Colossians 1:15-29

Christian Standard Bible

The Centrality of Christ

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God,^(A)
the firstborn over all creation.^(B)
¹⁶For everything was created by him,^(C)
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him.^(D)
¹⁷He is before all things,^(E)
and by him all things^(F) hold together.
¹⁸He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,^(G)
the firstborn from the dead,^(H)
so that he might come to have
first place in everything.
¹⁹For God was pleased to have
all his fullness^(I) dwell in him,^(J)
²⁰and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace^(K)
through his blood,^(L) shed on the cross.^[a]^(M)

²¹Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. ²²But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death,^(N) to present you holy, faultless,^(O) and blameless before him^(P)— ²³if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith^(Q) and are not shifted away from the hope^(R) of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation^(S) under heaven,^(T) and I, Paul,^(U) have become a servant of it.

Paul’s Ministry

²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings^(V) for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body,^(W) that is, the church. ²⁵I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, ²⁶the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. ²⁷God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ^(X) in you, the hope^(Y) of glory. ²⁸We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. ²⁹I labor for this, striving^(Z) with his strength that works powerfully in me.^(AA)

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Footnotes

1:20 Other mss add through him

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