Section 1:3–12
Paul thanked God for the Colossians and prayed for them
In this section, Paul told the Colossian Christians that he often thanked God for them. He was grateful to God that they had trusted in Christ Jesus, and that they loved all God’s people. He told them about his prayers for them—that God would cause them to be wise and help them to know what he wanted them to do.
Epaphras had come from Colossae to visit Paul in prison. He brought news to Paul about the Christian congregations in Colossae and the towns nearby. Paul was happy to hear that the Christians in Colossae were trusting firmly in Jesus. However, he was concerned to hear that there were some people among them who wanted to continue to practice their old religious beliefs, and others who said that Christians must obey the Jewish laws. In this section of his letter, Paul concentrated on the good news he had heard from Epaphras.
Paragraph 1:3–8
The theme in this section is that Paul continually thanked God for the Colossian Christians, because they had trusted in Christ Jesus and because they loved their fellow Christians.
1:3
We: Paul said We here instead of “I” because he was including Timothy, and perhaps others who were with him.
the Father: God is not the father of Jesus in the way that a man is the biological father of a child. The use of the word Father is figurative and is used to express the unique and close relationship between God and Jesus. Calling God Father and Jesus “God’s Son” are important figures of speech throughout the NT, and you should keep these figures in your translation. If it is really impossible for you to use these figures of speech in your language, you must discuss other possibilities with your Translation Consultant to be sure you have chosen the best alternative.
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