¹⁴ And they said, “Some say ^(A)John the Baptist; and others, ^[a](B)Elijah; and still others, ^[b]Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.” ¹⁵ He *said to them, “But who do you yourselves say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are ^(C)the ^[c]Christ, ^(D)the Son of ^(E)the living God.”

The Incomparable Christ

^13 [a]For He rescued us from the ^[b](A)domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of ^[c](B)His beloved Son, ^14 (C)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

^15 [d]He is the ^(D)image of the ^(E)invisible God, the ^(F)firstborn of all creation: ¹⁶ for ^[e](G)by Him all things were created, ^(H)both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether ^(I)thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—^(J)all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ He ^[f](K)is before all things, and in Him all things ^[g]hold together. ¹⁸ He is also the ^(L)head of ^(M)the body, the church; and He is ^(N)the beginning, ^(O)the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹ For ^[h]it was ^(P)the Father’s good pleasure for all ^(Q)the ^[i]fullness to dwell in Him, ²⁰ and through Him to ^(R)reconcile all things to Himself, ^(S)whether things on earth or things in ^[j]heaven, having made ^(T)peace through ^(U)the blood of His cross.

⁶ Jesus *said to him, “I am ^(A)the way, and ^(B)the truth, and ^(C)the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.