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, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, # 1Co 1:1; 2Co 1:1; Eph 1:1; 2Tm 1:1 and Timothy # Ac 16:1; 1Tm 1:2 our # Lit the brother:
2To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father. # Other mss add and the Lord Jesus Christ
Thanksgiving
3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the message of truth, # Ps 119:142; Jn 14:6; 2Co 11:10; Eph 1:13; 2Tm 2:15; 3Jn 3 the gospel 6that has come to you. It is bearing fruit # Mk 4:8 and growing all over the world, # Mt 13:38; 24:14; Rm 3:6; 2Pt 2:20 just as it has among you since the day you heard it and recognized God’s grace # 2Pt 3:18 in the truth. # Or and truly recognized God’s grace # 2Th 2:10 7You learned this from Epaphras, # Col 4:12; Phm 23 our dearly loved fellow slave. He is a faithful servant of the Messiah # Mt 1:17; Eph 5:2 on your # Other mss read our behalf, 8and he has told us about your love in the Spirit. # Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rm 8:9; Ti 3:5; Rv 1:10; 3:22
Prayer for Spiritual Growth
9For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking # Jn 14:13; Jms 1:5 that you may be filled with the knowledge # Pr 2:6; Col 3:10 of His will # Eph 1:9 in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, # Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding 10so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work # 2Co 9:8; Gl 3:10 and growing in the knowledge of God. # Pr 2:6; Jn 17:3; 2Pt 1:2; 1Jn 4:8 11May you be strengthened # Php 4:13 with all power, # Ac 4:33; 2Co 13:4 according to His glorious # Lk 9:32; Jn 17:24; 2Co 3:18; 2Pt 3:18 might, for all endurance and patience, with joy 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you # Other mss read us to share in the saints’ # Or holy ones’ inheritance in the light. # Ps 36:9; Jn 12:46 13He has rescued # Mt 27:43 us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom # Mt 3:2; Mk 1:15; Ac 20:25 of the Son # Jn 5:19; Heb 1:2 He loves. # Mt 3:17; Jn 3:16; 15:10; 17:26; 1Jn 4:16 14We have redemption, # Other mss add through His blood the forgiveness of sins, in Him.
The Centrality of Christ
15He is the image of the invisible God, # Php 2:6
the firstborn over all creation. # The One who is preeminent over all creation # Jn 1:3; Rv 3:14
16For everything was created by Him, # Gn 1:1; Mk 13:19
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities —
all things have been created through Him and for Him. # Jn 1:3; Rm 11:36; 1Co 8:6; Eph 1:10,21
17He is before all things, # Jn 1:1-2; 8:58; Heb 1:2-3
and by Him all things # Ps 104:24 hold together.
18He is also the head of the body, the church;
He is the beginning, # Gn 1:1; Mk 1:1; Jn 1:1; Ac 26:4
the firstborn from the dead, # Ac 26:23; 1Co 15:20,23; Rv 1:5
so that He might come to have
first place in everything.
19For God was pleased to have
all His fullness # Ps 72:19; Is 6:3; Jr 23:24; Ezk 43:5; 44:4; Jn 1:14,16; Eph 3:19; Php 2:6; Col 2:9 dwell in Him, # Dt 12:5
20and through Him to reconcile
everything to Himself
by making peace # Ac 7:26; Eph 2:14
through the blood # Heb 9:12 of His cross # Other mss add through Him # Lk 9:23; 23:26 —
whether things on earth or things in heaven.
21Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions. 22But now He has reconciled you by His physical body # His body of flesh on the cross through His death, # Php 2:8 to present you holy, faultless, # Jd 24 and blameless before Him # 2Co 4:14 — 23if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith # Gl 2:16; Jd 3 and are not shifted away from the hope # 1Th 1:3 of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation # Rv 3:14 under heaven, # Rm 10:18; Eph 6:9 and I, Paul, # Ac 13:9 have become a servant of it.
Paul’s Ministry
24Now I rejoice in my sufferings # 2Co 1:4; Php 1:29; 3:10 for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body, # Eph 4:4 that is, the church. 25I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known, 26the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. 27God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ # Col 2:2 in you, the hope # 1Th 1:3 of glory. 28We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29I labor for this, striving # Jd 3 with His strength that works powerfully in me. # 1Co 15:10
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