Study Desk

^(C1)Paul, ^(C2)an apostle of Christ Jesus ^(F1)(C3)by the will of God, and ^(C4)Timothy ^(F2)our brother,

To the ^(F1)(C1)saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: ^(C2)Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

^(C1)We ^(F1)give thanks to God, ^(C2)the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

^(C1)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the ^(C2)love which you have ^(F1)for ^(C3)all the ^(F2)saints;

because of the ^(C1)hope ^(C2)reserved for you in ^(F1)heaven, of which you previously ^(C3)heard in the word of truth, ^(F2)the gospel

which has come to you, just as ^(F1)(C1)in all the world also it is bearing ^(C2)fruit and ^(F2)increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you ^(C3)heard it and ^(F3)understood the grace of God in truth;

just as you learned it from ^(C1)Epaphras, our ^(C2)beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,

and he also informed us of your ^(C1)love in the Spirit.

For this reason we also, ^(C1)since the day we heard about it, ^(C2)have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the ^(F1)(C3)knowledge of His will in all spiritual ^(C4)wisdom and understanding,

so that you will ^(C1)walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, ^(F1)(C2)to please Him in all respects, ^(C3)bearing fruit in every good work and ^(F2)increasing in the ^(F3)knowledge of God;

^(C1)strengthened with all power, according to ^(F1)His glorious might, ^(F2)for the attaining of all perseverance and ^(F3)patience; ^(C2)joyously

giving thanks to ^(C1)the Father, who has qualified us ^(F1)to share in ^(C2)the inheritance of the ^(F2)saints in ^(C3)light.

^(F1)For He rescued us from the ^(F2)(C1)domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of ^(F3)(C2)His beloved Son,

^(C1)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

^(F1)He is the ^(C1)image of the ^(C2)invisible God, the ^(C3)firstborn of all creation:

for ^(F1)(C1)by Him all things were created, ^(C1)both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether ^(C2)thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—^(C3)all things have been created through Him and for Him.

He ^(F1)(C1)is before all things, and in Him all things ^(F2)hold together.

He is also the ^(C1)head of ^(C2)the body, the church; and He is ^(C3)the beginning, ^(C4)the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

For ^(F1)it was ^(C1)the Father's good pleasure for all ^(C2)the ^(F2)fullness to dwell in Him,

and through Him to ^(C1)reconcile all things to Himself, ^(C2)whether things on earth or things in ^(F1)heaven, having made ^(C3)peace through ^(C4)the blood of His cross.

And although you were ^(C1)previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds,

yet He has now ^(C1)reconciled you in His ^(C2)body of flesh through death, in order to ^(C3)present you before Him ^(C4)holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

if indeed you continue in ^(F1)the faith firmly ^(C1)established and steadfast, and not shifting from the ^(C2)hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed ^(C3)in all creation under heaven, ^(C4)and of which I, Paul, ^(F2)was made a ^(F3)(C5)minister.

^(C1)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh ^(C2)I am supplementing what is lacking ^(F1)in Christ's afflictions in behalf of ^(C3)His body, which is the church.

^(C1)I ^(F1)was made a minister of this church according to the ^(C2)commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might ^(F2)fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,

that is, ^(C1)the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His ^(F1)saints,

to whom ^(C1)God willed to make known what ^(C2)the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is ^(C3)Christ in you, the ^(C4)hope of glory.

We proclaim Him, ^(C1)admonishing every person and teaching every person ^(F1)with all ^(C2)wisdom, so that we may ^(C3)present every person ^(F2)(C4)complete in Christ.

For this purpose I also ^(C1)labor, ^(C2)striving ^(C3)according to His ^(F1)power which ^(F2)works mightily within me.

For I want you to know how great a ^(C1)struggle I have in your behalf and for those who are at ^(C2)Laodicea, and for all those who have not ^(F1)personally seen my face,

that their ^(C1)hearts may be encouraged, having been ^(C2)knit together in love, and that they would attain to all ^(C3)the wealth ^(F1)that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a ^(C4)true knowledge of ^(C5)God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself,

in whom are hidden all ^(C1)the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

^(C1)I say this so that no one will deceive you with ^(C2)persuasive arguments.

For even though I am ^(C1)absent in body, I am nevertheless with you in spirit, rejoicing ^(F1)to see ^(F2)your ^(C2)orderly manner and the ^(C3)stability of your faith in Christ.

Therefore, as you have received ^(C1)Christ Jesus the Lord, so ^(F1)(C2)walk in Him,

having been firmly ^(C1)rooted and now being ^(C2)built up in Him and ^(C3)established ^(F1)in ^(F2)your faith, just as you ^(C4)were instructed, and overflowing ^(F3)with gratitude.

^(C1)See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through ^(C2)philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the ^(C3)elementary principles of the world, ^(F1)rather than in accordance with Christ.

For in Him all the ^(C1)fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

and in Him you have been ^(C1)made ^(F1)complete, and ^(C2)He is the head ^(F2)over every ^(C3)ruler and authority;

and in Him ^(C1)you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of ^(C2)the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ,

having been ^(C1)buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also ^(C2)raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who ^(C3)raised Him from the dead.

And ^(F1)when you were ^(C1)dead ^(F2)in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He ^(C2)made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings,

having canceled ^(C1)the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and ^(C2)He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

When He had ^(F1)(C1)disarmed the ^(C2)rulers and authorities, He ^(C1)made a public display of them, having ^(C3)triumphed over them through ^(F2)Him.

Therefore, no one is to ^(F1)(C1)act as your judge in regard to ^(C2)food and ^(C2)drink, or in respect to a ^(C3)festival or a ^(C4)new moon, or a ^(C5)Sabbath ^(F2)day—

things which are only a ^(C1)shadow of what is to come; but the ^(F1)substance ^(F2)belongs to Christ.

Take care that no one keeps ^(F1)(C1)defrauding you of your prize by ^(C2)delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, ^(F2)taking his stand on visions he has seen, ^(F3)(C3)inflated without cause by his ^(C4)fleshly mind,

and not holding firmly to ^(C1)the head, from whom ^(C2)the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ^(F1)ligaments, grows with a growth ^(F2)which is from God.

^(C1)If you have died with Christ ^(F1)to the ^(C2)elementary principles of the world, ^(C3)why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to ^(C4)decrees, such as,

"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"

(which all refer ^(C1)to things destined to perish ^(F1)with use)—in accordance with the ^(C2)commandments and teachings of man?

These are matters which do have the ^(F1)appearance of wisdom in ^(F2)(C1)self-made religion and humility and ^(C2)severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against ^(C3)fleshly indulgence.