Colossians 4:12

12 salutat vos Epaphras qui ex vobis est servus Christi Iesu semper sollicitus pro vobis in orationibus ut stetis perfecti et pleni in omni voluntate Dei

Colossians 4:12 Meaning and Commentary

Colossians 4:12

Epaphras, who is one of you
A native of Colosse, and one of their faithful ministers; see ( Colossians 1:7 ) .

A servant of Christ;
not merely in the same sense as every believer is, but as he was a preacher of the Gospel, in which he faithfully served his Lord and master, Christ:

saluteth you;
sends his Christian respects to you, for whom he bore a sincere love and hearty affection, as appears by what follows:

always labouring fervently for you in prayers;
in all his prayers, which were many and frequent, he never forgot his dear flock at Colosse, of which he was pastor, but strove with God for them, even to an agony, as the word signifies; he wrestled with the Lord as Jacob did, nor, as he, would he let him go without a blessing for this church; he was incessant, importunate, and fervent in prayer for them: and what he prayed in particular for them was,

that ye may stand perfect;
in Christ Jesus their head, and in his spotless righteousness; see ( Colossians 1:28 ) ( 2:10 ) and continue believing in him, and looking to him for righteousness and strength, in whom all the fulness, the perfection of grace dwells; and where the saints only are, and can continue to be perfect:

and complete in all the will of God;
or "be filled" in it, have a perfect knowledge of the revealed will of God, both as to doctrine and practice, and be enabled to act according to it.

Colossians 4:12 In-Context

10 salutat vos Aristarchus concaptivus meus et Marcus consobrinus Barnabae de quo accepistis mandata si venerit ad vos excipite illum
11 et Iesus qui dicitur Iustus qui sunt ex circumcisione hii soli sunt adiutores in regno Dei qui mihi fuerunt solacio
12 salutat vos Epaphras qui ex vobis est servus Christi Iesu semper sollicitus pro vobis in orationibus ut stetis perfecti et pleni in omni voluntate Dei
13 testimonium enim illi perhibeo quod habet multum laborem pro vobis et pro his qui sunt Laodiciae et qui Hierapoli
14 salutat vos Lucas medicus carissimus et Demas
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.