Epaphras (1.7) is here, like Onesimus (verse 9), called “one of yourselves” (Revised Standard Version), that is, from the community or the church. Like Paul (Rom 1.1, Phil 1.1) he is a servant of Christ Jesus. Greeting from Epaphras may be better expressed in some languages as “Epaphras sends his greetings,” or “Epaphras also wants to say that he remembers you,” or “Epaphras also wishes you well.” The form which this greeting takes depends, of course, upon the way in which greetings are generally expressed in writing. See the discussion under verse 10.

Another member of your group may be further specified as “another person who belongs to your group of believers.”

A servant of Christ Jesus may be rendered as “one who works for Christ Jesus.”

His manner of prayer, fervently (Good News Translation) or “earnestly” (Revised Standard Version) is expressed by the verb which in 1.29 is translated “struggle.” It indicates effort and intensity (Jerusalem Bible “battling,” ver WEYver* New International Version “wrestling”). He always prays fervently for you may be translated as “he always prays for you with all his heart” or “his whole heart is in his prayers for you.”

Epaphras’ prayer is that God will make the Colossians stand firm, as mature and fully convinced Christians. The verb for stand firm is in the passive voice, and the prayer probably means that God is asked to make the Colossians stand firm. In a number of languages, the phrase stand firm may be best expressed as a negation of vacillation or change, for example, “he asks God to cause you not to change in your faith,” or “… not to waver in your faith,” or “… not to give up believing.”

Mature translates the adjective teleios (see 1.28), and fully convinced Christians, represents the participle of plērophoreō, which could mean either “filled” (that is, “complete”) or “convinced, assured” (Lohse prefers the former, Moule the latter). See the cognate noun plērophoria in 2.2. Barclay has “firm in your faith, mature in your conviction.”

Mature … Christians may be rendered as “those who are complete as Christians” or “those believers in whom nothing is lacking.” Fully convinced Christians may then be rendered as “persons who are completely convinced in their belief in Christ,” or “those who believe in Christ with all their hearts,” or “those who have no doubts mixed with their faith.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .