Colossians 3:1-11
1: Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2: Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3: For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4: When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
5: Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6: For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,
7: and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
8: But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9: Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
10: and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
11: a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
Paul encouraged the Colossians, since they’d been raised up with Christ—having identified with Him in death, demonstrated through baptism, and raised up in triumph with Him over evil—he encouraged them to keep seeking what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. He told them to set their mind there, not on earthly things. Christ is our life—where our true life is. We are hidden in Him, and when He returns and is revealed in all His glory, the life we have in Him will be revealed as well.
Paul said since that was the case with their spiritual life and body, then they needed to consider their earthly body dead to the idolatrous sins he listed. These are the things that bring the wrath of God. Even though they participated in them before they came to Christ, they were not to do so any longer, but consider themselves dead to those things. Not only those things he listed, but also anger, wrath malice, slander, abusive speech and lying.
This was a part of the old self with its evil practices. They’d laid this old self aside and had put on the new self in Christ. This new self is being renewed—changed—into the image of the Creator, which was God’s intention all along, as far back as the garden. When we are all changed into His image, there will be no distinction between Greek, Jew, circumcised, uncircumcised etc. It will be Christ in all.
The full glory of the church will not be manifest until Christ returns. We may see glimpses of His glory in us now, but the fulness of it will not be exposed until He comes for His bride. Yet we are to walk in the purity of life He’s called us to—hidden in Him—as close to Him as we can get while still here in the flesh.
2: Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3: For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4: When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
5: Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6: For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,
7: and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
8: But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9: Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
10: and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
11: a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
***
Paul encouraged the Colossians, since they’d been raised up with Christ—having identified with Him in death, demonstrated through baptism, and raised up in triumph with Him over evil—he encouraged them to keep seeking what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. He told them to set their mind there, not on earthly things. Christ is our life—where our true life is. We are hidden in Him, and when He returns and is revealed in all His glory, the life we have in Him will be revealed as well.
Paul said since that was the case with their spiritual life and body, then they needed to consider their earthly body dead to the idolatrous sins he listed. These are the things that bring the wrath of God. Even though they participated in them before they came to Christ, they were not to do so any longer, but consider themselves dead to those things. Not only those things he listed, but also anger, wrath malice, slander, abusive speech and lying.
This was a part of the old self with its evil practices. They’d laid this old self aside and had put on the new self in Christ. This new self is being renewed—changed—into the image of the Creator, which was God’s intention all along, as far back as the garden. When we are all changed into His image, there will be no distinction between Greek, Jew, circumcised, uncircumcised etc. It will be Christ in all.
The full glory of the church will not be manifest until Christ returns. We may see glimpses of His glory in us now, but the fulness of it will not be exposed until He comes for His bride. Yet we are to walk in the purity of life He’s called us to—hidden in Him—as close to Him as we can get while still here in the flesh.
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