Colossians 1:25

ἧς ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ διάκονος. With these words Paul returns to Colossians 1:23, speaking of himself here, however, as a minister of the Church, there of the Gospel. Because he is a minister of the Church, it is a joy to suffer for its welfare. He proceeds to explain what his peculiar (ἐγὼ emphatic) ministry is. κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν : cf. Ephesians 3:2. οἰκ. is “stewardship” rather than “dispensation” (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:17). τ · Θεοῦ indicates that this office is held in the house of God, or that it has been entrusted to him by God. εἰς ὑμᾶς : to be taken with δοθ. as in Ephesians 3:2, not with πληρ. (as by Chrys. and Hofm.). It means towards you Gentiles, that is for your benefit. The context shows that the Gentiles are uppermost in his thought. πληρῶσαι τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ : “to fulfil the word of God”. πλ. is taken by some of the completion by this letter of the teaching already given to the Colossians. But Paul is speaking of the function specially entrusted to him. Generally this is explained of the geographical extension of the Gospel. Haupt thinks the geographical point of view is not present here. An essential characteristic of the Gospel is its universality. Paul's special mission is to bring this to realisation. This he does by proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentiles, thus making clear the true nature of the Gospel. This suits the context better, for Paul proceeds to define the mystery entrusted to him as the universality of salvation, not the wide extension of the Gospel. Other interpretations may be seen in Meyer or Eadie.