Greeting
1 Paul,an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saintsand faithful brethren in Christwhoarein Colosse:
# Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Their Faith in Christ
3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and ofyour love for all the saints;
5 because of the hopewhich is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,
6 which has come to you,asithasalso in all the world, andis bringing forth fruit, asitisalso among you since the day you heard and knewthe grace of God in truth;
7 as you also learned fromEpaphras, our dear fellow servant, who isa faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,
8 who also declared to us yourlove in the Spirit.
Preeminence of Christ
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to askthat you may be filled withthe knowledge of His willin all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord,fully pleasingHim,being fruitful in every good work and increasing in theknowledge of God;
11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power,for all patience and longsufferingwith joy;
12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers ofthe inheritance of the saints in the light.
13 He has delivered us fromthe power of darknessand conveyedusinto the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He isthe image of the invisible God,the firstborn over all creation.
16 Forby Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones ordominions or principalities or powers. All things were createdthrough Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Himall things consist.
18 AndHe is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning,the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Reconciled in Christ
19 For it pleasedtheFatherthatin Him all the fullness should dwell,
20 andby Him to reconcileall things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven,having made peace through the blood of His cross.
21 And you,who once were alienated and enemies in your mindby wicked works, yet now He hasreconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death,to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—
23 if indeed you continuein the faith, grounded and steadfast, and arenot moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard,which was preached to every creature under heaven,of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Sacrificial Service for Christ
24 I now rejoice in my sufferingsfor you, and fill up in my fleshwhat is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, forthe sake of His body, which is the church,
25 of which I became a minister according tothe stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations,but now has been revealed to His saints.
27 To them God willed to make known what arethe riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which isChrist in you,the hope of glory.
28 Him we preach,warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom,that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
29 To thisendI also labor, striving according to His working which works in memightily.