1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
apostle (v.1) — Paul sometimes identified himself as a prisoner or a servant. Here, “apostle” indicates his authority in writing to a group of believers who had never met him. He used the word to mean that he was commissioned by Christ for his ministry.
Timothy (v.1) — He was with Paul and, perhaps, known to the Colossians. Paul included his name as courtesy — Timothy had no part in writing the letter.
saints (v.2) — God’s own people — those separated to God
faithful (v.2) — in the sense of believing and probably including the idea of steadfastness (in the face of the Gnostic teaching)
in Christ (v.2) — Paul used this phrase in some form 164 times in his letters
grace and peace (v.2) — Paul’s standard greeting, using the Greek (grace) and Hebrew (peace) greetings, but also conveying that God’s undeserved favor and peace were with those who believed.