since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;

and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am supplementing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of His body, which is the church.

I was made a minister of this church according to the commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,

For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His power which works mightily within me.

You Are Built Up in Christ

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have in your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,

For even though I am absent in body, I am nevertheless with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your orderly manner and the stability of your faith in Christ.

having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings,

having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day—

Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,

If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,

Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Therefore, treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

But now you also, rid yourselves of all of them: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth.

Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Family Relations

Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives and do not become bitter against them.

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.

Fathers, do not antagonize your children, so that they will not become discouraged.