Colossians 4:18

The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you.

This apostolic autograph and salutation served to authenticate the epistle. From this, Macknight reasoned that Paul knew the Colossians and that they knew him and his handwriting, else this autograph would not have meant anything.

The brevity of this salutation was probably due to the fact that with a chain on his hand Paul might have found the writing of even these few words a painful and difficult task. The placement of the utterance, "Remember my bonds," seems even to suggest this thought. How much the Gentiles owe to the patient zeal and labors of this beloved apostle can never be known until the redeemed of all ages shall greet him around the throne of God and of the Lamb.