Colossians 1

1Paul, an apostle^a of Christ Jesus by the will of God,^b and Timothy^c our brother,

²To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters^a in Christ:

Grace^d and peace to you from God our Father.^be

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³We always thank God,^f the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love^g you have for all God’s people^h—⁵the faith and love that spring from the hopeⁱ stored up for you in heaven^j and about which you have already heard in the true message^k of the gospel ⁶that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit^l and growing throughout the whole world^m—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. ⁷You learned it from Epaphras,ⁿ our dear fellow servant,^c who is a faithful minister^o of Christ on our^d behalf, ⁸and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.^p

⁹For this reason, since the day we heard about you,^q we have not stopped praying for you.^r We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will^s through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,^{et 10}so that you may live a life worthy^u of the Lord and please him^v in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,^{w 11}being strengthened with all power^x according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,^{y 12}and giving joyful thanks to the Father,^z who has qualified you^f to share in the inheritance^a of his holy people in the kingdom of light.^{b 13}For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness^c and brought us into the kingdom^d of the Son he loves,^{e 14}in whom we have redemption,^f the forgiveness of sins.^g

The Supremacy of the Son of God

¹⁵The Son is the image^h of the invisible God,ⁱ the firstborn^j over all creation. ¹⁶For in him all things were created:^k things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;^l all things have been created through him and for him.^{m 17}He is before all things,ⁿ and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸And he is the head^o of the body, the church;^p he is the beginning and the firstborn^q from among the dead,^r so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹For God was pleased^s to have all his fullness^t dwell in him, ²⁰and through him to reconcile^u to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,^v by making peace^w through his blood,^x shed on the cross.

²¹Once you were alienated from God and were enemies^y in your minds^z because of^g your evil behavior. ²²But now he has reconciled^a you by Christ’s physical body^b through death to present you^c holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation^d—²³if you continue^e in your faith, established^f and firm, and do not move from the hope^g held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,^h and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.ⁱ

Paul’s Labor for the Church

²⁴Now I rejoice^j in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions,^k for the sake of his body, which is the church.^{l 25}I have become its servant^m by the commission God gave meⁿ to present to you the word of God^o in its fullness—²⁶the mystery^p that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. ²⁷To them God has chosen to make known^q among the Gentiles the glorious riches^r of this mystery, which is Christ in you,^s the hope of glory.

²⁸He is the one we proclaim, admonishing^t and teaching everyone with all wisdom,^u so that we may present everyone fully mature^v in Christ. ²⁹To this end I strenuously^w contend^x with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.^y