Colossians 1:1-8

1: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2: To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

3: We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4: since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;
5: because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel
6: which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth;
7: just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,
8: and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

*** 

Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians around 61-63 AD while in prison in Rome. Probably around the time he wrote the letter to the Ephesians. Most likely these two letters were delivered together, along with Philemon, by Tychicus.

It appears that Paul was not the founder of this church. He said,” Since we heard of your faith…” and “just as you learned it from Epaphras.” These comments indicate the Colossians learned of the gospel through Epaphras, not Paul, and Paul heard of their faith through Epaphras. Most likely, Epaphras had been converted under Paul’s ministry somewhere else, maybe Ephesus, and then brought the gospel home to his city. 1

Paul called Epaphras their beloved fellow bond-servant and a faithful servant of Christ on Paul’s behalf. Paul’s joy over him and the church at Colossae was evident. Seeing the fruit of his labor multiply with others preaching the gospel and founding churches, would bring joy and peace to the heart of a true father. A true father rejoices when their children grow to a point of picking up the business of the father and carrying it on.

He wrote to encourage and exhort them in the faith. He greeted them, along with Timothy, sending grace and peace from God the Father. He told the Colossians they had been praying for them since they heard of their faith in Christ and love for the saints. He spoke of the hope laid up for them in heaven, which they’d heard of through the gospel—the gospel which was constantly bearing fruit and increasing in all the world just as it was in them.






1Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary; Commentary by A.R. Faussett retrieved through BibleHub.com May 20, 2021

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