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Saturday, August 30th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Chinese NCV (Simplified)

歌罗西书 1:1

問安奉 神旨意作基督耶穌使徒的保羅,和提摩太弟兄,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Call;   Minister, Christian;   Paul;   Timothy;   Scofield Reference Index - Colossians;   Thompson Chain Reference - Apostleship of Paul;   Paul's;   Timothy;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Timothy;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Apostle;   Mission;   Will of God;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Jesus Christ;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Rome;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Timothy;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Apostles;   Colossians;   Disciples;   Timothy;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Apostles;   Colossae;   Timothy;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Colossians, Epistle to the;   Ephesians Epistle to the;   Timothy;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Christ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Tim'othy;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Saul of Tarsus;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Colossae;   Colossians, Epistle to the;   Timothy;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for November 25;  

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
奉 神 旨 意 , 作 基 督 耶 稣 使 徒 的 保 罗 和 兄 弟 提 摩 太

Contextual Overview

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am an apostle because that is what God wanted. Also from Timothy, our brother. 2 To the holy and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ that live in Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

an: Romans 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:1, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1

Timotheus: Philippians 1:1, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:1, Philemon 1:1

Reciprocal: Numbers 7:23 - General Matthew 12:18 - my beloved Matthew 23:8 - all Acts 16:1 - named Romans 16:21 - Timotheus

Cross-References

Genesis 1:4
God saw that the light was good, so he divided the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:5
God named the light "day" and the darkness "night." Evening passed, and morning came. This was the first day.
Genesis 1:11
Then God said, "Let the earth produce plants—some to make grain for seeds and others to make fruits with seeds in them. Every seed will produce more of its own kind of plant." And it happened.
Genesis 1:12
The earth produced plants with grain for seeds and trees that made fruits with seeds in them. Each seed grew its own kind of plant. God saw that all this was good.
Genesis 1:16
So God made the two large lights. He made the brighter light to rule the day and made the smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars.
Genesis 1:17
God put all these in the sky to shine on the earth,
Genesis 1:19
Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fourth day.
Genesis 1:20
Then God said, "Let the water be filled with living things, and let birds fly in the air above the earth."
Genesis 1:22
God blessed them and said, "Have many young ones so that you may grow in number. Fill the water of the seas, and let the birds grow in number on the earth."
Genesis 1:30
I have given all the green plants as food for every wild animal, every bird of the air, and every small crawling animal." And it happened.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,.... The apostle puts his name to this epistle, by which he was known in the Gentile world, as he usually does in all his epistles; and styles himself "an apostle", as he was, having seen Christ in person, and received his commission, doctrine, and qualifications immediately from him, with a power of doing miracles to confirm the truth of his mission. This he chose to make mention of, partly because the false teachers everywhere insinuated that he was not an apostle; and partly to give the greater sanction and authority, and command the greater regard and credit to what he should say; as well as to excuse his freedom in writing to them whom he had never seen, since he was an apostle of the Gentiles, and so to them; see Romans 11:13; he calls himself an apostle "of Jesus Christ"; not of men, he was not sent out by men, but by Christ, who appeared to him, made him a minister of his, gave him his Gospel by revelation, abundantly qualified him for the work, sent him forth unto the Gentiles, in whose name he went as an ambassador and messenger of his, and whom he preached, and by whom he was greatly succeeded, to the conversion of many souls, who were seals of his apostleship in every place, 1 Corinthians 9:2: into which office he came

by the will of God; not by the will of men, for he derived no authority and power, nor received any doctrine from men; nor by his own will, of his own head, by any usurpation of his; he did not take this office upon him of himself, but was invested with it, according to the secret will and purpose of God, from everlasting, who had ordained and appointed him to this service, and according to his will of command made known to him in time, when he told him what he should do, and openly separated, and sent him forth to do the work he had called him to; and which arose not from any merits or worthiness of the apostle, but from the sovereign good will and pleasure, free grace and favour, of God, to which the apostle continually ascribes it in all his epistles:

and Timotheus [our] brother; who joined with the apostle in this epistle, and whom he calls a "brother"; partly because of the Christian relation he stood in to him, and them, they being all brethren, children of the same Father, partakers of the same grace of regeneration, belonging to the same family, and so should own and love one another as brethren; and partly and chiefly because of his being a brother, companion, fellow soldier, and a fellow labourer in the Gospel. He mentions him, either because he was known unto them, or that he might be so; and to show the agreement there was between them in the doctrine of Christ, which might have the greater weight with them to abide in it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ - See the notes. at Romans 1:1

By the will of God - Notes, 1 Corinthians 1:1.

And Timotheus our brother - On the question as to why Paul associated others with him in his epistles, see the notes at 1 Corinthians 1:1. There was a particular reason why Timothy should be associated with him in writing this Epistle. He was a native of the region where the church was situated Acts 16:1-3, and had been with Paul when be preached there, and was doubtless well known to the church there; Acts 16:6. It is evident, however, from the manner in which Paul mentions him here, that he did not regard him as “an apostle,” and did not wish the church at Colosse to consider him as such. It is not “Paul and Timothy, apostles of Jesus Christ,” but “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother.” Paul is careful never to apply the term “apostle” to Timothy; Philippians 1:1. “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ;” compare 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1. If he had regarded Timothy as an apostle, or as having apostolic authority, it is not easy to conceive why he should not have referred to him as such in these letters to the churches. Could he have failed to see that the manner in which he referred to him was adapted to produce a very important difference in file estimate in which he and Timothy would be held by the Colossians?

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS.

Chronological Notes relative to this Epistle.

Usherian year of the world, 4066.

-Alexandrian era of the world, 5564.

-Antiochian era of the world, 5554.

-Constantinopolitan era of the world, 5570.

-Year of the Eusebian epocha of the Creation, 4290.

-Year of the Julian period, 4772.

-Year of the minor Jewish era of the world, 3822.

-Year of the Greater Rabbinical era of the world, 4421.

-Year from the Flood, according to Archbishop Usher, and the English Bible, 2410.

-Year of the Cali yuga, or Indian era of the Deluge, 3164.

-Year of the era of Iphitus, or since the first commencement of the Olympic games, 1002.

-Year of the Nabonassarean era, 809.

-Year of the era of the Seleucidae, 374.

-Year of the Spanish era, 100.

-Year of the Actiac or Actian era, 93.

-Year from the birth of Christ, 66.

-Year of the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 62.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Varro, 814.

-Year of the CCXth Olympiad, 2.

-Jesus, high priest of the Jews.

-Common Golden Number, 6.

-Jewish Golden Number, 3.

-Year of the Solar Cycle, 15.

-Dominical Letter, C.

-Jewish Passover, April 10th.

-Easter Sunday, April 11th.

-Epact, or the moon's age on the 22d of March, or the Xth of the Calends of April, 25.

-Year of the reign of Nero Caesar, the sixth emperor of the Romans, 9.

-In the first year of Albinus, governor of the Jews.

-Year of Vologesus, king of the Parthians, 12.

-Year of Domitius Corbulo, governor of Syria, 3.

-Roman Consuls, P. Marius Celsus, and L. Asinius Gallus, from Jan. 1st to July 1st; and L. Annaeus Seneca, the philosopher, and Trebellius Maximus, for the remainder of the year.

CHAPTER I.

The salutation of Paul and Timothy to the Church at Colosse,

1, 2.

They give thanks to God for the good estate of that Church, and

the wonderful progress of the Gospel in every place, 3-6;

having received particulars of their state from Epaphroditus,

which not only excited their gratitude, but led them to pray to

God that they might walk worthy of the Gospel; and they give

thanks to Him who had made them meet for an inheritance among

the saints in light, 7-12.

This state is described as a deliverance from the power of

darkness, and being brought into the kingdom of God's dear Son,

13, 14.

The glorious character of Jesus Christ, and what He has done for

mankind, 15-20.

The salvation which the Colossians had received, and of which

the apostle had been the minister and dispenser, 21-26.

The sum and substance of the apostle's preaching, and the manner

in which he executed his ministry, 27-29.

NOTES ON CHAP. I.

Verse Colossians 1:1. Paul, an apostle - by the will of God — As the word αποστολος, apostle, signifies one sent, an envoy or messenger, any person or persons may be the senders: but the word is particularly restrained to the messengers of the everlasting Gospel, sent immediately from God himself; and this is what St. Paul particularly remarks here when he calls himself an apostle by the will of God; signifying that he had derived his commission from an express volition or purpose of the Almighty.

And Timotheus — Though Timothy is here joined in the salutation, yet he has never been understood as having any part in composing this epistle. He has been considered as the amanuensis or scribe of the apostle.


 
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