13 He has rescuedt us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdomu of the Sonv he loves.w 14 In him we have redemption,F the forgiveness of sins.

THE CENTRALITY OF CHRIST

15 He is the image of the invisible God,x

the firstborn over all creation.y

16 For everything was created by him,z

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.aa

17 He is before all things,ab

and by him all thingsac hold together.

18 He is also the head of the body, the church;

he is the beginning,ad

the firstborn from the dead,ae

so that he might come to have

first place in everything.

19 For God was pleased to have

all his fullnessaf dwell in him,ag

20 and through him to reconcile

everything to himself,

whether things on earth or things in heaven,

by making peaceah

through his blood,ai shed on the cross.G,aj

21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death,ak to present you holy, faultless,al and blameless before himam—23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faithan and are not shifted away from the hopeao of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creationap under heaven,aq and I, Paul,ar have become a servant of it.

PAUL’S MINISTRY

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferingsas for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body,at that is, the church. 25 I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christa in you, the hopeb of glory. 28 We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, strivingc with his strength that works powerfully in me.d