Colossians 1

Modern English Version

Salutation

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

² To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ who are at Colosse:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thankfulness for the Colossians

³ We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. ⁴ For we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of the truth of the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as it has in all the world, and brings forth fruit, as it has also in you, since the day you heard it and knew the grace of God in truth. ⁷ And you also learned of Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you, ⁸ who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

The Person and Work of Christ

⁹ For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, pleasing to all, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ strengthened with all might according to His glorious power, enduring everything with perseverance and patience joyfully, ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled us to be partakers in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of His dear Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of every creature. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by Him and for Him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸ He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things He may have the preeminence. ¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in Him all fullness should dwell, ²⁰ and to reconcile all things to Himself by Him, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him, I say—whether they are things in earth, or things in heaven.

²¹ And you, who were formerly alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²² in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in His sight, ²³ if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and are not removed from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Paul’s Ministry to the Church

²⁴ Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and fill up in my flesh that which is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church. ²⁵ I have been made a servant of it according to the commission of God, which has been given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, ²⁶ even the mystery which has been hidden from past ages and generations, but now is revealed to His saints. ²⁷ To them God would make known what is the glorious riches of this mystery among the nations. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory, ²⁸ whom we preach, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present them perfect in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ In this I labor, striving according to His power, which effectively works in me.