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The Letters · New Testament

Colossians 1

Colossians 1: thanks for a reported faith and a description of the Son

General context

Paul, an apostle by the will of God, writes with Timotheus to the saints and faithful brethren at Colosse. He gives thanks and prays since hearing of their faith and their love to all the saints, tied to a hope laid up in heaven, and says the gospel bears fruit in all the world as among them. They learned it from Epaphras, a fellowservant and faithful minister who reported their love in the Spirit. Paul prays that they be filled with the knowledge of God's will, walk worthy of the Lord, be strengthened to patience and longsuffering with joyfulness, and give thanks to the Father, who made them fit for the inheritance of the saints in light, delivered them from the power of darkness and moved them into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom there is redemption and forgiveness. The letter then describes that Son as the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of every creature, the one by whom all things in heaven and earth were created, visible and invisible, thrones, dominions, principalities and powers, all for him. He is before all things, by him all things hold together, and he is head of the body, the church, the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, having the preeminence, since all fulness dwells in him and peace came through the blood of his cross. The readers, once alienated and enemies in their minds, are said to be reconciled through death and presented holy, if they continue in the faith. Paul then calls himself a minister of it, rejoices in his sufferings for them, and says the mystery hidden from ages is now revealed: Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Cited passages: Colossians 1:1, Colossians 1:2, Colossians 1:3, Colossians 1:4, Colossians 1:5, Colossians 1:6, Colossians 1:7, Colossians 1:8, Colossians 1:9, Colossians 1:10, Colossians 1:11, Colossians 1:12, Colossians 1:13, Colossians 1:14, Colossians 1:15, Colossians 1:16, Colossians 1:17, Colossians 1:18, Colossians 1:19, Colossians 1:20, Colossians 1:21, Colossians 1:22, Colossians 1:23, Colossians 1:24, Colossians 1:26, Colossians 1:27, Colossians 1:28

Colossians 1 (KJV)

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

2To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

4Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,

5For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

6Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

7As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;

8Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

10That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

24Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

25Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

26Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

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Historical context

The senders are Paul, called an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus, called our brother. The recipients are the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse. The chapter is careful about how Paul knows them: he writes since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and says the readers learned the gospel from someone else, As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is also the person who brought Paul the report. Epaphras is the only person named besides the two senders. No date, journey or visit appears, and the chapter quotes no scripture. Two of its claims are left without explanation: the mystery is said to have been hid from ages and from generations without any period being named, and the phrase that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ is stated and not defined. The assurance at verse 22 is made conditional in the next verse, If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled.

Cited passages: Colossians 1:1, Colossians 1:2, Colossians 1:4, Colossians 1:7, Colossians 1:8, Colossians 1:22, Colossians 1:23, Colossians 1:24, Colossians 1:26

Literary context

The chapter is held together by linked pronouns rather than by sentences that stop. From verse 13 onward the connections are all relative: into the kingdom of his dear Son, In whom we have redemption, Who is the image of the invisible God, For by him were all things created, by him all things consist, in him should all fulness dwell, by him to reconcile all things. The effect is a single description that never changes subject. Two titles are set in parallel, firstborn of every creature and firstborn from the dead, so the same word covers creation and resurrection. Paul's own role is stated twice in three verses, whereof I Paul am made a minister and Whereof I am made a minister, which brings the writer back into a passage that had been entirely about someone else. The conditional clause at verse 23 follows straight after the promise of being presented holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.

Cited passages: Colossians 1:13, Colossians 1:14, Colossians 1:15, Colossians 1:16, Colossians 1:17, Colossians 1:18, Colossians 1:19, Colossians 1:20, Colossians 1:22, Colossians 1:23, Colossians 1:25

Key moments

  1. Learned from Epaphras (Colossians 1:7). The readers received the gospel from Epaphras rather than from Paul.
  2. Translated into a kingdom (Colossians 1:13). Deliverance from darkness is described as a transfer.
  3. Image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). The description of the Son begins with two titles.
  4. All things consist by him (Colossians 1:17). He is said to hold everything together.
  5. Peace through the blood (Colossians 1:20). Reconciliation of all things is tied to the cross.
  6. If ye continue (Colossians 1:23). A condition is attached to the assurance just given.
  7. Christ in you (Colossians 1:27). The hidden mystery is stated in four words.

For reflection

The letter thanks God for a faith Paul only heard about, from a messenger who carried news in both directions. Who has carried an accurate report of you to someone you have never met?

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