Colossians 1:7

7 You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our ^[a] behalf,

Colossians 1:7 Meaning and Commentary

Colossians 1:7

As ye also learned of Epaphras
To know the grace of God, believe the truth of the Gospel, and to own and profess it sincerely.

Our dear fellow servant;
a "servant" of Christ he was, and a "fellow" servant of the apostles, jointly engaged with them in preaching the Gospel; which character, as it greatly commends Epaphras, and shows him to be a very considerable preacher of the word, so it expresses the great humility and condescension of the apostle, in putting him upon a level with himself, though he was not in that high office of the apostleship he was. And "dear" this precious servant of Christ was to him, and his fellow ministers, on account of the grace and gifts bestowed on him, because of his usefulness in the ministry, and his faithfulness and integrity in the discharge of it; and whose company and conversation in the prison greatly endeared him to them, for he was a fellow prisoner, as well as a fellow servant, ( Philemon 1:23 ) . It follows,

who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
one whom Christ had made a "minister" and not man, who was qualified, and sent forth, and made successful by him in his service; and who preached none but Christ, and him crucified, in the business of salvation: and he was a "faithful" one; one that sought not his own glory, but the glory of him that sent him; nor to please men, but his master; who concealed no part of his message, but freely and fully declared the whole; he was faithful to Christ, who put him into the ministry, and to the souls of men, to whom he ministered: and therefore it is said, he was such an one "for you"; for them, not for himself; for their spiritual good and advantage; he sought not theirs, but them; he had a great zeal for them, dearly loved them, and spent his time and strength, and made use of his gifts and talents while among them, for their use and benefit.

Colossians 1:7 In-Context

5 the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel

6 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 truly understood the grace of God.

7 You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,

8 and who also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

9 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 in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Footnotes

• [a]. NE, NA, BYZ, and TR your