Colossians 4

Colossians 4 is the final chapter of Colossians. Verse 1 completes the household code from the latter part of chapter 3 with instructions to masters, and the remaining verses close the letter with a request for prayer and a series of greetings.

Outline

• Verse 1 Masters are to remember that they also have a Master in heaven and are to give their servants that which is just and equal.
• Verses 2–4 Paul urges the readers to continue in prayer and to watch with thanksgiving. Writing as a prisoner, he asks them to pray that a door would be opened for the preaching of the word.
• Verses 5–6 Believers are to walk in wisdom toward outsiders ("them that are without," that is, unbelievers) and to let their speech be with grace, seasoned with salt.
• Verses 7–9 Paul sends Tychicus and Onesimus to report on his circumstances.
• Verses 10–14 Aristarchus, Mark, Jesus called Justus, Epaphras, Luke, and Demas send greetings.
• Verses 15–17 Paul sends greetings to the brethren in Laodicea and to the church in the house of Nympha. He directs that this letter also be read in the church of the Laodiceans and that Archippus be told to fulfill his ministry.
• Verse 18 Paul writes a greeting with his own hand and asks the readers to remember his bonds.

Key Verses

• Colossians 4:2 "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." This is a well-known verse encouraging persistent prayer.
• Colossians 4:6 "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt." This verse is frequently cited as an exhortation concerning the speech and conversation of Christians.

People and Places

• Paul: The sender of the letter. In this chapter he appears as a prisoner.
• Tychicus: "A faithful minister" sent to report on Paul's circumstances.
• Onesimus: A brother from Colossae.
• Aristarchus: Paul's fellow prisoner.
• Mark: The "sister's son to" Barnabas, that is, his nephew.
• Jesus called Justus: Introduced together with Aristarchus and Mark as being "of the circumcision," that is, believers of Jewish background.
• Epaphras: A native of Colossae who labors fervently in prayer for the believers there.
• Luke: "The beloved physician."
• Demas: A fellow worker who joins in sending greetings.
• Nympha: A church met in her house. Some manuscripts read the name as masculine (Nymphas).
• Archippus: One who had received a ministry in the Lord.
• Laodicea and Hierapolis: Cities near Colossae. Laodicea is one of the seven churches of Asia.

Points for Reflection

• Onesimus is commonly identified with the Onesimus of Philemon. Archippus also appears in Philemon 1:2.
• The text does not explain what "the epistle from Laodicea" in verse 16 refers to. Some regard it as a letter that has not survived; others identify it with Ephesians, understood as a letter circulated among several churches.
• The instructions to masters and servants in verse 1 are read alongside Ephesians 6:5–9. Interpreters differ on how to understand the institution of slavery in that period.
• Mark's reappearance as Paul's fellow worker is understood to indicate that their relationship was restored after the conflict recorded in Acts 15. Demas appears in 2 Timothy 4:10 as one who forsook Paul.

In the Korean Church

Colossians 4:2 is often cited in sermons at prayer meetings and early morning prayer meetings as an encouragement to pray. Colossians 4:6 is used in preaching and teaching on Christian speech.