Colossians 2–4

2For I want you to know how great a struggle ^jI have for you, for those in Laodicea, ^kand for all who have not seen me in person. ²I want their hearts to be encouraged ^land joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery ^m—Christ. ^no3All the treasures of wisdom ^pand knowledge ^qare hidden in Him.

Christ versus the Colossian Heresy

⁴I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments. ⁵For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, ^rrejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.

⁶Therefore, as you have received ^sChrist Jesus the Lord, ^twalk in Him, ⁷rooted and built up in Him ^uand established in the faith, just as you were taught, ^voverflowing with gratitude.

⁸Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, ^wbased on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ. ^x9For the entire fullness ^yof God’s nature ^zdwells bodily ^ain Christ, ¹⁰and you have been filled by Him, who is the head ^bover every ruler and authority. ¹¹You were also circumcised in Him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, ^cin the circumcision of the Messiah. ^de12Having been buried with Him ^fin baptism, you were also raised with Him ^gthrough faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. ^h13And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses. ¹⁴He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. ⁱ¹⁵He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him. ^jk

¹⁶Therefore, don’t let anyone judge ^lyou in regard to food and drink ^mor in the matter of a festival or a new moon ⁿor a Sabbath day. ^o17These are a shadow ^pof what was to come; ^qthe substance is ^rthe Messiah. ^s18Let no one disqualify you, ^tuinsisting on ascetic practices ^vand the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm and inflated ^wwithout cause by his unspiritual ^xmind. ¹⁹He doesn’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, ^ynourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, develops with growth from God.

²⁰If you died with the Messiah ^zto the elemental forces of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: ²¹“Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? ²²All these regulations refer to what is destroyed by being used up; they are commands and doctrines of men. ²³Although these have a reputation of wisdom ^aby promoting ascetic practices, humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence. ^bc

The Life of the New Man

3So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. ^d2Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. ^e3For you have died, ^fand your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. ⁴When the Messiah, who is your ^glife, is revealed, ^hthen you also will be revealed with Him in glory. ⁱ

⁵Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: ^jsexual immorality, impurity, ^klust, ^levil desire, and greed, ^mwhich is idolatry. ⁿ⁶Because of these, God’s wrath ^ocomes on the disobedient, ^p7and you once walked in these things when you were living ^qin them. ⁸But now you must also put away ^rall the following: anger, ^swrath, ^tmalice, ^uslander, ^vand filthy language from your mouth. ^w9Do not lie ^xto one another, since you have put off ^ythe old self ^zawith its practices ¹⁰and have put on ^bthe new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your ^cCreator. ^d11In Christ ^ethere is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, ^fslave and free; but Christ is all and in all. ^g

The Christian Life

¹²Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, ^hput on heartfelt compassion, kindness, ⁱhumility, ^jgentleness, ^kand patience, ^l13accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. ^m14Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity. ¹⁵And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called ⁿin one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. ¹⁶Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name ^oof the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Christ in Your Home

¹⁸Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ^p

¹⁹Husbands, ^qlove your wives ^rand don’t be bitter ^stoward them.

²⁰Children, ^tobey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

²¹Fathers, ^udo not exasperate ^vyour children, so they won’t become discouraged.

²²Slaves, obey your human ^wmasters in everything. Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. ^x

²³Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, ^yas something done for the Lord and not for men, ^z24knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. ²⁵For the wrongdoer ^awill be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism.

4Masters, ^bsupply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you too have a Master in heaven.

Speaking to God and Others

²Devote yourselves ^cto prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. ³At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door ^dto us for the message, to speak the mystery of the Messiah, ^efor which I am in prison, ^f4so that I may reveal it as I am required to speak. ⁵Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. ^g6Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, ^hso that you may know how you should answer each person. ⁱ

Christian Greetings

⁷Tychicus, ^jour dearly loved brother, faithful ^kservant, and fellow slave in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. ⁸I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are ^land so that he may encourage ^myour hearts. ⁿ⁹He is with Onesimus, ^oa faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

¹⁰Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, as does Mark, ^pBarnabas’s ^qcousin (concerning whom you have received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), ¹¹and so does Jesus who is called Justus. These alone of the circumcision are my coworkers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. ¹²Epaphras, ^rwho is one of you, a slave of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always contending ^sfor you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured ^tin everything God wills. ^u13For I testify about him that he works hard ^vwfor you, for those in Laodicea, ^xand for those in Hierapolis. ¹⁴Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas ^ygreet you. ¹⁵Give my greetings to the brothers in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her home. ^z16When this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. ¹⁷And tell Archippus, ^a“Pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it.” ^b

¹⁸This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. Remember my imprisonment. ^cGrace be with you. ^de