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The greeting is typical of the greetings found in Paul’s letters. Paul announces himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God”. He does this, or something similar, in many of his letters. It is not done to “big himself up”, but for a purpose. It is unlikely (but not impossible) that Paul founded the church in Colossae, or at least there is no record of this in Acts. They were a church that seemed to exist in a sea of many ideas and philosophies. So he is telling them his position so that they would listen to the truth. What Paul was saying was not just one set of ideas among many, but was the word of God. We tend to be reluctant to assume authority, and there is good reason for this as there are many who go in for self-aggrandisement. However, it is also wrong to not use the authority that God gives to us, as long as it is used in the proper way. Timothy, as is often the case, gets mentioned in the greetings. Timothy had a special place in Paul’s heart. He was also sent to various places to do God’s work, and Paul wants to make sure that the churches take Timothy seriously. It is also worth noting that Paul and Timothy had very different personalities, yet Paul had a special affection for him, and greatly valued him.
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