Colossians 1:16 (GNV)

Passage

For by him were all things created, which are in heauen, and which are in earth, thinges visible and inuisible: whether they be Thrones or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers, all things were created by him, and for him,

Nearby Context

Colossians 1:14 In whome we haue redemption through his blood, that is, the forgiuenesse of sinnes,

Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the inuisible God, the first begotten of euery creature.

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, which are in heauen, and which are in earth, thinges visible and inuisible: whether they be Thrones or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers, all things were created by him, and for him,

Colossians 1:17 And hee is before all things, and in him all things consist.

Colossians 1:18 And hee is the head of the body of the Church: he is the beginning, and the first begotten of the dead, that in all thinges hee might haue the preeminence.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "created", "heauen", "earth", "thinges", "visible", "inuisible", and "whether". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "created", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Who is the image of the inuisible..." into verse 17's "And hee is before all things and...", so "all things" and "created" 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 "all things" and "created" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.