Colossians 1:15-23

Colossians 1

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, ¹⁶ for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and all things hold together in him.

¹⁸ He is also the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things he might have the highest rank. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile all things to himself (whether things on earth or in heaven) by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Reconciled Through Christ’s Death

²¹ At one time, you were alienated from God and hostile in your thinking as expressed through your evil deeds. ²² But now Christ reconciled you in his body of flesh through death, in order to present you holy, blameless, and faultless before him— ²³ if you continue steadfast and firm in faith, without being moved away from the hope of the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a minister.