Colossians 4:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—

NIV: And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

NASB: praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;

CSB: At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains,

NLT: Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains.

KJV: Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

NKJV: meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,

In addition to praying for themselves, Paul asks the Colossian Christians to pray for him and those with him. Paul was honest about his need for prayer, especially since he was bound under house arrest at the time. It's interesting to note that Paul does not specifically ask the Christians of Colossae to pray for his freedom. Instead, he asks them to petition God for opportunities to share the gospel. Paul also spoke of a "doors" opened for his preaching ministry in both 1 Corinthians 16:9 and 2 Corinthians 2:12. The "mystery" he speaks of is the same as mentioned in Colossians 2:2.

Though only under house arrest in this particular imprisonment, Paul had no ability to leave or travel freely. The reason for his captivity was his work for the gospel. Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem by those who opposed him and would remain incarcerated until appealing to Caesar, in order to avoid an assassination attempt. At the time of his writing, he was awaiting trial in Rome.

Colossians 4:2–6 completes the main substance of Paul's letter. This passage starts with a request for personal prayer, then transitions into a command regarding how Christians speak. Paul uses the metaphor of salt. Salt, in Paul's day, was valuable enough to be used as money, and was treasured for its ability to preserve and flavor foods. In the same way, a Christian's speech should be helpful and valuable, ''flavored'' differently from the speech of non-believers, and preserving the message of Christ.

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.

Accessed 5/1/2024 2:30:42 PM