World English Bible: Colossians

This is the Epistle to the Colossians, a first-century Christian letter attributed to the Apostle Paul, written to a congregation at Colossae in Asia Minor and belonging to the tradition of Pauline epistles in the New Testament. Its theological centerpiece is an exalted portrayal of Christ as the "image of the invisible God," the agent and sustainer of all creation, and the fullness of the Godhead dwelling bodily — a Christology that directly counters competing philosophies and ascetic practices Paul warns the community against. The letter argues that because believers have died and risen with Christ through baptism, they are already complete in him, and therefore external religious regulations (dietary rules, Sabbath observance, angel veneration) are mere shadows with no power over those united to the true Head. Practically, Paul translates this theological claim into a moral ethic: stripping off vices associated with the "old man" and putting on virtues — compassion, forgiveness, and above all love — with household codes directing conduct between wives and husbands, children and parents, and servants and masters. A distinctive emphasis is Paul's framing of his own suffering as mysteriously completing Christ's afflictions for the sake of the church, and his insistence that "Christ in you" — the indwelling of Christ among Gentile believers — is the previously hidden mystery now disclosed. The letter closes with personal greetings and instructions for the letter's circulation to neighboring Laodicea, providing a rare glimpse into early Christian inter-church communication.

World English Bible: Colossians

Related pages View as graph →