Colossians 1:3-9 – “Constantly Bearing Fruit and Increasing”

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From John W. Welch’s article, “Chiasmus in the New Testament”:  here.  Though I’ve changed it a bit.

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A    3  We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

B    4  since we heard

C    of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;  5  because of the hope laid up for you in heaven,

 D     of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel,  6  which has come to you,

E    just as   [kathos kai]   in all the world also

F    it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing,

E’   even as it has been   [kathos kai]   doing in you also

D’   since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; 

C’   7  just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf  8  and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

B’   9  For this reason also, since the day we heard of it,

A’   we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

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Colossians 1:9-23 – Jesus: Saviour, Creator, God

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A    [Me:  The Christian Walk (Steadfast):]    9  For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,  10  so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;  11  strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously  12  giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

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B    [Me:  Salvation Accomplished:]    13  For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,  /  14  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

 C    15  And He is the image of the invisible God,

D    the first-born of all creation.

E    16  For by Him all things were created,

F    both in the heavens

G    and on earth, 

G’   visible

F’   and invisible,

E’   whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things through Him and for Him have been created.

D’   17  And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  18  He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.

C’   19  For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him,

B’   [Me:  Salvation Accomplished:]    20  and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on (b’)  earth or things in  (a’)  heaven.

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21  And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,  22  yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death,  /  in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach —

A’   [Me:  The Christian Walk (Steadfast):]    — 23  if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

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