Book of Colossians Quiz: Christ Pre-eminent over All

1. What is the Christ hymn in Colossians 1:15-20, and what does it declare about Jesus?

1. 'Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men'
2. 'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible... He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church... so that in everything he might have the supremacy'
3. 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made'
4. 'The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word'

2. What does Colossians 1:19-20 say about the reconciliation accomplished through Christ?

1. 'For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross'
2. Paul says reconciliation is future — God has not yet made peace but will do so at the second coming of Christ when all enemies are defeated
3. Paul says reconciliation is partial — God's peace extends to believers only, with no hope for the rest of creation
4. Reconciliation in Colossians refers only to Jewish-Gentile unity — the cosmic scope of 'all things' is a metaphor for the two communities being joined together

3. What false teaching was threatening the Colossian church, and how does Paul respond?

1. 'See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.' The Colossian error involved angel worship, ascetic practices, and special visions — Paul responds that Christ is the fullness of God
2. The Colossians were being seduced by Roman emperor worship — the local imperial cult was attracting Christians with promises of civic protection
3. The Colossians were being tempted by Gnosticism — teachers claiming matter was evil and spiritual escape was the goal
4. The Colossians were being tempted to return to Jewish circumcision — the false teachers were the same Judaizers Paul addressed in Galatians

4. What does Colossians 2:13-15 say about what happened at the cross?

1. 'And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him'
2. 'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree'
3. 'For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God'
4. 'He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed'

5. What does Colossians 2:16-17 say about food laws and religious observances?

1. 'Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ'
2. Paul abolishes all religious calendar observances — there are no longer any sacred days or times in the new covenant era
3. Paul says all food laws and religious festivals must be maintained — the false teachers were right to observe them, just wrong to make them mandatory for others
4. Paul says believers should observe all OT food laws as signs of gratitude — the shadow still points to the reality even after the reality has come

6. How does Colossians describe the 'circumcision of Christ' as a replacement for physical circumcision?

1. 'In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead'
2. Paul argues that physical circumcision should be maintained alongside the spiritual — both signs are required for full covenant membership
3. Paul rejects circumcision entirely — it was a temporary sign with no spiritual counterpart in the new covenant
4. The circumcision of Christ refers to Jesus's own circumcision on the eighth day — which transferred righteousness to all who are baptised in his name

7. What does Colossians 3:1-4 mean by 'set your minds on things above'?

1. 'Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory'
2. Paul is teaching that the physical world is evil — Christians should aspire to escape the material realm through spiritual disciplines
3. Paul is urging monasticism — believers should withdraw from earthly concerns and spend their time in contemplative prayer
4. Setting minds on things above means prioritising church activities — the local assembly is the earthly manifestation of heavenly realities

8. What vices does Paul list in Colossians 3:5-9 that believers should 'put to death'?

1. 'Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry... You must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other'
2. Paul lists only communal sins — gossip, slander, and division are the specific vices he addresses, with no mention of individual or sexual sins
3. Paul lists only theological errors — false belief about Christ and the resurrection are the sins that must be mortified
4. Paul says no specific sins need to be named — all sin is addressed by walking in the Spirit, making individual sin-lists unnecessary

9. What virtues does Paul list in Colossians 3:12-14 that believers should 'put on'?

1. 'Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity'
2. Paul lists the armour of God as the virtues to put on — truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the Word, and prayer
3. Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit as the virtues to put on — love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
4. Paul says the only virtue needed is love — all other character qualities flow automatically from love and need not be individually cultivated

10. What does Colossians 3:15-17 say about the peace of Christ, the word of Christ, and thanksgiving?

1. 'Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him'
2. Paul says gratitude is optional — it is a natural response for mature believers but need not be cultivated deliberately
3. Paul says peace of Christ is a feeling — believers should cultivate emotional tranquillity through meditation and controlled breathing
4. The peace of Christ operates through the institutional church — only through official church gatherings does the peace of Christ function as a ruling principle

11. How does Colossians 3:18-4:1 address the household — husbands, wives, children, and slaves?

1. 'Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children... Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything... Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair'
2. Paul addresses only the relationship between husbands and wives — the instructions about children, slaves, and masters were added by a later editor
3. Paul's household code applies only to the wealthy — the instructions about slaves assume that all Colossian believers are slaveholders
4. Paul's household code is purely cultural — it has no theological grounding and should be read as mere social accommodation to Roman norms

12. What does Colossians 4:2-4 say about prayer and the proclamation of the gospel?

1. 'Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should'
2. Paul requests prayer for his own release from prison — his primary concern in this passage is his personal circumstances, not the proclamation of the gospel
3. Paul says prayer for mission is the responsibility of apostles only — ordinary believers should concentrate their prayers on personal needs and family welfare
4. Paul says prayer is a purely private discipline — its purpose is individual communion with God, with no connection to the public proclamation of the gospel

13. What does Colossians 4:5-6 say about relating to 'outsiders'?

1. 'Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone'
2. Paul says believers should avoid contact with outsiders — the world is spiritually dangerous and separation is the safest posture
3. Paul says outsiders should approach believers, not the reverse — the church's job is to maintain a holy space into which the world comes
4. Paul says the primary witness to outsiders is through the quality of corporate worship — when outsiders observe the gathered church, they will be converted by what they see

14. What does Colossians 1:24-29 say about Paul's ministry and 'filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions'?

1. 'Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness — the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations'
2. Paul claims to be adding to the atoning work of Christ — his sufferings supplement what Christ did not fully accomplish on the cross
3. Paul says his sufferings are a punishment for his past sins — he is paying the penalty for persecuting the church, and his suffering has now reached the required amount
4. Paul teaches that all Christian suffering is meaningless — only Christ's suffering has any value; Paul endures his own pain without any redemptive purpose

15. What does Colossians say about Epaphras, and what does this reveal about the letter's context?

1. 'Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis'
2. Epaphras was Paul's personal scribe — he wrote Colossians from Paul's dictation while Paul was too ill to write
3. Epaphras was the false teacher in Colossae — Paul is correcting his error by sending this letter to undo his influence
4. Epaphras was the first bishop of Colossae who had been elevated to the episcopate by the Jerusalem church

16. What does Colossians 1:9-12 reveal about what Paul prays for the Colossians?

1. 'For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might'
2. Paul prays for numerical church growth — he asks God to send many new converts to strengthen the Colossian community against the false teaching
3. Paul prays for the Colossians' physical protection — his primary concern is their safety in the face of imperial persecution
4. Paul's prayer is entirely doctrinal — he asks only that they understand correct theology, with no concern for their ethical formation

17. What does Colossians 2:9-10 say about the fullness of deity in Christ?

1. 'For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority'
2. 'God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the fullness of the righteousness of God'
3. 'The Father is greater than I — the fullness of deity belongs to the Father alone. Christ participates in divine fullness but is not himself the full expression of the Godhead'
4. 'The Spirit gives life to the body — in him you have the fullness of God's presence in your community worship, which is the bodily form in which God now chooses to dwell'

18. What does Colossians 3:11 declare about the social makeup of the new humanity in Christ?

1. 'Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all'
2. Paul declares that only ethnic distinctions are dissolved in Christ — economic and social distinctions (slave and free) remain because they reflect the created order
3. Paul declares that social distinctions must be maintained in the new humanity — different groups have different roles and responsibilities in the body of Christ
4. Paul says the new humanity is made up entirely of Jewish believers — Gentile converts must be fully integrated into Jewish customs to be members

19. Who are Luke and Mark in the closing greetings of Colossians 4, and what does Paul say about Mark?

1. 'Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings... My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him)'
2. Luke and Mark had abandoned Paul in prison — his mention of them is a call for the Colossians to intercede for their restoration
3. Luke and Mark were false teachers whom Paul was correcting — their mention in the closing is a warning to the Colossians to be on guard
4. Luke and Mark were financial supporters of Paul's mission — they are mentioned because their generosity funded the Colossian church planting

20. What is the theological significance of Colossians as a letter — why was it written and what does it contribute to the NT canon?

1. Colossians is primarily concerned with church governance — its instructions about the household code and prayer provide the foundation for early Christian institutional structure
2. Colossians is primarily ethical — its main contribution is the most detailed household code in the Pauline letters
3. Colossians is significant mainly because it identifies the specific false teachers by name — the historical information it provides about the Colossian heresy is its most important contribution
4. Colossians presents the most comprehensive affirmation of Christ's cosmic lordship in response to a specific threat of religious syncretism — the Christ hymn (1:15-20) and the fullness of deity declaration (2:9) provide the theological foundation against any system that supplements Christ with angelic powers, ascetic practices, or esoteric visions