⁷ Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power.

¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

²⁰ Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,^(A)

² for surely^[a] you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you

⁶ who has made us qualified to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.^(A)

²¹ make you complete in everything good^[a] so that you may do his will, as he works among us^[b] that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever.^[c] Amen.^(A)

²³ provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature^[a] under heaven. I, Paul, became a minister of this gospel.^(A)

Paul’s Interest in the Colossians

²⁴ I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. ²⁵ I became its minister according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,^(B)

¹³ We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.^(A)

²⁹ For this I toil and strive with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me.^(A)

¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I but the grace of God that is with me.^(A)