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Colossians
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Paul,
an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
{2} To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace
and peace to you from God our Father. {3} We always thank God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, {4}
because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you
have for all the saints-- {5} the faith and love that spring from
the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already
heard about in the word of truth, the gospel {6} that has come to
you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just
as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood
God's grace in all its truth. {7} You learned it from Epaphras,
our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our
behalf, {8} and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
{9} For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not
stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of
his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. {10} And
we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and
may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing
in the knowledge of God, {11} being strengthened with all power
according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and
patience, and joyfully {12} giving thanks to the Father, who has
qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom
of light. {13} For he has rescued us from the dominion of
darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, {14}
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. {15} He
is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
{16} For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things were created by him and for him. {17} He
is before all things, and in him all things hold together. {18}
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the
firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the
supremacy. {19} For God was pleased to have all his fullness
dwell in him, {20} and through him to reconcile to himself all
things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace
through his blood, shed on the cross. {21} Once you were
alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil
behavior. {22} But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical
body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and
free from accusation-- {23} if you continue in your faith,
established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.
This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every
creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
{24} Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my
flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the
sake of his body, which is the church. {25} I have become its
servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God
in its fullness-- {26} the mystery that has been kept hidden for
ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. {27} To
them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches
of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. {28}
We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so
that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. {29} To this end
I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in
me. |
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Colossians
2 |
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I
want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at
Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. {2} My
purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so
that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order
that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, {3} in
whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. {4} I
tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
{5} For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you
in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith
in Christ is. {6} So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as
Lord, continue to live in him, {7} rooted and built up in him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with
thankfulness. {8} See to it that no one takes you captive through
hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and
the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. {9} For
in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, {10}
and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over
every power and authority. {11} In him you were also circumcised,
in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by
the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, {12}
having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your
faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. {13}
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful
nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
{14} having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that
was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it
to the cross. {15} And having disarmed the powers and
authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by
the cross. {16} Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you
eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon
celebration or a Sabbath day. {17} These are a shadow of the
things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
{18} Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the
worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into
great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him
up with idle notions. {19} He has lost connection with the Head,
from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments
and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. {20} Since you died
with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you
still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: {21} "Do not
handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? {22} These are all destined
to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and
teachings. {23} Such regulations indeed have an appearance of
wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their
harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining
sensual indulgence. |
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Colossians 3 |
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Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things
above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. {2} Set
your minds on things above, not on earthly things. {3} For you
died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. {4} When
Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in
glory. {5} Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your
earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and
greed, which is idolatry. {6} Because of these, the wrath of God
is coming. {7} You used to walk in these ways, in the life you
once lived. {8} But now you must rid yourselves of all such
things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from
your lips. {9} Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off
your old self with its practices {10} and have put on the new
self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
{11} Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised,
barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
{12} Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience. {13} Bear with each other and forgive whatever
grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave
you. {14} And over all these virtues put on love, which binds
them all together in perfect unity. {15} Let the peace of Christ
rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to
peace. And be thankful. {16} Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you
sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to
God. {17} And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through
him. {18} Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the
Lord. {19} Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with
them. {20} Children, obey your parents in everything, for this
pleases the Lord. {21} Fathers, do not embitter your children, or
they will become discouraged. {22} Slaves, obey your earthly
masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and
to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the
Lord. {23} Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as
working for the Lord, not for men, {24} since you know that you
will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord
Christ you are serving. {25} Anyone who does wrong will be repaid
for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. |
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Colossians 4 |
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Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you
know that you also have a Master in heaven. {2} Devote yourselves
to prayer, being watchful and thankful. {3} And pray for us, too,
that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the
mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. {4} Pray that I may
proclaim it clearly, as I should. {5} Be wise in the way you act
toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. {6} Let
your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that
you may know how to answer everyone. {7} Tychicus will tell you
all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and
fellow servant in the Lord. {8} I am sending him to you for the
express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he
may encourage your hearts. {9} He is coming with Onesimus, our
faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you
everything that is happening here. {10} My fellow prisoner
Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of
Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you,
welcome him.) {11} Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends
greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the
kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. {12}
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends
greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand
firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. {13} I
vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea
and Hierapolis. {14} Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas
send greetings. {15} Give my greetings to the brothers at
Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. {16} After
this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church
of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
{17} Tell Archippus: "See to it that you complete the work you have
received in the Lord." {18} I, Paul, write this greeting in my
own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. |
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