Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
1 Paul[a], an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 to the saints[b] and faithful brothers in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
We Thank God For Your Faith And Love
3 We are giving-thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always while praying for you, 4 having heard-of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope being reserved for you in the heavens, which[c] you previously-heard-of in the word of the truth— the good-news 6 coming to you, just as also in[d] all the world it is bearing-fruit and growing, just as it is doing also in[e] you from which day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth[f], 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-slave who is a faithful servant[g] of Christ on your behalf, 8 the one also having made-clear to us your love in[h] the Spirit.
May You Walk Worthily of God, Who Transferred Us Into The Kingdom of His Son
9 For this reason we also, from which day we heard, do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge[i] of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding[j], 10 so that you may walk worthily of the Lord, toward total[k] pleasing [of Him]— bearing-fruit in every good work and growing in[l] the knowledge of God; 11 being empowered with all power according-to[m] the might of [n] His glory, toward total[o] endurance and patience; with joy[p] 12 giving-thanks to the Father having qualified you for your part[q] of the share[r] of [s] the saints[t] in the light[u], 13 Who delivered[v] us out of the authority[w] of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of [x] His love, 14 in Whom we have the redemption, the forgiveness of sins—
The Son Is The Preeminent Head of All Creation, Because He Created All Things
15 ... Who is the image[y] of the invisible God, the firstborn[z] of [aa] all creation[ab], 16 because all things were created by[ac] Him in the heavens and on the earth, the visible things and the invisible things— whether thrones or lordships or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 And He Himself is before all things, and all things have existence[ad] in Him. 18 And He Himself is the head of the body, the church.
The Son Is First In Everything, Because God Reconciled All Things Through Him
... Who is the beginning[ae], the firstborn from the dead, in order that He Himself might come-to-be holding-first-place in all things, 19 because the Father[af] was well-pleased that all the fullness[ag] should dwell in Him 20 and that He should reconcile all things through Him to Himself, having made-peace through the blood of His cross— through Him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.
Indeed, You Yourselves Were Reconciled By Him
21 Indeed you were formerly being excluded, and were enemies[ah] in the mind in-connection-with evil works. 22 But now He reconciled you in the body of His flesh[ai] through His death, that He might present you holy and without-blemish and blameless in His presence— 23 if indeed[aj] you continue in the faith, having been founded, and steadfast, and not being moved-away from the hope of the good-news which you heard, the one having been proclaimed in[ak] all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister[al].
I Am Suffering To Fulfill My Stewardship of God’s Now Revealed Mystery: Christ In You
24 Now I am rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling-up-in-turn[am] the things lacking from the afflictions of Christ[an], for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according-to[ao] the stewardship[ap] of God having been given to me for you, that I might fulfill[aq] the word of God— 26 the mystery having been hidden from the past ages and from the past generations. But now it was revealed to His saints, 27 to whom God willed[ar] to make-known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles— which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, 28 Whom we are proclaiming, admonishing every person, and teaching every person with all wisdom, in order that we may present every person mature[as] in Christ, 29 for which[at] I also am laboring, struggling[au] according to His working being at-work[av] in me with power.
I Am Struggling Greatly For an Increase In Your Assurance And Knowledge of Christ
2 For I want you to know how great a struggle I am having for your sake and the ones in Laodicea, and all-who have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 in order that their hearts might be encouraged— they having been brought-together[aw] in love and for[ax] all the riches of the full-assurance of understanding, for[ay] the full-knowledge of the mystery of God— Christ, 3 in Whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, hidden-away[az]. 4 I am saying this[ba] in order that no one may be deluding you with persuasive-argument. 5 For even though I am absent in the flesh, nevertheless I am with you in the spirit, rejoicing and seeing your order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
So Be Walking In Christ And Established In The Faith You Were Taught
6 As then you received Christ Jesus the[bb] Lord, be walking in Him— 7 having been rooted, and being built-up in Him, and being established in the[bc] faith just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Don’t Be Taken Captive By Human Thinking, Because All God’s Fullness Is In Christ
8 Be watching-out that there will not be anyone taking you captive through philosophy and empty deception according-to[bd] the tradition of humans, according to the elemental things[be] of the world, and not according to Christ, 9 because in Him dwells all the fullness of the Deity[bf] bodily[bg].
You Are Complete In Christ, With Whom You Have Been Buried And Raised Up
10 And in Him you are complete[bh], Who is the head of all rule[bi] and authority, 11 in Whom you also were circumcised with a circumcision not-done-by-human-hands, in[bj] the taking-off [bk] of the body[bl] of the flesh in the circumcision of [bm] Christ— 12 having been buried-with Him in baptism, in which[bn] you also were raised-with Him through faith in the working of God, the One having raised Him from the dead.
Indeed, God Made Us Alive With Christ, Having Forgiven All Our Trespasses
13 Indeed, you being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh— He made you alive-together with Him, having forgiven us all the trespasses, 14 having wiped-out[bo] the written-document[bp] against us with[bq] its decrees, which was opposed to us. Indeed, He has taken it out of the middle, having nailed it to the cross! 15 Having stripped[br] the rulers and the authorities, He exposed them in public, having celebrated-a-triumph-over[bs] them in Him[bt]!
Let No One Judge Your Behavior By False Standards
16 Therefore let no one judge you in eating and in drinking, or in respect to a feast or new-moon or Sabbath, 17 which are a shadow of the coming things, but the body[bu] is Christ’s. 18 Let no one decide-against you while delighting[bv] in humility[bw] and worship of [bx] angels, dwelling-upon[by] things which he has seen, being puffed-up in-vain by the mind of [bz] his flesh, 19 and not holding-on-to[ca] the head— from Whom the whole body, being supplied[cb] and held-together by the joints and ligaments, is growing the growth of [cc] God.
Since You Died With Christ, Do Not Submit To Human Decrees
20 If you died with Christ from[cd] the elemental[ce] things of the world, why, as-though living in the world, do you submit-to-decrees (21 “Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch”; 22 Things which[cf] are all for[cg] perishing[ch] in the use[ci]!) according-to the commandments and teachings of humans?— 23 which are indeed having the talk[cj] of wisdom in-connection-with will-worship[ck] and humility[cl] and harsh-treatment[cm] of the body, not[cn] in-connection-with any [real] value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing