Colossians 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The city of “Colosse” was very near “the seven churches which are in Asia” (Revelation 1:4), it was located approximately eight miles south of “Laodicea” (Revelation 3:14) in what is now Turkey. Paul wrote “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse” to encourage them and strengthen them to “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2:8). This exhortation is akin to the duty of all ministers of the Gospel; they are given their gifts “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” (Ephesians 4:12). According to historians, “Colosse” was a city that was rich with mineral deposits and sat on a major Roman highway just south of “Laodicea”. It seems that they were plagued by some of the same heresies that were troubling “the seven churches which are in Asia”; for, Paul exhorted them to “continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:23). Paul teaches them that indeed there was “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 26 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). That “mystery” was Jesus Christ the Son of God, and He has now blessed us to know Him and to experience His Holy Presence with us, for He is our God and our “Good Shepherd” (John 10:11) always watching over us and caring for us and has already secured our Eternal Salvation (John 19:30).