Colossians 1:2

To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. COLOSSE. So 'Aleph (') Delta G f g, Vulgate. But in B, 'Colasse.' As "saints" implies union with God, so "faithful brethren" union with Christians (Bengel). Here (; ; ), Paul does not write to the 'church' expressly, but to the Christians constituting it. Where he wishes specially to recommend or praise them for church unity, he perhaps addresses 'the church.' AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Supported by 'Aleph (') A C G g. Omitted by B Delta f, Vulgate....

1-8 All true Christians are brethren one to another. Faithfulness runs through every character and relation of the Christian life. Faith, hope, and love, are the three principal graces in the Christian life, and proper matter for prayer and thanksgiving. The more we fix our hopes on the reward in the other world, the more free shall we be in doing good with our earthly treasure. It was treasured up for them, no enemy could deprive them of it. The gospel is the word of truth, and we may safely venture our souls upon it. And all who hear the word of the gospel, ought to bring forth the fruit of the gospel, obey it, and have their principles and lives formed according to it. Worldly love arises, either from views of interest or from likeness in manners; carnal love, from the appetite for pleasure. To these, something corrupt, selfish, and base always cleaves. But Christian love arises from...

Verse Colossians 1:2. _TO THE SAINTS_] Those who professed Christianity. Ephesians 1:1. _WHICH ARE AT COLOSSE_] Instead of εν κολοσσαις, at Colosse, or among the Colossians, ABC, and many other excellent MSS., with both the _Syriac, Coptic, Slavonic, Origen_, Gregory Nyssen, Amphilochus, Theodoret, Damascenus, Theophylact, and others, read εν κολασσαις in _Colassa_, or among the _Colassians_; and this is most probably the true reading. That this city perished by an earthquake, a short time after the date of this epistle, we have the testimony of Eusebius. That which at present is supposed to occupy the site of this ancient city is called _Konos_. For other particulars see the _preface_ to this epistle. See C

GRACE BE UNTO YOU - See the notes at Romans 1:7....

EXPOSITION COLOSSIANS 1:1 SECTION I. INTRODUCTION. The Epistle commences, in St. Paul's manner, with a _salutation _(Colossians 1:1, Colossians 1:2), followed by _thanksgiving _(Colossians 1:3) and _prayer _(Colossians 1:9). Only in 2 Thessalonians, however, outside of the Epistles of this group, do we find a formal opening prayer. The _salutation _agrees closely with that of Ephesians....

TO THE SAINTS AND FAITHFUL BRETHREN IN CHRIST,.... This is the inscription of the epistle, in which the persons wrote unto are described as "saints", or holy men; not by birth, for all are unholy and unclean by nature; nor by baptism, for that neither takes away sin, nor gives grace; nor merely externally, by an outward reformation; but by separation, being by an act of eternal election set apart for God, for holiness, and happiness; and by imputation, Christ being made sanctification to them; and by the sanctifying grace of the Spirit of God in regeneration, being called with an holy calling, and having principles of grace and holiness wrought in them, and they formed as new men in righteousness and true holiness: and as "brethren"; being born of God, having him for their Father, and being of his household, and a part of the family in heaven and earth named of Christ, and heirs together...

Colossians 1:1. _Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ._ Kindness is the very breath of Christianity, so the apostle will not begin the subject matter of his letter until first of all he has breathed out a benediction upon those to whom he writes. Colossians 1:3. _We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,_ Paul very graciously blends his giving of thanks and his constant prayer for these Christians at Colosse, and therein sets us an example that we may well imitate....

COLOSSIANS 1:2 h`mw/n {A} After h`mw/n the Textus Receptus adds kai. kuri,ou VIhsou/ Cristou/, with a A C G I 88 614 _Byz Lect al_; the same addition is found also in other witnesses with a second h`mw/n added to kuri,ou, standing before or after VIhsou/ Cristou/. The words, which are absent from a variety of witnesses, some of them early (B D K Y 33 81 1739 itar, d, mon vg syrp, h copsa arm ethro), have no doubt been added by copyists who assimilated the text to Pauline usage; certainly no reason for deliberate omission suggests itself....

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. THE PERSON OF CHRIST, His GLORY AND His WORK CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The introduction (Colossians 1:1)_ 2. The prayer (Colossians 1:9) 3. The person and glory of Christ, Head of creation and Head of the Church (Colossians 1:15) 4. The work of reconciliation and the double ministry (Colossians 1:19) Colossians 1:1 This Epistle unfolds the doctrine of Christ and therefore Paul speaks of himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God; Timothe

COLOSSIANS 1:1 F. SALUTATION. Paul, Christ's apostle by the will of God, writes with Timothy to the consecrated people and loyal brethren in Christ who are at Colossæ....