Colossians 1

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colosse: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:2 Rom 1:7. Colosse was a small unimportant town about 160 kilometers east of Ephesus in the land now known as Turkey. It was near Laodicea.⚜

Prayer and thanksgiving for the believers there

3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints,

1:3-4 Compare Rom 1:8; Eph 1:15-16.⚜

5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven. You heard of this hope previously in the message of the truth of the gospel 6 which has come to you, as it has to all the world and brings forth fruit, as it does in you also since the day you heard it and truly knew the grace of God; 7 since indeed you learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow worker who is a faithful servant of Christ for you. 8 Also he has told us of your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason we too, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in complete wisdom and spiritual understanding,

The aim of his prayer

10 so that you might behave in a manner worthy of the Lord and please Him in everything, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, so that you may have complete endurance and patience together with joy, 12 and go on giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

The high position believers have in Christ

13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son,

1:13 Here are two very different kingdoms. Every person is in one or the other.⚜

14 in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Christ’s preeminence

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, 16 for by him all things were created, things that are in heaven, and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers – all things were created by him, and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church, and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in everything he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell in him,

1:19 All the fullness of God was in the man Christ Jesus – Col 2:9; John 1:1, 14.⚜

20 and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself; by him, I say, whether things on earth, or things in heaven.

The previous condition of believers and their present condition

21 You also were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked deeds, but now he has reconciled you 22 in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in his sight,

1:22 Verse 20; Eph 2:16-18.⚜

23 if you continue in the faith established and firm and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, which has been preached to every creature which is under heaven, of which I Paul have been made a servant.

The troubles Paul experienced for the sake of Christ’s Church

24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have been made a servant of this church, in accordance with the position of overseer that God has given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God, 26 the mystery kept hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God desired to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

28 We preach him, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ Jesus.

1:28 Compare Acts 20:20-24.⚜

29 Indeed for this purpose I labour, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.

1:29 To Paul Eph 3:20 was not mere theory. Observe that though God’s power was working in Paul this did not mean easy activity for him. Quite the opposite – it meant great labour and struggle (the same Greek word is used in Col 4:12; Luke 13:24; 1 Cor 9:25).⚜