The Letter to the Colossians

The Letter to the Colossians presents a powerful vision of the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ as the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation. It emphasizes that in Him all the fullness of the deity dwells in bodily form and that He is the head of the body, the Church. We are reminded that we have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the beloved Son. This book teaches us that we find our true identity and completion in Christ alone.

The narrative contains instructions on the importance of setting our minds on the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. We are encouraged to put on the new self and to live a life of compassion and gratitude within our families and our communities. Paul stresses the importance of allowing the word of Christ to dwell in us richly and to do everything in the name of the Lord. The Letter to the Colossians invites us to walk in a manner worthy of the Savior and to be rooted and built up in Him.

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Chapters

1 2 3 4

Chapter 1

¹Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy, a brother, ? ²to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ Jesus who are at Colossae. ? ³Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for you always. ? ⁴For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love that you have toward all the saints, ? ⁵because of the hope that has been stored up for you in heaven, which you have heard through the Word of Truth in the Gospel. ? ⁶This has reached you, just as it is present in the whole world, where it grows and bears fruit, as it has also done in you, since the day when you first heard and knew the grace of God in truth, ? ⁷just as you learned it from Epaphras, our most beloved fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ Jesus. ? ⁸And he has also manifested to us your love in the Spirit. ? ⁹Then, too, from the day when we first heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and requesting that you be filled with the knowledge of his will, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding, ? ¹⁰so that you may walk in a manner worthy of God, being pleasing in all things, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, ? ¹¹being strengthened in every virtue, in accord with the power of his glory, with all patience and longsuffering, with joy, ? ¹²giving thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy to have a share in the portion of the saints, in the light. ? ¹³For he has rescued us from the power of darkness, and he has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, ? ¹⁴in whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins. ? ¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature. ? ¹⁶For in him was created everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. All things were created through him and in him. ? ¹⁷And he is before all, and in him all things continue. ? ¹⁸And he is the head of his body, the Church. He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that in all things he may hold primacy. ? ¹⁹For the Father is well-pleased that all fullness reside in him, ? ²⁰and that, through him, all things be reconciled to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, for the things that are on earth, as well as the things that are in heaven. ? ²¹And you, though you had been, in times past, understood to be foreigners and enemies, with works of evil, ? ²²yet now he has reconciled you, by his body of flesh, through death, so as to offer you, holy and immaculate and blameless, before him. ? ²³So then, continue in the faith: well-founded and steadfast and immovable, by the hope of the Gospel that you have heard, which has been preached throughout all creation under heaven, the Gospel of which I, Paul, have become a minister. ? ²⁴For now I rejoice in my passion on your behalf, and I complete in my flesh the things that are lacking in the Passion of Christ, for the sake of his body, which is the Church. ? ²⁵For I have become a minister of the Church, according to the dispensation of God that has been given to me among you, so that I may fulfill the Word of God, ? ²⁶the mystery which had remained hidden to past ages and generations, but which now is manifested to his saints. ? ²⁷To them, God willed to made known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ and the hope of his glory within you. ? ²⁸We are announcing him, correcting every man and teaching every man, with all wisdom, so that we may offer every man perfect in Christ Jesus. ? ²⁹In him, too, I labor, striving according to his action within me, which he works in virtue. ?

Chapter 2

¹For I want you to know the kind of solicitude that I have for you, and for those who are at Laodicea, as well as for those who have not seen my face in the flesh. ? ²May their hearts be consoled and instructed in charity, with all the riches of a plenitude of understanding, with knowledge of the mystery of God the Father and of Christ Jesus. ? ³For in him are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ? ⁴Now I say this, so that no one may deceive you with grandiose words. ? ⁵For though I may be absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit. And I rejoice as I gaze upon your order and its foundation, which is in Christ, your faith. ? ⁶Therefore, just as you have received the Lord Jesus Christ, walk in him. ? ⁷Be rooted and continually built up in Christ. And be confirmed in the faith, just as you have also learned it, increasing in him with acts of thanksgiving. ? ⁸See to it that no one deceives you through philosophy and empty falsehoods, as found in the traditions of men, in accord with the influences of the world, and not in accord with Christ. ? ⁹For in him, all the fullness of the Divine Nature dwells bodily. ? ¹⁰And in him, you have been filled; for he is the head of all principality and power. ? ¹¹In him also, you have been circumcised with a circumcision not made by hand, not by the despoiling of the body of flesh, but by the circumcision of Christ. ? ¹²You have been buried with him in baptism. In him also, you have risen again through faith, by the work of God, who raised him up from the dead. ? ¹³And when you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he enlivened you, together with him, forgiving you of all transgressions, ? ¹⁴and wiping away the handwriting of the decree which was against us, which was contrary to us. And he has taken this away from your midst, affixing it to the Cross. ? ¹⁵And so, despoiling principalities and powers, he has led them away confidently and openly, triumphing over them in himself. ? ¹⁶Therefore, let no one judge you as concerns food or drink, or a particular feast day, or feast days of new moons, or of Sabbaths. ? ¹⁷For these are a shadow of the future, but the body is of Christ. ? ¹⁸Let no one seduce you, preferring base things and a religion of Angels, walking according to what he has not seen, being vainly inflated by the sensations of his flesh, ? ¹⁹and not holding up the head, with which the whole body, by its underlying joints and ligaments, is joined together and grows with an increase that is of God. ? ²⁰So then, if you have died with Christ to the influences of this world, why do you still make decisions as if you were living in the world? ? ²¹Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle these things, ? ²²which all lead to destruction by their very use, in accord with the precepts and doctrines of men. ? ²³Such ideas have at least an intention to attain to wisdom, but through superstition and debasement, not sparing the body, and they are without any honor in satiating the flesh. ?

Chapter 3

¹Therefore, if you have risen together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ? ²Consider the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. ? ³For you have died, and so your life is hidden with Christ in God. ? ⁴When Christ, your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. ? ⁵Therefore, mortify your body, while it is upon the earth. For because of fornication, impurity, lust, evil desires, and avarice, which are a kind of service to idols, ? ⁶the wrath of God has overwhelmed the sons of unbelief. ? ⁷You, too, walked in these things, in times past, when you were living among them. ? ⁸But now you must set aside all these things: anger, indignation, malice, blasphemy, and indecent speech from your mouth. ? ⁹Do not lie to one another. Strip yourselves of the old man, with his deeds, ? ¹⁰and clothe yourself with the new man, who has been renewed by knowledge, in accord with the image of the One who created him, ? ¹¹where there is neither Gentile nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian nor Scythian, servant nor free. Instead, Christ is everything, in everyone. ? ¹²Therefore, clothe yourselves like the elect of God: holy and beloved, with hearts of mercy, kindness, humility, modesty, and patience. ? ¹³Support one another, and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive one another. For just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also must you do. ? ¹⁴And above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection. ? ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ lift up your hearts. For in this peace, you have been called, as one body. And be thankful. ? ¹⁶Let the word of Christ live in you in abundance, with all wisdom, teaching and correcting one another, with psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing to God with the grace in your hearts. ? ¹⁷Let everything whatsoever that you do, whether in word or in deed, be done all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ? ¹⁸Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord. ? ¹⁹Husbands, love your wives, and do not be bitter toward them. ? ²⁰Children, obey your parents in all things. For this is well-pleasing to the Lord. ? ²¹Fathers, do not provoke your children to indignation, lest they lose heart. ? ²²Servants, obey, in all things, your lords according to the flesh, not serving only when seen, as if to please men, but serving in simplicity of heart, fearing God. ? ²³Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as for the Lord, and not for men. ? ²⁴For you know that you will receive from the Lord the repayment of an inheritance. Serve Christ the Lord. ? ²⁵For whoever causes injury shall be repaid for what he has wrongfully done. And there no favoritism with God. ?

Chapter 4

¹You masters, supply your servants with what is just and equitable, knowing that you, too, have a Master in heaven. ? ²Pursue prayer. Be watchful in prayer with acts of thanksgiving. ? ³Pray together, for us also, so that God may open a door of speech to us, so as to speak the mystery of Christ, (because of which, even now, I am in chains) ? ⁴so that I may manifest it in the manner that I ought to speak. ? ⁵Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming this age. ? ⁶Let your speech be ever graceful, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to respond to each person. ? ⁷As for the things that concern me, Tychicus, a most beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you. ? ⁸I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that he may know the things that concern you, and may console your hearts, ? ⁹with Onesimus, a most beloved and faithful brother, who is from among you. They shall make known to you everything that is happening here. ? ¹⁰Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, as does Mark, the near cousin of Barnabas, about whom you have received instructions, (if he comes to you, receive him) ? ¹¹and Jesus, who is called Justus, and those who are of the circumcision. These alone are my assistants, unto the kingdom of God; they have been a consolation to me. ? ¹²Epaphras greets you, who is from among you, a servant of Christ Jesus, ever solicitous for you in prayer, so that you may stand, perfect and complete, in the entire will of God. ? ¹³For I offer testimony to him, that he has labored greatly for you, and for those who are at Laodicea, and for those at Hierapolis. ? ¹⁴Luke, a most beloved physician, greets you, as does Demas. ? ¹⁵Greet the brothers who are at Laodicea, and Nymphas, and those who are at his house, a church. ? ¹⁶And when this epistle has been read among you, cause it to be read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and you should read that which is from the Laodiceans. ? ¹⁷And tell Archippus: �See to the ministry that you have received in the Lord, in order to fulfill it.� ? ¹⁸The greeting of Paul by my own hand. Remember my chains. May grace be with you. Amen. ?