Colossians 3 New International Version - UK
(NIVUK)
Living as those made alive in Christ
3
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above,
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things
above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with
Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will
appear with him in glory.
5
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these
ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all
such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from
your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self
with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in
knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew,
circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is
all, and is in all.
12
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each
other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love,
which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you
were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among
you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through
psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your
hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Instructions for Christian households
18
Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19
Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21
Fathers,[c] do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
22
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their
eye is on you and to curry their favour, but with sincerity of heart and
reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as
working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will
receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are
serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is
no favouritism.
CHRIST above! From Elim Missions
Colossians 3
v1-4
What does it mean to set hearts and minds on things above?
1. It is not to be inactive on earth.
Setting our hearts and minds above means we have to go lower. It is here where our mission is. And so Paul says battle with your humanity on earth in relation to yourself and to that of others
v5-14.
Mission is lowering yourself to earth.
Mission is lowering yourself to earth.
Whenever I am in a country like Africa or India I am watching people. And I am asking myself 'how does it feel for these people when life is just how it was yesterday?' Their earth experience is limited and sometimes disabled. But we are called to their earth to serve and to surrender but we do this from a place of a mind and heart fixed on above.
2.
Mind means attitude
The DRC was the most moving time for my life. The community we visited were gripped with fear. The rape capital of the world, 48 an hour. It was easy to see how that statistic was possible as the women are taken from their homes and raped many times.
One thing was said to me time and again, "the enemy cannot take my eternity." Their mind was resolute on Him above!
In lesser struggles of life, for our world, there are many who want a change of circumstances but not a change in their thinking.
3.
Heart means attention
In the Pilgrims’ Progress, there is a man with a muck-rake who looks no other way but down as he rakes to himself the straws, the small sticks and the dust of the floor. There stands also one man over his head with a crown in his hand to offer the man that crown. But the man does not look up, but rakes the floor. To this man, heaven is nothing but a fable, and only things here on earth are counted substantial. Are we like the man? Or is our heart and mind set on Christ above.
Reformation Study Bible Colossians 3:3
3:3
hidden with Christ in God. Some
understand this to mean that the new life of the Christian is not obvious to
others and is “hidden” or concealed in that sense. However, comparison with 2:3
indicates that more is in view. The believer is inseparably united with Christ
(John 6:51–58 note; cf. Gal. 2:20). The full reality of the new life is not yet
fully revealed, but to be “hidden with Christ in God” means that the new life
is secure in Christ. What God has freely given neither man nor angel can take
away (John 10:29).
Reformation Study Bible Colossians 3:16
3:16
dwell in you richly. Because the believer is united with Christ (3:3 note), not
only the “word of Christ,” but Christ Himself lives in the hearts of the
faithful (Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:17; cf. Rom. 8:9). With God’s wisdom present in
this way (3:3; cf. 1 Cor. 1:30), the ethical demands of Christian love can be
lived out in every part of life, including the everyday responsibilities that
are reviewed in 3:18–4:6).
teaching
and admonishing. The first half of this verse is strongly reminiscent of 1:28. In
the ministry of the Colossians to one another, the word of Christ will be as
effective as the presence of the apostle himself.
psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament,
the three nouns used in this phrase are often synonymous. It is not likely that
in Colossians they designate three separate types of song (Eph. 5:19).
The IVP New Testament Commentary Series
Be at Peace (3:15)
As
love between people must reign in the faith community, so also must the peace
of Christ rule in your hearts. According to Jewish psychology, the heart is the
location of volition; one's entire life is guided by what takes place in the
heart. If the peace of Christ rules the heart, then every decision made and
every action taken will have the quality of peace. Yet Paul expresses this
prayer for peace as a corporate prospect: as members of one body you were
called to peace. So love characterizes the community's public life, and peace
characterizes its internal life. This being so, every collective decision and
action that comes from the community will have the character of peace.
But
what does Paul mean by peace? First, peace comes from the Lord Christ and
conforms to the results of his death and resurrection. Paul uses the same root
verb for rule (brabeuo) that he earlier used of the spiritual umpire who has
threatened to "disqualify" (katabrabeuo) any convert who fails to
observe ascetic religious practices (2:18). The result in this case is moral
and spiritual frustration (2:22-23). In sharp contrast to Paul's opponent,
Christ's spiritual umpiring promotes peace within the community. Second, the
meaning of peace comes from its Old Testament use. While Paul elsewhere speaks
of the spiritual and interior dimensions of shalom (Rom 5:1-11), the biblical
prophets used it as a comprehensive word for God's full transformation of the
covenant community's situation. God chooses Israel for salvation (v. 12) and
calls Israel to peace. Thus, when Jeremiah, with whom Paul closely identified,
denounced the false prophets of Israel, he claimed that their teaching could
not produce peace and should be viewed as "deceptive words" or
"lies" (Jer 7:4-8; 23:14). Truth produces peace, while lies produce
spiritual and moral frustration.
Further,
if Christ rules over the community as Lord of all things, the peace he gives no
doubt extends beyond the inward experience of reconciliation. Addressing the
Colossian setting, Paul perhaps feels it necessary to extend the meaning of
peace to include the material: the Lord Christ's rule ends any need for
asceticism, which not only denies the physical but, in the case of the
Colossian "philosophy," abuses it as well (see 2:23).
The IVP New Testament Commentary Series
The Beginning of Virtue (3:17)
Paul's
summary of his discussion of virtue is similar to his summary of vice (3:11) in
two ways. First, both affirm that the whole of Christian life, whether . . .
word or deed, derives from the Lord Jesus. By minding the "things
above," the community finds that it has good reason for giving thanks to
God the Father through him. Second, both continue Paul's polemic against false
religion. Lohse suggests that the phrase in the name of the Lord Jesus was formulated
to encourage the conviction that "the Christian's entire life is placed
under obedience to the Lord" (Lohse 1971:152-53). Any rule of faith that
disregards the centrality of the Lord Christ for Christianity's
self-understanding cannot result in proper worship of and witness to God.
Further, our active worship to God comes through him [Christ] alone—not through
our congregational leaders or religious rituals and rules. This closing
formula, which places the community in relationship to God through Christ,
reminds us of what Paul said earlier in 3:3: the community's hope for salvation
is viable only if its "life is hidden with Christ in God."
The Bible Panorama
Colossians 3
V 1–4: PRINCIPLE OCCUPATION In contrast to earthbound legalistic observance of man-made rules
and procedures, the principle occupation of the Colossian Christians must be to
realise that Christ is risen and is ascended. He now resides above, at the
right hand of God. Accordingly, the Christian must focus his mind on heavenly
and eternal things, bearing in mind that he is to reckon himself crucified with
Christ and risen with Him. Jesus Christ will come again and take the believer
with Him to glory.
V 5–9: PUT OFF Doctrine
leads to conduct. The Christian’s body is to be dead to sin. Paul stipulates
the evil attitudes and specific sins which have to be put off. The world will
be condemned for those sins from which the Christian has been cleansed. They
include sins of attitude and word, as well as the more obvious high profile
sins of action.
V 10–17: PUT ON Whatever
the background, the Christian is renewed in Christ. He has ‘put on the new
man’, reflecting this in increasing likeness to his Saviour. This produces
great oneness with other Christians and a sense of Christ’s presence and
sovereignty. Paul then tells the Colossians specifically what to ‘put on’ as
Christians. It includes attitudes, motives and relationships with one another
as fellow forgiven Christians. Love must cover everything and God’s peace will
arbitrate in the hearts of those who follow Christ. Only by letting the word of
Christ have its place in the life of a believer can a Christian be reprogrammed
from his sinful life to a life of praise, singing, wisdom and concern for other
believers. All must be done for Christ and with thanksgiving to God through
Him.
V 18–25: PRACTICAL OBEDIENCE Obedience to God will be shown in the way others are treated in
practice. This includes spouses, children and parents, and the place of
employment (covered under ‘bond servants’ in the passage). The principle is to
do something for Christ from a full heart, and not just to seek the acclaim of
men, while concentrating on the individual’s selfless duty to do the right and
best thing for others. Reward and retribution are both in the hand of God,
dependent upon attitude and action.
Dictionary of Bible Themes
7925 fellowship, among believers
The
fellowship that believers share as a result of their common union with God
through Jesus Christ is expressed in life together. It is evident in worship
together, in a love for one another which reflects God’s own love and in a
practical commitment to one another which is demonstrated in concern for the
weak and readiness to share with the poor and needy.
Sharing
in the fellowship of God’s love
1Jn
4:10-12 See also Jn 13:34; Jn 15:12; Eph 5:1-2; 1Jn 3:10
Sharing
in the fellowship of a common devotional life
Ac
2:42
Worshipping
together Ps 55:14 See also Ps 42:4; 1Co 14:26; Eph 5:19; Col 3:16
Praying
together Ac 1:14 See also Ac 4:24; Ac 12:12; Jas 5:16
Breaking
bread together 1Co 10:16-17; 2Pe 2:13; Jude 12 Love feasts accompanied
the
Lord’s Supper though these were open to abuse.
True
fellowship means sharing with those in need
Heb
13:16 See also Ac 20:34-35; Eph 4:28
Showing
hospitality Ro 12:13 See also Isa 58:7; Heb 13:1-2; 1Pe 4:9; 3Jn 8
Sharing
money and possessions Dt 15:10-11; Ac 2:44-45 See also Dt 10:18-19 God’s people
are to reflect his concern for the needy in society; Mt 25:35-36; Lk 3:11; Ac
4:32-35; 2Co 8:13-15; 1Ti 6:17-18; Jas 1:27; Jas 2:15-16
Examples
of sharing with the needy Job 31:16-20 Job’s compassion for the needy; Ac 6:1
the daily distribution to widows; Ac 9:36 Tabitha’s concern for the poor The
collection for believers in Judea: Ac 11:29-30; Ro 15:26; 2Co 8:3-4
Strengthening
one another in fellowship together
Bearing
with the weak Gal 6:1-2 See also Isa 42:3; Ro 14:1; Ro 15:1; 1Th 5:14
Strengthening
the weak Isa 35:3-4 See also Job 4:3-4
Encouraging
one another Heb 10:24-25 See also 1Sa 23:16; Ro 1:12; 1Th 5:11; Heb 13:3
Putting
the needs of others first Ro 15:2 See also 1Co 10:24,32-33
True
fellowship means living in harmony
1Pe
3:8 See also Ro 12:16; Eph 4:2-3; Php 2:1-4; Col 3:12-14
Showing
equal concern for all Ac 10:34; 1Co 12:25; Jas 2:1-4
Examples
of fellowship Nu 10:31-32 Moses and Hobab; 1Sa 18:3 David and Jonathan; 2Ki
10:15-16 Jehu and Jehonadab
Failure
to exhibit true fellowship 1Sa 30:22 Troublemakers in David’s army are
unwilling to share the spoils; 1Co 1:11-12 factions within the church at
Corinth; 1Co 11:17-22 Selfishness at love feasts humiliates the poor.
Acts 2:42-47New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
The fellowship of the believers
42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many
wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together
and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to
anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple
courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere
hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord
added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Reformation Study Bible Acts 2:42
2:42
the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the
prayers. This is a summary of the essential elements needed in Christian
discipleship. They are elements the apostles had learned from their experience
with Jesus: His teaching about His person and work (Matt. 16:18, 19; Luke
24:46) and their Christian responsibility as His followers (Matt. 5–7), the
fellowship of Christ with His disciples (John 13), the Lord’s Supper—the
breaking of bread (Matt. 26:17–30), and His prayer life for and with the
disciples (Matt. 6:5–13; Luke 11:1–13; John 17).
Word
Wealth, New Spirit Filled Life Bible
Acts
2:42 fellowship , koinonia
Strongs#2842
Sharing, unity, close association, partnership , participation . a society,
a communion, a fellowship,
contributory, help, the brotherhood
(Compare “ coin” “conobite”, “epicine”) Koinonia is a unity brought about by
the Holy Spirit, In koinonia the
individual shares in common and intimate bond of fellowship with the rest of
Christian society, Koinonia cements the believers to the Lord Jesus and to each other
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