Colossians 1:3-23

New King James Version

Their Faith in Christ

^3 (A)We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ^4 (B)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of ^(C)your love for all the saints; ⁵ because of the hope ^(D)which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, ^(E)as it has also in all the world, and ^(F)is bringing forth ^[a]fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew ^(G)the grace of God in truth; ⁷ as you also learned from ^(H)Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is ^(I)a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, ⁸ who also declared to us your ^(J)love in the Spirit.

Preeminence of Christ

^9 (K)For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask ^(L)that you may be filled with ^(M)the knowledge of His will ^(N)in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ^10 (O)that you may walk worthy of the Lord, ^(P)fully pleasing Him, ^(Q)being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the ^(R)knowledge of God; ^11 (S)strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, ^(T)for all patience and longsuffering ^(U)with joy; ^12 (V)giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of ^(W)the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from ^(X)the power of darkness ^(Y)and ^[b]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ^14 (Z)in whom we have redemption ^[c]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is ^(AA)the image of the invisible God, ^(AB)the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For ^(AC)by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or ^(AD)dominions or ^[d]principalities or ^[e]powers. All things were created ^(AE)through Him and for Him. ^17 (AF)And He is before all things, and in Him ^(AG)all things consist. ¹⁸ And ^(AH)He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, ^(AI)the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Reconciled in Christ

¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that ^(AJ)in Him all the fullness should dwell, ²⁰ and ^(AK)by Him to reconcile ^(AL)all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, ^(AM)having made peace through the blood of His cross.

²¹ And you, ^(AN)who once were alienated and enemies in your mind ^(AO)by wicked works, yet now He has ^(AP)reconciled ^22 (AQ)in the body of His flesh through death, ^(AR)to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— ²³ if indeed you continue ^(AS)in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are ^(AT)not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, ^(AU)which was preached to every creature under heaven, ^(AV)of which I, Paul, became a minister.