COLOSENSES 1

Introducción (1,1-14)

Saludo

1 Pablo, apóstol de Jesucristo por designio de Dios, y el hermano Timoteo,t

2 a los creyentes* de Colosas, hermanos fieles en Cristo. Que Dios, nuestro Padret, les conceda gracia y paz.

Acción de gracias

8 Él fue también quien nos contó cómo se aman en el Espíritu.

Oración por la iglesia de Colosas

14 del que nos viene la liberación y el perdón de los pecados.t

I.— EL MISTERIO SALVADOR DE CRISTO (1,15—2,5)

Presencia de Cristo en la creación y en la redención

15 Cristo* es la imagen del Dios invisible,
el primogénitot de todo lo creado.t

16 Dios ha creado en él todas las cosas:
todo lo que existe en el cielo y en la tierra,
lo visible y lo invisible,
sean tronos, dominaciones,
principados o potestadest,
todo lo ha creado Dios
por Cristo y para Cristo.

17 Cristo existía antes que hubiera cosa alguna,
y todo tiene en él su consistencia.t

18 Él es también la cabeza
del cuerpo que es la Iglesia;
en él comienza todo;
él es el primogénito
de los que han de resucitar,
teniendo así la primacía de todas las cosas.t

19 Dios, en efecto, tuvo a bien
hacer habitar en Cristo la plenitudt

20 y por medio de él reconciliar
consigo todos los seres:
los que están en la tierra
y los que están en el cielo,
realizando así la paz
mediante la muerte de Cristo en la cruz.t

Reconciliados con Dios

23 Es necesario, sin embargo, que permanezcan sólidamente firmes e inconmovibles en la fe y que no traicionen la esperanza contenida en el mensaje evangélico que escucharon y que ha sido proclamado a todas las criaturas que se encuentran bajo el cielo, y del que yo, Pablo, me he convertido en servidort.t

Pablo y su papel en la Iglesia

27 dándoles a conocer la gloria y la riqueza que este plan encierra para los paganos. Me refiero a Cristo, que vive en ustedest y es la esperanza de la gloria.t
28 A este Cristo anunciamos*, corrigiendo y enseñando a todos con el mayor empeñot para que todos alcancen la plena madurez en su vida cristiana.t 29 Esta es la tarea por la que me afano y lucho con denuedo, apoyado en la fuerza de Cristo que actúa poderosamente en mí.t

Colossians 1

Salutation

1 From Paul,t an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 to the saints, the faithfult brothers and sisterst in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to yout from God our Father!s

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

3 We alwayst give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,4 sincet we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.5 Your faith and love have arisent from the hope laid upt for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospelt6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospelt is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growingt among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.7 You learned the gospelt from Epaphras, our dear fellow slavet – at faithful minister of Christ on ours behalf –

8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you,t have not ceased praying for you and asking Godt to fillt you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,10 so that you may livet worthily of the Lord and please him in all respectst – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display oft all patience and steadfastness, joyfully12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to sharet in the saints’t inheritance in the light.13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves,t

14 in whom we have redemption,s the forgiveness of sins.

The Supremacy of Christ

15 s He is the image of the invisible God, the firstbornt over all creation,t

16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions,t whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.

17 He himself is before all things and all things are held togethert in him.

18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstbornt from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.t

19 For Godt was pleased to have all hist fullness dwellt in the Sont

20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross – through him,s whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Paul’s Goal in Ministry

21 And you were at one time strangers and enemies in yourt mindst as expressed throught your evil deeds,22 but now he has reconciled youst by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him –

23 if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm,t without shiftingt from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.25 I became a servant of the church according to the stewardshipt from God – given to me for you – in order to completet the word of God,26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints.27 God wanted to make known to them the glorioust riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.28 We proclaim him by instructingt and teachingt all peoplet with all wisdom so that we may present every person maturet in Christ.

29 Toward this goalt I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfullyt works in me.