Colossians 1:1-8
Chapter 1
Greeting and Thanksgiving
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy, our brother,to the saints in Colossae, our faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Thanks be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! We pray always for you,
for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints.
Indeed, you eagerly await the inheritance reserved for you in heaven, which you have heard about through the word of truth. This gospel,
already present among you, is bearing fruit and growing throughout the world just as it has among you since the day you accepted it and understood the gift of God in all its truth.
He who taught you, Epaphras, our dear fellow worker in Christ and faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
has reminded me of the love you have for me through the Spirit.
Commentaries
Greeting and Thanksgiving.
The opening of the letter is familiar: greeting, thanksgiving, and a request. The sender introduces himself with all the authority given to him by God the Father. The thanksgiving shows the Apostle’s personal gladness at the Christian energy the community demonstrates, evident in their faith in Christ and in the love they share. The hope of the life “reserved for you in heaven” (5) supports that faith and results in love. This hope is already becoming real in the daily life of the community. Finally, connecting to the letter’s central theme, the Apostle states that all of this has been made possible because they received “through the word of truth” (5). It is this truth of the Gospel that Paul will defend against syncretistic influences and other false teachings that threaten their loyalty to the Word of God they received.