Alive in Christ
6 Therefore, tas you ureceived Christ Jesus the Lord, so vwalk in him, 7 wrooted and xbuilt up in him and established in the faith, just as you were ytaught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8 See to it that no one ztakes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human atradition, according to the belemental spirits1 of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole cfullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and dyou have been filled in him, who is the ehead of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were fcircumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by gputting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been hburied with him in ibaptism, in which you were also jraised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, kwho raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were ldead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 mby ncanceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
The Preeminence of Christ
15 He is the zimage of the ainvisible God, bthe firstborn of all creation. 16 For cby1 him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether dthrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is ebefore all things, and in him all things fhold together. 18 And he is the ghead of the body, the church. He is hthe beginning, ithe firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be jpreeminent. 19 For in him all the kfullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him lto reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, mmaking peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, nwho once were oalienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
