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Colossians 1

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Colossians 1 Overview

Paul thanks God for the Colossians’ faith and love, prays that they will walk worthy of the Lord, and presents one of Scripture’s strongest portraits of Christ’s supremacy. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, Creator and sustainer of all things, head of the church, firstborn from the dead, and the One through whose blood God reconciles.

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Before you read Colossians 1

Coming from

Philippians 4 closes with rejoicing, contentment, and the Philippians’ gospel partnership.

In this chapter

Leads into

Paul warns against philosophy, human tradition, legalistic judgment, angel worship, ascetic rules, and other substitutes for Christ. In Christ dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and believers are complete in Him. They are spiritually circumcised, buried and risen with Him, forgiven, and freed from the handwriting of ordinances that was against them.

Key understandingExplore deeper

‘Firstborn of every creature’ does not mean Christ is created. The next verses explicitly say all things were created by Him and for Him, and that He is before all things.

Paul’s reconciliation language is grounded in Christ’s blood and death, not human religious performance.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Christ is supreme over creation

All things in heaven and earth were created by Him and for Him.

Christ is supreme over the church

He is the head of the body and firstborn from the dead.

Reconciliation is through Christ’s blood

Peace with God rests on the cross.

Spiritual growth should produce a worthy walk

Knowledge of God’s will is meant to bear fruit in conduct.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

John 1:1–3

All things were made by the Word.

Hebrews 1:2–3

The Son is Creator, sustainer, and expression of God’s glory.

Ephesians 1:20–23

Christ is exalted above every principality and is head over all things to the church.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Do not interpret ‘firstborn’ as first created

The immediate context makes Christ Creator of all things.

Do not make ‘continue in the faith’ a works-based condition for obtaining eternal life

Paul is urging perseverance in gospel truth rather than movement into false doctrine.

Do not separate Christ’s deity from His real human death

The chapter joins cosmic supremacy with reconciliation through death.

Read Colossians 1 watching for…

Paul’s prayer for knowledge and fruitful living.

Every statement about Christ’s relation to creation.

Every statement about Christ’s relation to the church.

The language of reconciliation through blood.

The mystery now revealed among the Gentiles.

Chapter outline5 sections

1-8Paul greets the Colossians and gives thanks for their faith, love, and hope in the gospel 9-14Paul prays for spiritual wisdom, fruitful living, strength, and thanksgiving for redemption 15-20Christ is the image of the invisible God, creator of all things, head of the church, and preeminent in all things 21-23Those once alienated are reconciled through Christ’s death and called to remain grounded in the hope of the gospel 24-29Paul explains his ministry of the mystery of Christ among the Gentiles and his labor to present every man mature in Christ

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

To 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.

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

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

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

Which 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:

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

Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

For 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;

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

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

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

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

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

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

For 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:

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

And 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.

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

And, 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.

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

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

If 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;

Who 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:

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

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

To 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:

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

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

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Colossians 1:8

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