Colossians 1
1
Salutation
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colos´sae:
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom
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: 7#Col 4.12; Phlm 23. as ye also learned of#1.7 of or from. Ep´aphras our dear fellow servant, 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,#1.10 unto all pleasing or unto all that is 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 long-suffering 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.
Reconciliation through Christ's Death
14 #
Eph 1.7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 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: 18#Eph 1.22,23. and 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 pre-eminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20#Eph 2.16. and, 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.
Paul's Ministry to the Church
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 unblamable and unreprovable 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 labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.
Colossians 1
1
Greeting
1Paul, #See 2 Cor. 1:1 an apostle of Christ Jesus #See 1 Cor. 1:1 by the will of God, and Timothy #See 1 Thess. 3:2our brother,
2To the #Eph. 1:1; See Phil. 1:1 saints and faithful brothers#1:2 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters in Christ at Colossae:
#
Rom. 1:7
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 #
Eph. 1:15, 16; Philem. 4 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4since we heard of #See 1 Thess. 1:3your faith in Christ Jesus and of #See 1 Thess. 1:3the love that you have for all the saints, 5because of #ver. 23; See Acts 23:6; Titus 1:2; Heb. 3:6 the hope #2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Pet. 1:4 laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in #See Eph. 1:13the word of the truth, the gospel, 6which has come to you, as indeed #[ver. 23; Ps. 98:3]; See Matt. 24:14 in the whole world it is #John 15:5, 16; [Phil. 1:11] bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you #[Rom. 16:26; Eph. 4:21] heard it and understood #See Acts 11:23the grace of God in truth, 7just as you learned it from #ch. 4:12; Philem. 23 Epaphras our beloved #ch. 4:7fellow servant.#1:7 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word sundoulos, see Preface He is #ch. 4:7a faithful minister of Christ on your#1:7 Some manuscripts our behalf 8and has made known to us your #[Rom. 15:30]love in the Spirit.
9And so, #ver. 4 from the day we heard, #2 Thess. 1:11 we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that #[Eph. 1:17] you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all #ch. 4:5; Eph. 1:8; [1 Cor. 12:8]spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so as #[Ps. 1:1, 3]; See Eph. 4:1 to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, #[2 Cor. 5:9; Eph. 5:10; 1 Thess. 4:1] fully pleasing to him: #ver. 6bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11#See Eph. 3:16 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for #Eph. 4:2 all endurance and patience #See Matt. 5:12with joy; 12#ch. 3:15; Eph. 5:20 giving thanks#1:12 Or patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you#1:12 Some manuscripts us to share in #See Acts 26:18the inheritance of the saints in light. 13He #1 Thess. 1:10 has delivered us from #Luke 22:53; Eph. 6:12 the domain of darkness and transferred us to #2 Pet. 1:11 the kingdom of #[Eph. 1:6]his beloved Son, 14#See Eph. 1:7in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Preeminence of Christ
15 # See 2 Cor. 4:4 He is the image of #See 1 Tim. 1:17 the invisible God, #[Ps. 89:27]; See Rom. 8:29the firstborn of all creation. 16For by#1:16 That is, by means of; or in him all things were created, #Eph. 1:10 in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether #[Ezek. 10:1] thrones or #Eph. 1:21 dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created #Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 8:6through him and for him. 17And #[John 8:58]; See John 1:1 he is before all things, and in him all things #[Heb. 1:3]hold together. 18And #See Eph. 1:22, 23 he is the head of the body, the church. He is #Rev. 3:14 the beginning, #Acts 26:23; 1 Cor. 15:20; Rev. 1:5the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For #ch. 2:9 in him all the #See John 1:16fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and #See 2 Cor. 5:18; Eph. 1:10 through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, #See Eph. 2:14 making peace #[Eph. 2:13]by the blood of his cross.
21 # See Eph. 2:1, 2, 12 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, #[Titus 1:16]doing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled #[Rom. 7:4] in his body of flesh by his death, #Jude 24; See Eph. 1:4; 5:27 in order to present you holy and blameless and #1 Cor. 1:8above reproach before him, 23#See John 15:4 if indeed you continue in the faith, #ch. 2:7; Eph. 3:17 stable and steadfast, not shifting from #ver. 5, 6 the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed #Mark 16:15; [Acts 2:5] in all creation#1:23 Or to every creature under heaven, #See 2 Cor. 3:6and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Paul’s Ministry to the Church
24Now #See 2 Cor. 7:4 I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh #[2 Tim. 1:8; 2:10] I am filling up #See 2 Cor. 1:5 what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions #[Eph. 4:12]for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25#ver. 23 of which I became a minister according to #See Eph. 3:2the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26#Eph. 3:9; See Rom. 16:25, 26the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27#[ch. 2:2] To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are #Eph. 1:18; 3:16 the riches of the glory of #[See ver. 26 above] this mystery, which is Christ in you, #1 Tim. 1:1the hope of glory. 28Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that #See ver. 22, 23 we may present everyone #See Matt. 5:48mature in Christ. 29For this #1 Cor. 15:10; 1 Tim. 4:10 I toil, #ch. 4:12; [ch. 2:1] struggling #See Eph. 1:19with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
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