Paul thanks God for the Colossians' faith, love, and hope, which they learned from Epaphras, a faithful minister, and prays for their knowledge of God's will, spiritual understanding, and fruitful walk worthy of the Lord. He presents the magnificent Christological hymn: Christ as the image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation, by whom and for whom all things were created, head of the body the church, firstborn from the dead, in whom all fullness dwells, who reconciled all things through His cross-blood.
Read Colossians Chapter 1 Summary
Original
Characters in This Chapter
Places in This Chapter
Position in Book
Thanksgiving and PrayerChapters 1:1-14
Gratitude for faith, prayer for spiritual wisdom.
Christ's SupremacyChapters 1:15-2:5
Christ supreme over creation and church.
Against False TeachingChapters 2:6-23
New LifeChapters 3:1-4:1
ConclusionChapters 4:2-18
Bible Bites
Written While Paul Was in Chains
Paul wrote Colossians from prison in Rome around AD 60-62, calling himself an ambassador in chains. It's one of four Prison Epistles, along with Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon.
Colossians 4:3A letter to strangers
Paul wrote to the Colossians despite never visiting their church. In Colossians 2:1, he mentions his 'struggle' for those who 'have not seen my face in the flesh,' making this a letter to believers he knew only by report, likely founded by Epaphras.
Colossians 2:1