3You have been raised up with Christ. So think about things that are in heaven. That is where Christ is. He is sitting at God’s right hand. ²Think about things that are in heaven. Don’t think about things that are on earth.

³You died. Now your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴Christ is your life. When he appears again, you also will appear with him in heaven’s glory.

⁵So put to death anything that belongs to your earthly nature. Get rid of your sexual sins and unclean acts. Don’t let your feelings get out of control. Remove from your life all evil longings. Stop always wanting more and more. You might as well be worshiping statues of gods. ⁶God’s anger is going to come because of those things. ⁷That’s the way you lived at one time in your life.

⁸But now here are the kinds of things you must get rid of. You must put away anger, rage, hate and lies. Let no dirty words come out of your mouths. ⁹Don’t lie to each other.

You have gotten rid of your old way of life and its habits. ¹⁰You have started living a new life. It is being made new so that what you know has the Creator’s likeness.

¹¹Here there is no Greek or Jew. There is no difference between those who are circumcised and those who are not. There is no rude outsider, or even a Scythian. There is no slave or free person. But Christ is everything. And he is in everything.

¹²You are God’s chosen people. You are holy and dearly loved. So put on tender mercy and kindness as if they were your clothes. Don’t be proud. Be gentle and patient. ¹³Put up with each other. Forgive the things you are holding against one another. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you.

¹⁴And over all of those good things put on love. Love holds them all together perfectly as if they were one.

¹⁵Let the peace that Christ gives rule in your hearts. As parts of one body, you were appointed to live in peace. And be thankful.

¹⁶Let Christ’s word live in you like a rich treasure. Teach and correct each other wisely. Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing with thanks in your hearts to God. ¹⁷Do everything you say or do in the name of the Lord Jesus. Always give thanks to God the Father through Christ.

Rules for Christian Families

¹⁸Wives, follow the lead of your husbands. That’s what the Lord wants you to do.

¹⁹Husbands, love your wives. Don’t be mean to them.

²⁰Children, obey your parents in everything. That pleases the Lord.

²¹Fathers, don’t make your children bitter. If you do, they will lose hope.

²²Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything. Don’t do it just to please them when they are watching you. Obey them with an honest heart. Do it out of respect for the Lord.

²³Work at everything you do with all your heart. Work as if you were working for the Lord, not for human masters. ²⁴Work because you know that you will finally receive as a reward what the Lord wants you to have. You are serving the Lord Christ.

²⁵Anyone who does wrong will be paid back for what he does. God treats everyone the same.

4Masters, give your slaves what is right and fair. Do it because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

More Directions

²Spend a lot of time in prayer. Always be watchful and thankful.

³Pray for us too. Pray that God will open a door for our message. Then we can preach the mystery of Christ. Because I preached it, I am being held by chains. ⁴Pray that I will preach it clearly, as I should.

⁵Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders. Make the most of every opportunity. ⁶Let the words you speak always be full of grace. Season them with salt. Then you will know how to answer everyone.

Final Greetings

⁷Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother. He is a faithful worker. He serves the Lord together with us. ⁸I am sending him to you for one reason. I want you to know what is happening here. I want him to cheer you up and make your hearts strong.

⁹He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother. He is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

¹⁰Aristarchus is in prison with me. He sends you his greetings. So does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have been given directions about him. If he comes to you, welcome him. ¹¹Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. They are the only Jews who work together with me for God’s kingdom. They have been a comfort to me.

¹²Epaphras sends greetings. He is one of you. He serves Christ Jesus. He is always praying hard for you. He prays that you will stand firm in holding to all that God has in mind for us. He prays that you will continue to grow in your knowledge of what God wants you to do. He also prays that you will be completely sure about it. ¹³I am happy to tell you that he is working very hard for you. He is also working hard for everyone in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

¹⁴Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, sends greetings. So does Demas.

¹⁵Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea. Also give my greetings to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.

¹⁶After this letter has been read to you, send it on. Be sure that it is also read to the church in Laodicea. And be sure that you read the letter from Laodicea.

¹⁷Tell Archippus, “Be sure that you complete the work the Lord gave you to do.”

¹⁸I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. Remember that I am being held by chains. May grace be with you.

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