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Colossians 1 General Notes
Structure and formatting
As in a typical letter, Paul begins his letter in verses 1-2 by introducing Timothy and himself to the Christians in Colossae.
Paul writes much of this chapter around two subjects: who Christ is, and what Christ has done for the Christian.
Special concepts in this chapter
Secret truth
Paul refers to a "secret truth" in this chapter. The role of the church in the plans of God was once unknown. But God has now revealed it. Part of this involves the Gentiles having equal standing with the Jews in the plans of God. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/reveal)
Important figures of speech in this chapter
Images for Christian living
Paul uses many different images to describe Christian living. In this chapter, he uses the images of "walking" and "bearing fruit." (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/fruit)
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
Paradox
A paradox is a true statement that appears to describe something impossible. Verse 24 is a paradox: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you." People do not usually rejoice when they suffer. But in verses 25-29 Paul explains why his suffering is good. (Colossians 1:24)
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