Colossians 1:1-8

¹ “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,² to the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. ³ We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; ⁵ because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel⁶ which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth; ⁷ just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, ⁸ and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.”

Verse 1: Paul introduces himself as an apostle, someone who has been sent by Christ Jesus himself. He emphasizes that his apostleship is not by his own choice, but by the will of God. Paul’s apostleship was directly connected to reaching the Gentiles with the gospel. God’s will was not hidden or ambiguous but rather clear to Paul. God wanted the Gentiles to be saved, so he sent Paul.

Verse 2: Paul addresses his letter to the believers in Colossae, referring to them as God’s holy people. Believers are completely holy in Christ. We are not being progressively made holy, but rather are learning to grow up into our holiness.

Verse 3: Paul extends his greeting of grace and peace to the believers in Colossae, emphasizing that it comes from God the Father. Notice that God is in the business of giving grace to people, not law. God’s desire is for us to understand grace and know him through Christ, not following spiritual rules and regulations. This will be especially important later on in Colossians.

Verse 4: Paul expresses his gratitude to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the believers in Colossae.

Verse 5: Paul commends the believers in Colossae for their faith in Christ Jesus and their love for all God’s people. This shows that their faith and love are known and recognized by others. This also shows that believers are innately designed to love.

Verse 6: Paul explains that the faith and love demonstrated by the believers in Colossae are rooted in the hope they have in heaven. This hope is based on the true message of the gospel that they have already heard.

Verse 7: Paul highlights the impact of the gospel, which is bearing fruit and growing not only in Colossae but throughout the whole world. He acknowledges that the believers in Colossae have truly understood God’s grace, which is the foundation of the gospel message.

Verse 8: Paul credits Epaphras, a fellow servant and faithful minister of Christ, as the one who taught the believers in Colossae the true message of the gospel. This highlights the importance of faithful ministers who proclaim the truth of God’s grace.