Paul exhorts masters to provide justice and equality for servants, knowing they also have a Master in heaven, and urges perseverance in prayer with thanksgiving, including intercession that God would open a door for the mystery of Christ for which Paul is imprisoned. He commends Tychicus and Onesimus as messengers, sends greetings from Aristarchus, Mark (Barnabas's cousin), Justus, Epaphras (who labors fervently in prayer for them), Luke the beloved physician, and Demas, instructs letter exchange with Laodicea, and closes with his handwritten greeting.
Read Colossians Chapter 4 Summary
Original
Characters in This Chapter
Places in This Chapter
Rome
View on MapRome was the capital of the Roman Empire and became a significant center of early Christianity. The apostle Paul wrote his most theological letter to the church in Rome and eventually traveled there as a prisoner. Both Peter and Paul are traditionally believed to have been martyred in Rome. Paul's Letter to the Romans is foundational to Christian theology, addressing salvation, grace, and the relationship between Jews and Gentiles.
Position in Book
Thanksgiving and PrayerChapters 1:1-14
Gratitude for faith, prayer for spiritual wisdom.
Christ's SupremacyChapters 1:15-2:5
Against False TeachingChapters 2:6-23
Complete in Christ, not rules and philosophy.
New LifeChapters 3:1-4:1
Set minds above, put off old self, household duties.
ConclusionChapters 4:2-18
Prayer, wisdom, greetings.
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