Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians in prison where Epaphras had told him about the church which Paul had never visited. He writes them of the "faith and love [they have] that spring up from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven" (Col 1:5). He cites that they had heard the gospel "and understood God's grace in all its truth" (:6). They had heard it in "all" its truth and were not verging on backsliding. He prayed that they would receive "all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (:9). Commentators say that a letter contains certain ideas or themes that possess a flow of thought filling the content contextually so as to present an argument in a logical way. Some might say that his only purpose was to counter the false teaching that was threatening the church. But he was not just addressing questions as with the Corinthians saying, "Now about food sacrificed to idols" (1Co 8:1). Creation and redemption are the two main themes of the Bible and Paul focused on them to build up the Colossians. It would be important to be "strengthened with all power . . . for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience" (Col 1:11). He knew they would accept and approve what was presented and therefore receive any instruction regarding their situation. He proceeds saying, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (Col 1:15). Some would say Paul is applying certain less-used words such as "firstborn" and "fullness" which the Gnostics also utilized that would refute their doctrine by defining them in the correct way.
Paul begins by changing direction somewhat from explaining the kingdom of Christ to a poetic description of the nature of the kingdom in Colossians 1:15-20. Many see this as a lyrical and linguistic change from incorporating a church hymn which Christians would have been familiar with. It also seems likely to some that Paul would have inserted his own theology into the hymn at certain points. One of the main arguments of this epistle is the deity of Christ. Paul says, "He is the image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15) which focuses on his relationship with the Father. The word "image" in Greek is 'eikon', and at first glance, it means that he reflects God as a representative and exactly symbolizes him. The same word is used in that "God created man in his own image" (Ge 1:27). The gospel is "the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2Co 4:4). On a deeper level, being an image means that Christ manifests the actual presence of the Father. Hebrews uses the Greek term 'charakter' as "the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature" (Heb 1:3). This must be comprehended at the spiritual level, and because he is "the invisible God" (Col 1:15), it requires Jesus who "made him known" (Jn 1:18). It is possible because he is "God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side" (:18). Jesus asked Philip, "'Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father'" (Jn 14:9) even though "no one has ever seen God" (1:18). "Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Ro 1:20). We know that Jesus "existed in the form of God" (Php 2:6) but then took human form "being made in the likeness of men" (:7). He prayed, "'Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was'" (Jn 17:5). In our case we are to "put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him" (Col 3:10). This is at the spiritual level. "'God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart'" (1Sa 16:7). Paul prayed "that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling" (Eph 1:18). We are to be "conformed to the image of His Son" (Ro 8:29) and "transformed into the same image from glory to glory" (1Co 3:18).