Colossians 1:3-8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
3 We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,(A) 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. Of this you have already heard through the word of truth, the gospel,(B) 6 that has come to you. Just as in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing, so also among you, from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth, 7 (C)as you learned it from Epaphras[a] our beloved fellow slave, who is a trustworthy minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Prayer for Continued Progress.[b]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1:7 Epaphras: now with Paul but a Colossian, founder of the church there.
- 1:9–14 Moved by Epaphras’ account, the apostle has prayed and continues to pray fervently for the Colossians that, in their response to the gospel, they may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will (Col 1:9; cf. Col 3:10). Paul expects a mutual interaction between their life according to the gospel and this knowledge (Col 1:10), yielding results (fruit, Col 1:10; cf. Col 1:6) in every good work: growth, strength, endurance, patience, with joy (Col 1:11), and the further giving of thanks (Col 1:12).
Colossians 1:3-8
New International Version
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 We always thank God,(A) 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(B) you have for all God’s people(C)— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope(D) stored up for you in heaven(E) and about which you have already heard in the true message(F) of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit(G) and growing throughout the whole world(H)—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras,(I) our dear fellow servant,[a] who is a faithful minister(J) of Christ on our[b] behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.(K)
Footnotes
- Colossians 1:7 Or slave
- Colossians 1:7 Some manuscripts your
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.