Colossians 1:5
“For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Their faith and love spring from the hope stored up for them in heaven, which they first heard in the true message of the gospel.
What Does Colossians 1:5 Mean?
Paul adds a third companion to faith and love: hope. Here hope is not a vague wish but a settled reality -- something laid up, reserved and waiting, kept secure in heaven beyond the reach of loss.
This hope is the soil from which faith and love grow. People who know their future is safe with God are freed to trust him now and to spend themselves in love for others, holding nothing back. Paul traces this hope to its origin: the word of the truth of the gospel, the reliable message they had received. Before he confronts the false teachers, he reminds the Colossians that the good news they first heard is true and their future is certain. Everything secure about them was given, and it cannot be taken away.
In the Original Language
Elpis (ἐλπίς), 'hope' -- in Scripture a confident expectation grounded in God's promise, not mere wishful thinking.