We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.

Colossians 1:3-5

Here is my greeting in my own handwriting—Paul.

Remember my chains.

May God’s grace be with you.
Colossians 4:18

• Colossians is known as one of Paul's "Prison Epistles." He writes to a church he did not plant, facing early forms of heresy that threatened to mix Christian truth with pagan philosophy.
• Before addressing the specific threats, Paul begins with a solid foundation, asserting his divine authority and celebrating the reality of their spiritual life.
• Colossians 1:1-4 reveals the three essential, interlocked virtues that define every genuine believer: Faith, Love, and Hope.
• Paul expresses thanksgiving for the Colossians, highlighting the three interdependent virtues that structure the Christian life (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:13).
• The Root: Faith (Colossians 1:4a): "...since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus..."
• Faith is the essential starting point—the root that grasps Christ. It is a trusting assurance in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ.
• Notice the object is "in Christ Jesus." Christian faith is not blind optimism; it is a solid conviction focused on a specific, historical, divine person. This is what sets them apart as true believers.
• The Fruit: Love (Colossians 1:4b): "...and of the love which you have for all the saints."
• Love (agapē) is the inevitable evidence and the first visible fruit of genuine faith. It is sacrificial, selfless action on behalf of others.
• Their love is directed "for all the saints"—the visible body of Christ. True love for God is proven by a corresponding, tangible love for fellow believers (1 John 4:20). Faith in Christ produces love for Christ's people.
• The Goal: Hope (Colossians 1:5): "...because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel."
• Hope is the forward-looking anchor—the confident, certain expectation of future glory and the promise of eternal life.
• The Anchor: Hope is what grounds their faith and motivates their love. Because they are certain of their reward in heaven, they can endure present trials and live sacrificially.
• Paul confirms they "heard" this truth through "the word of truth, the gospel." 
• The Gospel is not just the entry point; it is the source that produces and sustains this triangle of virtues.

• Check the Root: Is your Faith securely rooted in the person and work of Jesus Christ?
• Check the Fruit: Is your faith bearing the visible Fruit of Love toward the body of Christ and those outside of it?
• Check the Anchor: Does the certainty of your Hope in heaven motivate you to live with joy and sacrifice today?
• The message of Paul's greeting is a powerful reminder that authentic Christianity is defined not by external ceremony or complicated philosophy, but by the simple, life-changing reality of a Faith in Christ that produces Love for His people, sustained by an unshakable Hope in His promises.