Colossians 3

Colossians 3 is the third of the four chapters of Colossians. Chapter 2 teaches that believers have died and been raised with Christ. Building on that teaching, chapter 3 opens the letter's practical section, which gives concrete exhortations for the new life.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 Those who have been raised with Christ are to seek and set their minds on the things above. The believer's life is hid with Christ in God, and when Christ appears, believers will also appear with Him in glory.
• Verses 5–11 Believers are to put to death their members which are upon the earth, such as fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness. They are also to put off anger, malice, and lying. Among those who have put off the old man and put on the new, there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, or between bond and free.
• Verses 12–17 Believers are to put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering, to forgive one another, and above all these things to put on love. The passage then urges that the peace of Christ and the word of Christ, together with praise and thanksgiving, fill the community.
• Verses 18–25 Exhortations are addressed in turn to wives and husbands, children and fathers, and servants. The exhortation to masters continues into Colossians 4:1.

Key Verses

• Colossians 3:2 "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" is the starting point for the exhortations of the entire chapter.
• Colossians 3:14 "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness" teaches that love is what binds the various virtues together.
• Colossians 3:23 "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord" is frequently cited as a verse connecting everyday work with faith.

People and Places

• Jesus Christ is portrayed as seated at the right hand of God and as the one who will appear in the future.
• The Scythians were a nomadic people north of the Black Sea. In the Greco-Roman world of the time, their name served as a byword for uncivilized foreign peoples.
• "Barbarian" renders the Greek barbaros and refers to foreigners who did not speak Greek.

Points for Reflection

• This chapter closely parallels Ephesians in both content and order. The section on the old man and the new man is read alongside Ephesians 4:22–24, and the household code alongside Ephesians 5:21–25 and Ephesians 6:5–9. Verse 11, which declares that there is no distinction, connects with Galatians 3:26–29.
• Interpretations of "submit" in verses 18–19 differ. One view takes it as describing a household order in which the husband is the head. Another regards it as an exhortation that reworks the household codes of contemporary society "in the Lord" and applies it today to a relationship of mutual service between husband and wife. This discussion also bears on the question of women's ordination.
• The exhortation to servants raises the question of whether the passage endorses slavery. Many interpreters hold that the exhortation addresses one's attitude before the Lord rather than the institution itself. The story of Onesimus, who is named in Colossians 4:9, appears in Philemon.
• The "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" of verse 16 are frequently cited in the worship music debate. Some Reformed traditions read the phrase as centered on psalm singing, while many churches read it as grounds for singing a variety of songs of praise.

In the Korean Church

• Verses 18–21 are frequently used as sermon texts at wedding services and during May, which Korean churches observe as Family Month.
• Verse 23 is frequently cited in sermons on vocation, work, and church service.
• Verse 16 is commonly cited to explain the ministry of the choir and praise teams.