--- title: "Introduction" description: "A heartfelt update from Paul and Timothy on why true faith, love, and a clear vision for the future are changing lives across the globe." image: "" book: "Colossians" bookId: "COL" testament: "new" startChapter: 1 startVerse: 1 endChapter: 1 endVerse: 14 coversChapters: [1] aiTitle: "Why Genuine Connection Matters More Than Ever" aiDescription: "A heartfelt update from Paul and Timothy on why true faith, love, and a clear vision for the future are changing lives across the globe." hasAiStory: true location: "Colossae" persons: ["Epaphras","God","Jesus","Paul","Timothy"] hashtags: ["faith","forgiveness","gospel","love","redemption"] genre: "epistle" readingTime: 2 type: "adaptive" slug: "COL/introduction" canonicalId: "COL.1.1-1.14" chronologicalOrder: 1694 relatedSlugs: ["EPH/righteous-living","ACT/paul-before-agrippa","EPH/pauls-greeting-to-the-ephesians-spiritual-blessings","1JN/the-second-test-of-fellowship","1PE/the-living-stone-and-chosen-people","TIT/heirs-of-grace-avoid-divisions-final-remarks-and-greetings","EPH/unity-in-the-body","2PE/peters-final-challenge","PHP/introduction","1TH/pauls-ministry","COL/rules-for-holy-living","HEB/benediction-and-farewell","HEB/redemption-through-his-blood","1PE/a-greeting-from-peter-a-living-hope","1TH/greetings-to-the-thessalonians","JHN/no-greater-love","1JN/the-first-test-of-fellowship","JAS/genuine-faith","1CO/sexual-immorality","JAS/the-wisdom-from-above","1CO/introduction","ROM/righteousness-through-faith-in-christ","ROM/grace-in-jew-and-gentile-relationship","ACT/pauls-farewell-to-the-ephesians","2TH/comfort-during-persecution","1PE/a-call-to-holiness-the-enduring-word","PHP/challenge-to-live-the-example","2CO/the-light-of-the-gospel","REV/the-throne-and-the-lamb","PHM/greetings-from-paul-and-timothy-philemons-faith-and-love","COL/final-greetings","1JN/the-fourth-test-of-fellowship","HEB/jesus-is-above-the-angels","GAL/walking-by-the-spirit","1TH/living-to-please-god","ROM/from-death-to-life","REV/opening","1CO/the-order-of-resurrection","JHN/the-father-and-the-son","2TI/pauls-greeting-to-timothy-faithfulness-under-persecution","2TI/warning-of-difficulties-ahead","DAN/daniels-first-vision","COL/alive-with-christ","ISA/gods-servant","LUK/the-narrow-door","MAT/responses-to-jesus","MAT/the-sheep-and-the-goats","JHN/jesus-the-true-vine","LUK/on-the-mount-of-olives","MAT/the-baptism-of-jesus"] prevSlug: null nextSlug: "COL/the-supremacy-of-the-son" --- I am writing this to you today alongside my partner, [Timothy](/persons/timothy), with a message of genuine care. We want to reach out to all of you who have stayed true to the path we started together. Our wish for you is simple: that you experience a deep sense of peace and grace, rooted in the very core of our shared belief. We have been hearing incredible stories about you lately. People everywhere are talking about your rock-solid faith and the way you genuinely care for everyone else in the community. This isn't just a random feeling; it comes from the hope you have tucked away for the future—a hope you first heard about when the message of truth and the good news reached you. The truth is, this message is spreading like wildfire, changing lives and producing real results everywhere it goes, just as it has been doing with you since the day you first grasped the reality of what this grace actually means. You first learned these core principles from our friend [Epaphras](/persons/epaphras), who has been working tirelessly on our behalf to make sure you are taken care of. He is the one who recently gave us the update on how much you truly love others. Because of all this, we haven't stopped thinking about you or praying for you. Our main request is that you get a clear, full picture of what the bigger plan is. We want you to be filled with the kind of wisdom that actually makes a difference in how you live your day-to-day life. We want you to live in a way that truly represents the values you stand for, pleasing the right people and doing good work in everything you touch. It is about more than just surviving; it is about growing. We want to see you becoming stronger, fueled by that same internal power that keeps things moving even when life gets difficult. We want you to be the type of person who can handle pressure with patience and still maintain a sense of joy, knowing that you have been invited into a much larger, brighter story. You have been rescued from a dark, restrictive way of living and brought into a new reality—a kingdom led by a leader who values you completely. In this new space, the slate is wiped clean, and you are free to start fresh. ### Greetings from Paul and Timothy [Paul](/persons/paul), an apostle of [Christ Jesus](/persons/jesus) by the will of [God](/persons/god), and [Timothy](/persons/timothy) our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father. ### Thanksgiving and Prayer We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints— the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.
All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God. You learned it from [Epaphras](/persons/epaphras), our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also informed us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

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