We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
Parallel translations
- WEB We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
- KJV We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
- NKJV We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
- NASB We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
- NLT We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul tells the Colossians he constantly thanks God and prays for them. His ministry is saturated with gratitude and intercession.
Overview
Paul begins, as often, with thanksgiving, modeling that prayer should overflow with gratitude for God's work in others. He addresses God as 'the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,' a phrase that ties the Father's identity to the Son. Such constant prayer shows genuine pastoral love even for a church Paul had not personally founded.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 1 Th 1:2We always thank God for all of you, remembering you in our prayers
- 2 Tim 1:3I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as did my forefathers, as I constantly remember you night and day in my prayers.
- Col 1:9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
- Rom 1:8–9First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all over the world.
- 1 Cor 1:4I always thank my God for you because of the grace He has given you in Christ Jesus.
- Phil 1:3–5I thank my God every time I remember you.
- 1 Th 3:10–13Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking from your faith.
- Col 1:13He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,
- Eph 1:15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
- Phil 4:6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Eph 3:14–19... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
- 2 Th 2:16–17Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who by grace has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope,
- Phil 1:9–11And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The image of the invisible God, firstborn over creation, in whom all things hold together and all the fullness of God dwells bodily — supreme over every power.
How Colossians 1:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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