themes (and key verses), but to the side, there is space for segments or section divisions.  There is no reason why each section needs to correspond by chapter; often chapters mark new topics, but that is not always the case.

I just drew a similar rectangle on my Overview sheet with a small column for sections.  (It doesn't need to be very small; make it big enough for you to write inside it!)  I listed our large segment divisions from our Overview (intro, doctrine, praxis, closing).

To the left, I added a second column for sections!  Here is my final list of sections for the book of Colossians:

Introduction (1:1-2)
Prayer for Colosse (1:3-12)
Jesus Above All (1:13-20)
Complete in Jesus and his Gospel (1:21-29)
Paul's Struggle and Warnings (2:1-8)
Christ's Work (2:9-15)
Why Live as the World? (2:16-23)
Keep Seeking Above (3:1-4)
Put Aside Sin (3:5-11)
Let Christ Rule... (3:12-17)
...in All Areas (3:18-4:1)
Prayer and Wise Conduct (4:2-6)
Closing (4:7-18)

We are going to take Sectioning a step farther and begin working on Paragraph Themes.  These themes will help us develop an outline of Colossians.

*This image was taken from my personal copy of Kay Arthur's Philippians/Colossians Study titled That I May Know Him.

The Link to Philemon

For the index for the Colossians Series, click here.

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I know.  I kind of tricked you into thinking yesterday was our last day of cross-referencing, but the link between Colossians and Philemon really doesn't count as cross-referencing.  It's more like partnering ;)

The first "clue" to the partnering is the list of names found in both books (Paul, Timothy, Luke, Demas, Epaphras, Aristarchus, Mark, Archippus, and notably Onesimus).

As we compare Colossians 4 and Philemon, we find that Paul sent Tychicus with Onesimus to the Colossians to "inform" them about his situation.  Philemon gives Onesimus' back-story.

Furthermore, we learn that the letter Paul sent to Laodicea and Archippus is probably Philemon (since Philemon is addressed to Archippus).  Paul instructs Colosse and Laodicea to share these letters with each other.

This gives some reason as to Paul's lengthy closing in Colossians 4; all of the greetings from his fellow-workers (along with his acceptance of Onesimus) gives some support for his plea to Philemon to accept Onesimus back as more than a servant (or slave).

Anyway, even though there is not a lot to "learn" through this connection, it helps to flush out what was happening in Paul's ministry and gives some insight into his letter to the Colossians.

Remember way back at the end of Week 2 we made an Overview of Colossians?  Time to update!!!

My overview is just a loose-leaf sheet in my binder with the following things listed:  author, recipients, setting, theme, key verse, purpose/occasion, chapter themes, and key words.  If you mark your Bible, add this information in an appropriate margin or space.

Next week we will add some sections (or segments) to the overview and learn how to outline Colossians.

Finishing Cross-Referecing

For the index for the Colossians Series, click here.

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Here is my "mixed bag" of other cross-references for the book of Colossians.

I'm sure you noticed some overlap in my cross-referencing of these passages, and I'm quite sure there are more than five parallel passages between Colossians and other Bible books!

You may have noticed very little cross-referencing between Colossians 4 and other books as we have studied the last few days; tomorrow we will address the parallels in Colossians 4, specifically how Colossians seems to partner with the book of Philemon.

Philemon is a short book of only twenty-five verses; keep an eye out specifically for names mentioned in Colossians 4 and Philemon.

Cross-Reference: Ephesians

For the index for the Colossians Series, click here.

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I found seven cross-references between Ephesians and Colossians (the most between Colossians and any other book).  Here they are!

Tomorrow we will be finishing up the main part of cross-referencing!

While I don't intend for you to spend your day skimming through the entire Bible, maybe you remember a passage you have memorized or read before that you think might match up with something we read in Colossians.  Maybe you have been using a study guide or commentary that suggests more passages.  Maybe you have found a few good cross-references marked in your Bible.  Just see what you can find!!!

If you have no idea where to begin, try Philippians!  It is the last book of the set to cover (Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians).

Cross-Reference: Galatians

For the index for the Colossians Series, click here.

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Galatians and Colossians are considered part of a single section of Paul's letters (Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians).  These four books have a very similar "feel" to them, and they all deal with both doctrine and praxis (Christian living).  I'm sure you found a lot of parallel information in Galatians!!!

I'm going to share four cross-references I marked and why I think they are good parallel passages.

I'm sure you may have found more cross-references (or matched up different ones); just remember that there is no set way to cross-reference!

I hope Galatians whet your appetite, because Ephesians and Colossians have many parallels!!!

How to Cross-Reference

Welcome to Week 8!!!  I can't believe we've come so far so quickly!
Happy Memorial Day to you all!

For the index for the Colossians Series, click here.

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What is cross-referencing?  Finding a verse or passage that says the same thing (or something similar) to another verse or passage.  Example:  Jesus' birth is recounted in Matthew and in Luke; while the focus and stories are different, it still makes the same points.  Another example:  Jesus' baptism is found in all four Gospels and each says almost exactly same thing.

So, I'm going to b honest for a moment with you:  this post has been the most difficult for me to conceptualize and write.  Perhaps it is because I have come to the conclusion that there is no method or set way to cross-reference a passage.

Here is my explanation:

Based on these points, it seems as if there are really only two options when it comes to cross-referencing:
1.  know enough of the Bible to think of parallel passages on your own
2.  follow a cross-reference list from someone else (through commentary, Bible study, etc)

Therefore, I am going to ask all of you to trust me as we move forward in cross-referencing.  I have consulted a few sources and have come up with a few of my own cross-referenced passages.  I am sure I missed thoughts, ideas, and parallels that you or others may see.

It is my hope for us all to learn more and more about the Bible every day; perhaps by studying Colossians together, we can see where it parallels other books of the Bible as we move forward in our studies.

Read through the book of Galatians (only six chapters) and look for passages that sound like or teach something we have learned in Colossians.  Personally, I like skimming over Colossians first to refresh my memory.