Colossians 1:25 (DRB)

Passage

Whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given me towards you, that I may fulfil the word of God:

Nearby Context

Colossians 1:23 If so ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and immoveable from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, which is preached in all the creation that is under heaven: whereof I Paul am made a minister.

Colossians 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church:

Colossians 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given me towards you, that I may fulfil the word of God:

Colossians 1:26 The mystery which hath been hidden from ages and generations, but now is manifested to his saints,

Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ, in you the hope of glory.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whereof", "minister", "dispensation", "given", "towards", "fulfil", and "word". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whereof" and "minister", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for..." into verse 26's "The mystery which hath been hidden from...", so "whereof" and "minister" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whereof" and "minister" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.