14. The Son paid for our sins, and in him we have forgiveness.
15. No one has seen God, but Jesus is exactly like him. Christ ranks higher than all the things that have been made.
16. Through his power all things were made—things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, all powers, authorities, lords, and rulers. All things were made through Christ and for Christ.
17. Christ was there before anything was made. And all things continue because of him.
18. He is the head of the body. (The body is the church.) Everything comes from him. And he is the first one who was raised from death. So in all things Jesus is most important.
19. God was pleased for all of himself to live in Christ.
20. And through Christ, God decided to bring all things back to himself again—things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace by using the blood of Christ’s death on the cross.
21. At one time you were separated from God. You were God’s enemies in your minds because the evil deeds you did were against God.
22. But now Christ has made you God’s friends again. He did this by his death while he was in the body, that he might bring you into God’s presence. He brings you before God as people who are holy, with no wrong in you, and with nothing that God can judge you guilty of.
23. And Christ will do this if you continue to believe in the Good News you heard. You must continue strong and sure in your faith. You must not be moved away from the hope that Good News gave you. That same Good News has been told to everyone in the world. I, Paul, help in preaching that Good News.
24. I am happy in my sufferings for you. There are many things that Christ must still suffer through his body, the church. I am accepting my part of these things that must be suffered. I accept these sufferings in my body. I suffer for his body, the church.
25. I became a servant of the church because God gave me a special work to do that helps you. My work is to tell fully the teaching of God.