What does Colossians 4:18 mean?

In this final verse of his letter to the Colossians, Paul adds a very personal touch. It appears Paul dictated this letter, perhaps to Timothy (Colossians 1:1), Luke (Colossians 4:14), or Mark (Colossians 4:10). This was a common technique in ancient letter writing and would not have been a surprise to his original readers. What would have stood out in this final verse is that Paul personally wrote down the final words. It was like adding his autograph, adding value to an already important letter.

With his words, Paul added, "Remember my chains. Grace be with you." Though under house arrest during this time in Rome (Acts 28:30–31), Paul may have been kept at his apartment with a chain. In some cases, prisoners were chained directly to a Roman guard in order to prevent escape. Another alternative is that Paul speaks figuratively here about his imprisonment. In either case, he had no freedom to visit the Colossian believers himself. They were to pray for him and "remember" his imprisonment.

Paul ends this letter in his typical style, by saying, "Grace be with you." Despite any hardship, Paul begins and ends with the grace of God, sufficient for salvation as well as every other aspect of the Christian life.