Colossians 4

Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

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:

That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord:

Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;

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

Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)

And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.

Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.

Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.

And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.

And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.

The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. Written from Rome to the Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.

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Colossians 4:5

“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”

Study Summary

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person — 'Gracious speech' (logos charis, graceful word) contrasts with harsh or crude talk. 'Seasoned with salt' (halas) preserves and flavors: wise words are both preserving (preventing spiritual decay) and palatable. 'Answer each person' (apokrisis) appropriately suggests tailor-fit responses, not canned answers. Speech is ministry.

Community Reflections

Tobias van der Berg (test user)9h ago

The heart of worship — Colossians 4

Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The thread of covenant runs through every book of the Bible.. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing — both the anguish and the hope.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Now I understand why — it's a daily declaration of dependence on God.. The imagery here is agricultural — the original audience would have immediately understood the metaphor of sowing, waiting, and harvesting.. This is one of those passages that reads differently in every season of life. What a reminder that God's ways are not our ways. I think this is a call to trust beyond what we can see. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. God is faithful in every…

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