Introduction to Colossians: Authorship, Date, Audience - Crain Home

Interpretation 1
B because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of
the love you have for all the saints--the faith and love that
spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven (vv. 4-
5)
C and that you have already heard about in the word of truth,
the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this
gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing
among you since the day you heard it and understood God's
grace in all its truth (vv. 5-6).
D You learned [the gospel] from Epaphras, our dear fellow
servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and
who also told us of your love in the Spirit (vv. 7-8).
C' For 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 through all spiritual wisdom and
understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a
life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way:
bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge
of God, being strengthened with all power according to his
glorious might (vv. 9-11)
B' so that you may have great endurance and patience, and
joyfully (v. 11)
A' giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share
in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light (v. 12).
Paul first (A/A') gives thanks to God, because he has heard
reports of the readers' piety, described by two related triads of
good works (B, faith, love and hope, and B', endurance,
patience and joy). He concludes by interpreting their piety to
be the natural fruit and logical growth of accepting the
gospel's truth (C/C').
http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/webcommentary
That Epaphras is the vertex seems to be consciously chosen: "Epaphras's
relationship with the Colossian church is a key to unlocking the reason Paul
wrote Colossians" (Intervarsity Press Commentaries). This commentary
suggests Paul may be concerned about Epaphras's status among the
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