Colossians 4:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

NIV: He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

NASB: and with him is Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your own. They will inform you about the whole situation here.

CSB: He is coming with Onesimus, a faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

NLT: I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will tell you everything that’s happening here.

KJV: With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.

NKJV: with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here.

Along with Tychicus (Colossians 4:7–8), Onesimus is also tasked with helping deliver this letter to the Colossians. Onesimus was a runaway slave, once owned by a Christian named Philemon (Philemon 1). Philemon had come to faith in Christ through Paul's influence in Rome. During this same trip, Onesimus also delivered the letter Paul wrote to his master, living in this same city. History records that Philemon granted Paul's request to free Onesimus (Philemon 1:15–18), who later served as a church leader.

Paul accepted Onesimus as a fellow believer in Christ, despite being a runaway slave. At that time, this was not only violation of social rules, it was a crime punishable by death. Onesimus was also from Colossae, which is why Paul could claim he "is one of you." These two men—Onesimus and Tychicus—were bringing additional news not found in Paul's written letters. It is intriguing to speculate what additional information these men shared during their visit with the Colossian Christians. We are left with four brief chapters, yet their spoken teachings and reports probably included many hours of additional information.

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.