Includes bibliographical references (p. 3-24) and indexes.

Introduction to Colossians -- To whom was Colossians written? : Colossae and the Colossians -- Who wrote the letter? : authorship -- When was the letter written? : date and place of writing -- Why was Colossians written? : the false teaching -- What is Colossians teaching? : the theology of the letter -- Christ -- Cosmology and the powers -- The church -- The Gospel -- Eschatology -- The Christian life -- Commentary on Colossians -- The letter opening : "just as you have received Christ Jesus as lord ..." (1:1; 2:5) -- Prescript (1:1-2) -- The powerful Gospel of God's son (1:3-23) -- The evidence of the Gospel's power among the Colossians (Thanksgiving and prayer) (1:3-14) -- The heart of the Gospel : the supremacy of Christ in creation and redemption (1:15-20) -- The hope held out in the Gospel (1:21-23) -- The mystery of Christ in Paul's ministry and Christian experience (1:24-2:5) -- The letter body : "... continue to live your lives in Him" (2:6-4:6) -- The heart of the matter : remaining centered on Christ (2:6-7) -- The threat to christocentric living : warning about false teachers (2:8-23) -- Spiritual fullness in christ (2:8-15) -- The empty promise of the false teaching (2:16-23) -- Living a christocentric life (3:1-4:1) -- Heavenly thinking (3:1-4) -- Putting off the practices of the "old self" (3:5-11) -- Putting on the practices of the "new self" (3:12-17) -- The Lordship of Christ in earthly relationships (3:18-4:1) -- Exhortation to prayer and Christian witness (4:2-6) -- The letter closing, greetings, plans, and instructions (4:7-18) -- The letter to Philemon -- Introduction to Philemon -- A basic profile : author, recipient, nature, and place of writing -- The situation behind the letter -- The purpose and significance of the letter -- Commentary on Philemon -- The letter opening (vv. 1-3) -- Thanksgiving : the "fellowship of faith" (vv. 4-7) -- The letter body : Paul's appeal concerning onesimus (vv. 8-20) -- The letter closing (vv. 21-25)