The form of the Greek text seems to require treating “saints” [Revised Standard Version (Revised Standard Version)] as an adjective, modifying brothers, just as faithful does, since there is the one article with the whole phrase: “to our holy and faithful brothers.” This is done by Barclay (Barclay) “dedicated and loyal,” New International Version (New International Version) “holy and faithful,” Moffatt (Moffatt) “consecrated and faithful,” and Goodspeed (Goodspeed) “devoted and steadfast.” But commentators (such as Lightfoot, Abbott, and Moule) take the word as a substantive, standing alone, as do the vast majority of translations.
God’s people represents the Greek word which is used throughout the NT as a designation of Christians, in terms of the concept of the chosen people (Israel, in the OT) as those who belong exclusively to God, by his sovereign choice and determination; in these contexts the word does not have the idea of “holy” or “saintly,” referring to moral and spiritual qualities.
Because of the need of modifying the way in which the writer is introduced in verse 1, it may be important to redistribute the contents of these first two verses, for example, “I Paul am writing to you who are God’s people in Colossae,” followed by an identification of Paul’s role as an apostle, the relationship of Timothy to the letter, and finally some statement with regard to God’s people in Colossae, for example, “It is God who has made me an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Timothy joins me in this letter to you, who are our faithful fellow Christians in union with Christ.” This introductory statement can then be followed by the actual salutation.
In some languages, it may be necessary to use a rather special form of possession in translating God’s people. A literal rendering might suggest “God’s slaves.” It is important, therefore, to employ an expression which will indicate that these are “people dedicated to God” or “people who are God’s followers.”
The phrase in Colossae may require some expansion, for example, “people who live in Colossae” or “people whose homes are in the town of Colossae.”
As in verse 1, it may also be necessary to translate brothers as “fellow Christians” or “fellow believers.”
Some languages may require a goal for the adjective faithful, that is to say, it may be necessary to indicate to whom one is faithful. In this context, it would seem quite clear that God should be the one to whom these brothers are faithful, though one might argue that the term could imply loyalty to the Gospel or even loyalty to other believers.
In union with Christ represents the formula frequently used by Paul to describe the intimate relationship which exists between Christians and their Lord; this is a corporate reality, a relationship that exists between people who have a common loyalty and devotion to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. New English Bible translates this as “incorporate in Christ,” while Barclay renders it as “Christian fellowship.” The German common language translation (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) joins “in Christ” to “faithful,” as follows: “who have faith in Christ,” but this is not probable (see Moule).
The phrase in union with Christ is probably one of the most difficult expressions in the entire NT to render satisfactorily. In some instances, one can only use a clause “who are linked with Christ” or “who become, as it were, one with Christ.” Only very rarely can one use a literal translation such as “in Christ.”
The actual salutation is standard in all of Paul’s letters; only in Romans (which adds “and from our Lord Jesus Christ”) and 2 Thessalonians (which has simply “grace and peace to you”) are the salutations different. Some important manuscripts add here “and from the Lord Jesus Christ”.
Grace is the one word which most vividly expresses God’s unconditional, unmerited, uncaused love and favor which he displays toward mankind in Christ. In the stereotyped formula of a salutation, however, it most probably refers to the result of God’s attitude in terms of blessing, so that its verbal equivalent would be, “May God bless you” or “be kind to you.” Peace is a word with its roots in the OT concept of salvation as wholeness, completeness, the full and abundant life enjoyed by God’s people because of their relationship to one another and to God. It is the new quality of life enjoyed by those who are in the fellowship of the people of God. As part of the salutation, its main emphasis is probably the lack of conflict and dissension in the Christian fellowship.
Sometimes the only way in which one may introduce the strong desire expressed in the salutation May God our Father give you grace and peace is to introduce this by some expression for prayer or supplication, for example, “I pray that God our Father may give you grace and peace” or “I ask God our Father to give you grace and peace.”
In some instances, one cannot use the appositional expression God our Father but must employ a clause as an attributive to “God,” for example, “God who is our father.”
Give you grace may be expressed as “show you his love” or “cause good to come to you.”
Peace may often be best expressed metaphorically, for example, “may God cause you to have a quiet heart” or “… to sit down in your hearts.” This emphasis of peace in this type of context is not, however mere tranquility or so-called “peace of mind.” It is far more all-embracing and therefore should suggest what is often spoken of in English as “the good life.”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .