Colossians 1
1
1This letter comes from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the will of God, and from our brother Timothy. 2To the believers and trusting Christians at Colossae: May you have grace and peace from God our Father. 3We are always thankful to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for you, and pray for you. 4We've heard about your trust in Christ Jesus and your love for all the believers 5because of the hope prepared for you in heaven. You already heard about this in the good news, the message of truth 6that came to you just as it has gone throughout the whole world, spreading widely and bringing results. It's done the same for you too, ever since you heard it and realized the true nature of God's grace. 7Our dear friend and fellow-worker Epaphras, who is a trustworthy minister of Christ on our behalf, taught you about this. 8He's also made clear to us your love in the Spirit.
9Because of this we haven't stopped praying for you from the time we heard about you, asking God to give you understanding of what he wants you to do and to give you every kind of spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10That way you'll live lives that rightly represent the Lord and please him, producing all kinds of good results and gaining greater knowledge of God. 11May you be made powerfully strong by his wonderful strength, having great patience and endurance. 12May you happily praise the Father, who has made it possible for us to share in the inheritance of God's people who live in the light. 13He rescued us from the tyranny of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14through whom we have been set free and our sins forgiven.
15The Son is the visible image of the invisible God. He was before#1:15. Literally, “first-born,” denoting position rather than timing of birth. all creation, 16for everything was created through him—in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, empires, rulers, leaders and authorities—everything was created through him and for him. 17He existed before everything, and he holds everything together. 18He is also the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, having the highest position#1:18 Literally, “first-born,” as in verse 15, showing that even though Jesus was not the first person ever to be resurrected, he held the highest position of any. of those raised from the dead, so that he is supreme in everything. 19God was pleased to have his full nature live in him, 20and through him brought back everything in the universe to himself, since he made peace through the blood of his cross, through him reconciling all those on the earth and in heaven.#1:20. The “he/him” can be confusing here. Supplying the actual nouns may help, though it makes for a clumsy translation: “God was pleased to have God's full nature live in Christ, and through Christ brought back everything in the universe to himself (God), since Christ made peace through the blood of Christ's cross, through Christ reconciling all those on the earth and in heaven.” 21You once were alienated from God, enemies in the way you thought and the way you acted, 22but now he has reconciled you through his dying human body, bringing you into his presence where you stand holy, pure, and faultless. 23But your trust in him must continue rock-solid and immovable. Don't be shaken from the hope of the good news that you heard, the good news that's been shared throughout the world—that's the work that I Paul have been doing.
24I'm happy to have trouble for your sake, for by means of what happens to me physically I'm part of Christ's sufferings that he continues to experience for the sake of his body, the church. 25I serve the church following the direction God gave me about you, to present fully the word of God to you. 26This is the mystery that was hidden down through the ages and for many generations, but it's now been revealed to God's people. 27God wanted to make known to them the glorious wealth of this mystery to the nations:#1:27. Or “Gentiles.” Christ living in you is the glorious hope! 28We're telling everyone about him, instructing and teaching them in the best way we know how so that we can bring everyone before God fully mature in Christ. 29That's what I'm working for too, making every effort as I rely on his strength which is powerfully at work in me.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Colossians 1
1
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, 2to 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.
3We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 5for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 6which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: 7as ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; 8who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
The Supremacy of Christ
15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; 24who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: 25whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27to 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: 28whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
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