ColossiansChapter 3

+ Secondary text Original text ← Previous Next →Contribute

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on the things above, not on the things of earth.

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

So put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

Because of these the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.

You too once walked in these ways, when you were living in them.

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth.

Do not lie to one another, since you have stripped off the old self with its practices

and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.

Here there is no Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Bear with one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against another. As the Lord forgave you, so also must you forgive.

And over all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were indeed called in one body. And be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they will lose heart.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while they are watching, to win human favor, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as for the Lord and not for people,

since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

For the one who does wrong will be repaid for the wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism.

Lookup

Summary2

Chapter 3

Main Theme: Paul exhorts believers to live a new life in Christ by putting off the old self and putting on the new.

Content: Since believers have been raised with Christ, they are to seek what is above, not earthly things—for their life is hidden with Christ in God. They are urged to put to death sinful behavior and clothe themselves with virtues such as compassion, kindness, and love, which bind everything together in perfect unity. In Christ there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, slave and free. The chapter also provides guidance for the household—husbands and wives, children and parents, slaves and masters—and all things are to be done in the Lord's name with thankfulness.

Key Words/Images:

Put off/Put on (ἀπεκδυσάμενοι/ἐνδυσάμενοι): The image of taking off the old self and putting on the new describes the Christian transformation.
The peace of Christ (εἰρήνη τοῦ Χριστοῦ): Is to rule in the hearts of believers and unite them as one body.
Love (ἀγάπη): Called the bond of perfection that binds all virtues together.
Household Code: Exhortations to various members of the household regarding mutual respect and obedience in the Lord.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for Colossians 3

Key Concepts

The chapter contains several Greek words and expressions with special significance. The expression τὰ ἄνω ("that which is above," vv. 1-2) stands in contrast to τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ("that which is on the earth"). This vertical cosmology was well known in both Jewish and Greco-Roman thought, but Paul gives it a Christ-centered content by linking "the above" to Christ's position at God's right hand.

The imagery of stripping off (ἀπεκδυσάμενοι) and putting on (ἐνδυσάμενοι) in verses 9-12 likely refers to baptismal practices in the early church, where the baptized literally stripped off their clothes before baptism and were clothed in new, white garments afterward. The metaphor of "the old self" and "the new self" thus gains a concrete liturgical resonance.

The verb βραβευέτω (v. 15, "let ... rule/judge") is drawn from athletic language and refers to the role of the umpire in the Greek games. The image of an umpire deciding the contest was easily recognizable to readers in the Greco-Roman world.

Events and Customs

The Household Codes (vv. 18-25) represent a specific literary form that gives exhortations to various groups within the household. Such lists were well known in Greco-Roman moral philosophy, especially in the Stoic tradition, where duties between spouses, parents and children, as well as masters and slaves were discussed. What distinguishes the Christian version is the grounding "in the Lord" (ἐν κυρίῳ) and the mutual obligation placed on the superior party (husbands must love, fathers must not provoke, masters must treat [slaves] justly).

Slavery was a fundamental social institution in the Roman Empire, and a significant portion of the population were slaves. Paul's exhortation to slaves to work "from the heart, as for the Lord" (v. 23) gave them a dignity that was unusual in his day, even though the letter does not directly challenge the institution itself.

People and Groups

The list of social and ethnic categories abolished in verse 11 is remarkable: Ἕλλην καὶ Ἰουδαῖος (Greek and Jew), περιτομὴ καὶ ἀκροβυστία (circumcised and uncircumcised), βάρβαρος, Σκύθης (barbarian, Scythian), δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος (slave, free). In antiquity, the Scythians were regarded as the most primitive and wild among the barbarians – they represented the extreme edge of civilization's boundaries. By including them, Paul emphasizes the universal scope of the gospel. This list is more comprehensive than the parallel in Galatians 3:28 and reflects the gospel's radical dismantling of social and ethnic dividing lines.

People2

God3 Jesus1

See all people →

Key words

No key words yet for this chapter.

Timeline1