1 From Paul, an ·apostle [messenger] of Christ Jesus. ·I am an apostle because that is what God wanted [^L…by the will of God]. Also from Timothy [Acts 16:1–5; 1 Cor. 16:10–11; Phil. 2:19–24; 1 and 2 Timothy], our brother.

² To the ·holy [^Tsaints] and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ that live in Colossae [a city located in the Lycus Valley in the Roman province of Phrygia, present-day central Turkey]:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.^[a]

³ In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ ·because we have [or ever since we; ^Lhaving] heard about the faith you have in Christ Jesus and the love you have for all ·of God’s people [^Tthe saints]. ⁵ You have this faith and love because of your hope, and what you hope for is ·kept safe [stored up; reserved] for you in heaven. You learned about this hope when you heard the ·message about the truth [or true message; ^Lword of truth], the ·Good News [Gospel] ⁶ that ·was told [^Lhas come] to you. [^L…just as] Everywhere in the world that ·Good News [Gospel] is ·bringing blessings [^Lbearing fruit] and is growing. This has happened with you, too, ·since [^Lfrom the day] you heard and ·understood the truth about [or truly understood] the grace of God. ⁷ You learned about ·God’s grace [^Lit] from Epaphras, our ·dear [beloved; much loved] fellow ·servant [slave; bondservant], who is a faithful ·servant [minister] of Christ ·for us^[b] [on our behalf]. [^CEpaphras apparently established the church at Colossae during Paul’s three-year ministry in Ephesus; Acts 19:10.] ⁸ He also told us about the love you have ·from [or in] the Holy Spirit.

⁹ Because of this, since the day we heard about you, we have ·continued [not ceased] praying for you, asking God ·that you will know fully what he wants [^Lto fill you with the knowledge of his will], ·and that you will have great [^Lin all] ·spiritual wisdom and understanding [or wisdom and understanding from the Spirit] ¹⁰ so that you will live the kind of life that ·honors [is worthy of] and pleases the Lord in every way. You will produce fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God. ¹¹ ·God will strengthen you [^L…being strengthened] with ·his own great power [^Lall power according to his glorious might] so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will ·be patient. ¹² And you will joyfully give thanks [or …have patience with joy, ¹² giving thanks] to the Father who has made you^[c] able to have a share in ·all that he has prepared for his people in the kingdom of light [^Lthe inheritance of the saints/holy ones in the light]. ¹³ ·God [^L…who] has ·freed [rescued; delivered] us from the ·power [authority; dominion] of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his ·dear [dearly loved; beloved] Son, ¹⁴ ·who purchased our freedom^[d] [^Lin whom we have redemption] ·and forgave our sins [or which is the forgiveness of sins].

The Importance of Christ

¹⁵ The Son [^L…who] is ·the image of [exactly like; the visible representation of] the invisible God [John 1:18; Heb. 1:3]. He ·ranks higher than [^Lis the firstborn of/over] ·everything that has been made [all creation; Prov. 8:22–30]. ¹⁶ ·Through his power [^LIn him; or By him] all things were created [John 1:3; Heb. 1:2]—things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, all ·powers [or heavenly authorities; ^Lthrones], ·authorities [dominions; kingdoms], ·lords [rulers], and ·rulers [authorities; ^Cthese four may refer to angelic hierarchies, or to earthly and heavenly rulers]. All things were created through Christ and for Christ. ¹⁷ He ·was there before anything was made [^Lis before all things], and all things ·continue [endure; or hold together; unite] ·because of [or in] him. ¹⁸ He is the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning [^Cmeaning (1) the source of the church; (2) the creator of all things; or (3) the beginning/initiator of the end-time resurrection]. He is the ·first one who was raised [^Lfirstborn] from the dead. So in all things Jesus has ·first place [supremacy]. ¹⁹ God was pleased for all ·of himself [that he is; ^Lof his fullness] to live in ·Christ [or the Son; ^Lhim]. ²⁰ And through ·Christ [^Lhim], God has ·brought all things back to himself again [^Lreconciled all things to himself]—things on earth and things in heaven. ·God made [^L…by making] peace through the blood of ·Christ’s death on the cross [^Lhis cross].

²¹ At one time you were ·separated [alienated; estranged] from God. You were his enemies in your minds, ·and the evil things you did were against God [or because of your evil deeds]. ²² But now God has ·made you his friends again [reconciled you] through Christ’s death in ·the body [his physical body; ^Lthe body of his flesh], so that he might bring you into God’s presence as people who are holy, ·with no wrong [without blemish; ^Cas were sacrificial animals], and ·with nothing of which God can judge you guilty [blameless; innocent; free of accusation]. ²³ This will happen if you continue ·strong [grounded; established] and ·sure [firm; steadfast] in your faith. You must not ·be moved [shift; drift] away from the hope ·brought to you by [or found in; ^Lof] the ·Good News [the Gospel] that you heard. That same ·Good News [Gospel] has been ·told [preached; proclaimed] to ·everyone [^Levery creature; or in all creation] ·in the world [^Lunder heaven], and I, Paul, ·help in preaching [^Lam a servant/minister of] it.

Paul’s Work for the Church

²⁴ [^LNow] I ·am happy [rejoice] in my sufferings for you. And I ·accept [fill up; complete] in my ·body [flesh] what ·Christ must still suffer [or is lacking in the suffering of Christ] ·through [or on behalf of] his body, the church. [^CBy suffering while spreading the Gospel, Paul both participates in Christ’s death and helps complete God’s plan.] ²⁵ I became a ·servant [minister] of the church because God gave me a ·special work to do [stewardship; commission] ·that helps you [^Lfor you], and that work is to ·tell fully [or complete; or preach everywhere; ^Lfulfill] the ·message [word] of God. ²⁶ This message is the ·secret [mystery; ^Csomething God had not previously disclosed; Eph. 1:9] that was hidden from ·everyone since the beginning of time [^Lages and generations], but now it is made known to ·God’s holy people [^Tthe saints]. ²⁷ God ·decided [chose; willed] to let his people know this rich and glorious ·secret [mystery; 1:26] which he has for ·all people [the nations/Gentiles]. This ·secret [mystery] is ·that Christ lives in you. He is our only hope for glory [^LChrist in you, the hope of glory]. ²⁸ So we continue to ·preach [proclaim; announce] Christ to each person, using all wisdom to ·warn [instruct; admonish] and to teach everyone, in order to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature person in Christ. ²⁹ To do this, I ·work [toil; labor] and struggle, using ·Christ’s [^Lhis] great strength that works so powerfully in me.