Colossians 1

1 Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy, a brother,2 to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ Jesus who are at Colossae.3 Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for you always.4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love that you have toward all the saints,5 because of the hope that has been stored up for you in heaven, which you have heard through the Word of Truth in the Gospel.6 This has reached you, just as it is present in the whole world, where it grows and bears fruit, as it has also done in you, since the day when you first heard and knew the grace of God in truth,7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our most beloved fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ Jesus.8 And he has also manifested to us your love in the Spirit.9 Then, too, from the day when we first heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and requesting that you be filled with the knowledge of his will, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding,10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of God, being pleasing in all things, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God,11 being strengthened in every virtue, in accord with the power of his glory, with all patience and longsuffering, with joy,12 giving thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy to have a share in the portion of the saints, in the light.13 For he has rescued us from the power of darkness, and he has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,14 in whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins.15 He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature.16 For in him was created everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. All things were created through him and in him.17 And he is before all, and in him all things continue.18 And he is the head of his body, the Church. He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that in all things he may hold primacy.19 For the Father is well-pleased that all fullness reside in him,20 and that, through him, all things be reconciled to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, for the things that are on earth, as well as the things that are in heaven.21 And you, though you had been, in times past, understood to be foreigners and enemies, with works of evil,22 yet now he has reconciled you, by his body of flesh, through death, so as to offer you, holy and immaculate and blameless, before him.23 So then, continue in the faith: well-founded and steadfast and immovable, by the hope of the Gospel that you have heard, which has been preached throughout all creation under heaven, the Gospel of which I, Paul, have become a minister.24 For now I rejoice in my passion on your behalf, and I complete in my flesh the things that are lacking in the Passion of Christ, for the sake of his body, which is the Church.25 For I have become a minister of the Church, according to the dispensation of God that has been given to me among you, so that I may fulfill the Word of God,26 the mystery which had remained hidden to past ages and generations, but which now is manifested to his saints.27 To them, God willed to made known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ and the hope of his glory within you.28 We are announcing him, correcting every man and teaching every man, with all wisdom, so that we may offer every man perfect in Christ Jesus.29 In him, too, I labor, striving according to his action within me, which he works in virtue.

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.