Colossians 4:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

NIV: I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

NASB: I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.

CSB: I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

NLT: HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING — PAUL. Remember my chains. May God’s grace be with you.

KJV: The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.

NKJV: This salutation by my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.

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.

Colossians 4:7–18 ends Paul's letter to the believers at Colossae in his typical fashion. Most of Paul's letters begin with an introduction, transition from ideas into applications, and then end with general news and greetings. Here, Paul specifically mentions the town of Laodicea, which was about 12 miles away from Colossae. He also refers to several fellow Christians, some of whom are mentioned in other letters as well, including Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Epaphras, and Luke.

The first verse of chapter 4 is actually the last thought from Paul's prior comments about bondservants and masters. After this, Paul gives the Christian perspective on conversation. The way believers speak has a large impact on the effectiveness of our message. Paul then ends his letter with news and messages between various Christian ministers. Among these are names which Paul mentions again in other letters, such as Tychicus, Epaphras, Archippus, and Onesimus.

Prior chapters in this letter established the supremacy of Christ, provided counters to false teaching, and gave instructions for Christian living. Chapter 4 completes these instructions with a general command regarding Christian conversation. Paul then ends the letter with news and comments related to various fellow Christian believers. This follows the general pattern for Paul's letters: introduction, theory, application, personal news and farewell.

The book of Colossians describes Christ as superior to all other teachers, faiths, and philosophies. In this letter, written from prison, Paul once again tackles false teachings. Among these errors are claims that Christians need to give up all physical enjoyments, that they should worship angels, and that they need to rely on the wisdom of an elite few. These problems are consistent with an ancient heresy known as Gnosticism. In response, Paul explains that Christ is supreme, and sufficient for our salvation.