Colossians 1:13-19

13God has saved us from the dark kingdom where Satan rules. He has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, whom he loves.

14God's Son, Jesus, paid the price for our sins and made us free. Yes, God has forgiven us.

15We cannot see God. But Jesus Christ shows us completely who God is. Even before God made anything, Jesus was already there as God's Son who rules everything.

16When God created everything, it was his Son who did it. His Son made everything that is on earth and in heaven. He created everything that we can see, as well as the things that we cannot see. He made rulers and leaders. He made everything that has power and authority. God gave his Son the authority to create everything, so that his Son would receive praise.

17God's Son was there before anything else was there. And now he causes everything to continue in its proper place.

18The church is like Christ's body and he is its head. He is where it all begins. As God's special Son, he was the first person who became alive again after death. As a result, Christ is first and most important in all things.

19God chose to put his nature in Christ completely.