In Colossians 3:1–17, Paul discusses the characteristics of an authentic Christian life. He emphasizes the believers’ union with Christ. Such a union means that the believer shares in Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and glorification. Paul elaborates on this notion by saying that Christ is our life (Col. 3:4). We died with Him. Our life is hidden with Him in God (Col. 3:3). We were raised with Him (Col. 3:1). Thus, we must “seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1, NKJV), which implies that we reign with Him (see Rom. 5:17).
The theme of “union with Christ” is a topic addressed elsewhere in the New Testament. In fact, this teaching comes from Jesus (John 15:5). Paul, in referring to the believer’s deep connection with Christ, uses the phrase “in Christ” (see, for instance, Rom. 6:11, 2 Cor. 5:17, among many other passages). Paul also suggests that the life of a true believer is, in a sense, a “replay” of Jesus’ mission. Thus, as followers of Jesus, we must walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). Our old self was crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6, Gal. 2:20). We died with Him (Rom. 6:5) and were buried with Him (Rom. 6:4, Col. 2:12). We were raised with Him (2 Cor. 4:14, Col. 3:1) and sat with Him in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6).
This week’s lesson emphasizes two major themes:
The true believer is one who has replaced an earthly mindset with a heavenly mindset.
The true believer exhibits the characteristics of a new life in Christ.
Part II: Commentary
Illustration
“In the old Roman walls the mortar seems to be as hard as the stones, and the whole is like one piece; you must blow it to atoms before you can get the wall away. So is it with the true believer: he rests upon his Lord till he grows up into him, till he is one with Jesus by a living union, so that you scarce know where the foundation ends and where the upbuilding begins; for the believer becometh all in Christ, even as Christ is all in all to him.”—Charles H. Spurgeon, “Faith’s Sure Foundation,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 24 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1878), p. 463.
Earthly Mindset Versus Heavenly Mindset
In Colossians 3:1–11, Paul discusses the contrast between the new life in Christ and the old life with its fleshly desires. Paul begins the section with the phrase, “If then you were raised with Christ” (Col. 3:1, NKJV). However, there is no doubt as to the believer’s participation in Christ’s resurrection. Indeed, the phrase could be rendered, “If then you were raised with Christ, and you have been.” This sentence completes the thought introduced in Colossians 2:20: “If you died with Christ” (NKJV). Paul is arguing that because the Colossians died with Christ (Col. 2:20) and were raised with Him (Col. 3:1), they must live accordingly. It is important to note that the expression “were raised” is in the passive voice in both English and Greek. The use of the passive voice indicates that the new life in Christ is not the result of human achievements but the work of God in the heart. This principle is a corrective to the teaching that humans can reach salvation through their own efforts.
In the early verses of Colossians 3, Paul encapsulates the concept of the new life in Christ through the phrase “those things which are above” (Col. 3:1, 2; in Greek, ta anō). Conversely, the old life is portrayed by means of a similar phrase, “things on the earth” (see Col. 3:2, 5; in Greek, ta epi tēs gēs). Paul strongly exhorts his audience to do two things in relation to the things above. They must seek them (Col. 3:1) and set their mind on them (Col. 3:2). The Greek word translated as “set one’s mind on” is phroneō. This term reflects the act of thinking (see Rom. 12:3, 1 Cor. 4:6, Phil. 1:7, Phil. 3:15). In other words, Paul is saying that heavenly things should occupy our thoughts. Colossians 3:1–4, which introduces the new section, is saturated with references to Christ: we were raised with Christ (Col. 3:1), Christ is at God’s right hand (Col. 3:1), our life is hidden with Christ (Col. 3:3), and Christ is our life (Col. 3:4). For Paul, seeking and thinking about the things above is synonymous with living a life for, and through, Christ until the day we share in His glory (Col. 3:4).
To live for Christ means to be dead to earthly things (Col. 3:2, 3). To make this point very clear, Paul provides a list of vices that believers should avoid at all costs (Col. 3:5). He further mentions that “because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience” (Col. 3:6, NKJV). In these two verses, Paul is characterizing the old life before conversion. The sons of disobedience are those who seek earthly things and set their minds on them. This contrasts with the attitude of those who died to self and were raised with Christ.
To further characterize the old life, Paul presents a second list of vices: “Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth,” and lies (Col. 3:8, 9, NKJV). Paul labels the man who lives according to “the things on the earth” as the “old man” (Col. 3:9) and the man who lives according to the things above (Col. 3:1) as the “new man” (Col. 3:10). The contrast between the two is further highlighted through the verbs “put off” (from the Greek apekdyomai) and “put on” (from the Greek endyō). Paul is employing a wordplay in order to emphasize an important Bible truth: the old man is immersed in his deeds (Col. 3:9), whereas the new man “is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Col. 3:10, NKJV). Further on, the apostle provides more insight into what the new life in Christ looks like.
Characteristics of the New Life in Christ
Paul begins the new section in Colossians 3:12–17 with the word “therefore.” By using this term at the beginning of the new section, Paul indicates that the exhortations in Colossians 3:12–17 must be seen as a consequence, or result, of what he discussed in Colossians 3:1–11. Those who seek the things above and think about them, in accordance with Colossians 3:1, 2 (and have been regenerated spiritually, as symbolized by the new man in Colossians 3:10), are now portrayed as “the elect of God, holy and beloved” (Col. 3:12, NKJV).
According to Paul, the true believer is someone who puts off certain things (Col. 3:8) so as to put on other things, such as “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12, NKJV). Whereas the old man’s life is characterized by lying “to one another” (Col. 3:9, NKJV; from the Greek allelōn), the new man’s life is characterized by “bearing with one another (Col. 3:13, NKJV; also from the Greek allelōn) and “forgiving one another” (Col. 3:13, NKJV). However, Paul says, “above all these things [that is, the virtue list in Col. 3:12, 13], put on love, which is the bond of perfection” (Col. 3:14, NKJV, emphasis added). Paul implies that all the other virtues can be put into practice only if love marks the relationships within the church. In other words, Paul is saying that when we love, we demonstrate “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12, NKJV). We also bear with one another and forgive one another (Col. 3:13). What a powerful statement!
The new life in Christ also is characterized by the presence of God’s peace (Col. 3:15). This peace within the church community is possible only because God reconciled all things to Himself through Christ, who “made peace through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:20, NKJV). In other words, peace in human relationships is a result of peace with God.
Finally, the new life in Christ includes an unyielding adherence to the Word of Christ (Col. 3:16). By saying that the word of Christ must “dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Col. 3:16, NIV, emphasis added), Paul implies that Jesus’ teachings ought to occupy our entire lives. This statement is very similar to the one found in Colossians 1:28: “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ” (NIV, emphasis added). Three important things can be noted, based on the parallels between these two verses. First, Christ and His teachings are inseparable in the sense that it is not possible to accept Christ without accepting His teachings. Second, the goal of proclamation is to present “everyone fully mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28, NIV). Third, people who have experienced a true conversion are involved in mission. Paul closes his teachings in Colossians 3:1–17 with a summarizing thought: he implies that those who live a new life do all things “in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17, NKJV).
Part III: Life Application
Meditate upon the following themes. Then ask your students to answer the questions at the end of the section.
The assertion that Christ is our life (Col. 3:4) is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable statements in the Bible. If Christ is our life, without Him we “can do nothing” (John 15:5), and through Him we “can do all things” (Phil. 4:13). If Christ is our life, His grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9). If Christ is our life, we “have been crucified” with Him, and we no longer live, but He lives in us (Gal. 2:20).
Paul is talking about such a profound relationship with Christ that we participate in His life, death, resurrection, and glorification. In order to emphasize this reality, the apostle constantly uses the phrase “with Christ” (seven times!) throughout his letter to the Colossians. Thus, we died (Col. 2:20), were buried (Col. 2:12), were raised (Col. 2:12, Col. 3:1), were made alive (Col. 2:13), and are hidden (Col. 3:3) with Christ, in such a way that we “will appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4, NKJV; emphasis added).
“In some mysterious fashion, every believer in Christ is united with Christ, so that his death is ours, his burial is ours, his new life is ours, his position in heaven is ours, and his glorious return is ours. . . . When we become ‘one spirit’ with Christ, our debts are transferred to him, and his assets are transferred to us.”—“Christ, Your Life: Colossians 3:4,” in Devotions on the Greek New Testament: 52 Reflections to Inspire & Instruct, ed. J. Scott Duvall and Verlyn D. Verbrugge (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), pp. 102, 103. Nothing could grant us a deeper sense of belonging than our union with Christ!
Questions
Christ is our life. What does this remarkable statement suggest to us about the kind of relationship we can, and indeed must, have with Christ?
What does it mean to participate in the life, death, resurrection, and glorification of Christ? How do you participate in these things in your life today?
Notes
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Key Text: Colossians 3:14
Study Focus: Col. 3:1–17
In Colossians 3:1–17, Paul discusses the characteristics of an authentic Christian life. He emphasizes the believers’ union with Christ. Such a union means that the believer shares in Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and glorification. Paul elaborates on this notion by saying that Christ is our life (Col. 3:4). We died with Him. Our life is hidden with Him in God (Col. 3:3). We were raised with Him (Col. 3:1). Thus, we must “seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1, NKJV), which implies that we reign with Him (see Rom. 5:17).
The theme of “union with Christ” is a topic addressed elsewhere in the New Testament. In fact, this teaching comes from Jesus (John 15:5). Paul, in referring to the believer’s deep connection with Christ, uses the phrase “in Christ” (see, for instance, Rom. 6:11, 2 Cor. 5:17, among many other passages). Paul also suggests that the life of a true believer is, in a sense, a “replay” of Jesus’ mission. Thus, as followers of Jesus, we must walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). Our old self was crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6, Gal. 2:20). We died with Him (Rom. 6:5) and were buried with Him (Rom. 6:4, Col. 2:12). We were raised with Him (2 Cor. 4:14, Col. 3:1) and sat with Him in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6).
This week’s lesson emphasizes two major themes:
The true believer is one who has replaced an earthly mindset with a heavenly mindset.
The true believer exhibits the characteristics of a new life in Christ.
Part II: Commentary
Illustration
“In the old Roman walls the mortar seems to be as hard as the stones, and the whole is like one piece; you must blow it to atoms before you can get the wall away. So is it with the true believer: he rests upon his Lord till he grows up into him, till he is one with Jesus by a living union, so that you scarce know where the foundation ends and where the upbuilding begins; for the believer becometh all in Christ, even as Christ is all in all to him.”—Charles H. Spurgeon, “Faith’s Sure Foundation,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 24 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1878), p. 463.
Earthly Mindset Versus Heavenly Mindset
In Colossians 3:1–11, Paul discusses the contrast between the new life in Christ and the old life with its fleshly desires. Paul begins the section with the phrase, “If then you were raised with Christ” (Col. 3:1, NKJV). However, there is no doubt as to the believer’s participation in Christ’s resurrection. Indeed, the phrase could be rendered, “If then you were raised with Christ, and you have been.” This sentence completes the thought introduced in Colossians 2:20: “If you died with Christ” (NKJV). Paul is arguing that because the Colossians died with Christ (Col. 2:20) and were raised with Him (Col. 3:1), they must live accordingly. It is important to note that the expression “were raised” is in the passive voice in both English and Greek. The use of the passive voice indicates that the new life in Christ is not the result of human achievements but the work of God in the heart. This principle is a corrective to the teaching that humans can reach salvation through their own efforts.
In the early verses of Colossians 3, Paul encapsulates the concept of the new life in Christ through the phrase “those things which are above” (Col. 3:1, 2; in Greek, ta anō). Conversely, the old life is portrayed by means of a similar phrase, “things on the earth” (see Col. 3:2, 5; in Greek, ta epi tēs gēs). Paul strongly exhorts his audience to do two things in relation to the things above. They must seek them (Col. 3:1) and set their mind on them (Col. 3:2). The Greek word translated as “set one’s mind on” is phroneō. This term reflects the act of thinking (see Rom. 12:3, 1 Cor. 4:6, Phil. 1:7, Phil. 3:15). In other words, Paul is saying that heavenly things should occupy our thoughts. Colossians 3:1–4, which introduces the new section, is saturated with references to Christ: we were raised with Christ (Col. 3:1), Christ is at God’s right hand (Col. 3:1), our life is hidden with Christ (Col. 3:3), and Christ is our life (Col. 3:4). For Paul, seeking and thinking about the things above is synonymous with living a life for, and through, Christ until the day we share in His glory (Col. 3:4).
To live for Christ means to be dead to earthly things (Col. 3:2, 3). To make this point very clear, Paul provides a list of vices that believers should avoid at all costs (Col. 3:5). He further mentions that “because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience” (Col. 3:6, NKJV). In these two verses, Paul is characterizing the old life before conversion. The sons of disobedience are those who seek earthly things and set their minds on them. This contrasts with the attitude of those who died to self and were raised with Christ.
To further characterize the old life, Paul presents a second list of vices: “Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth,” and lies (Col. 3:8, 9, NKJV). Paul labels the man who lives according to “the things on the earth” as the “old man” (Col. 3:9) and the man who lives according to the things above (Col. 3:1) as the “new man” (Col. 3:10). The contrast between the two is further highlighted through the verbs “put off” (from the Greek apekdyomai) and “put on” (from the Greek endyō). Paul is employing a wordplay in order to emphasize an important Bible truth: the old man is immersed in his deeds (Col. 3:9), whereas the new man “is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Col. 3:10, NKJV). Further on, the apostle provides more insight into what the new life in Christ looks like.
Characteristics of the New Life in Christ
Paul begins the new section in Colossians 3:12–17 with the word “therefore.” By using this term at the beginning of the new section, Paul indicates that the exhortations in Colossians 3:12–17 must be seen as a consequence, or result, of what he discussed in Colossians 3:1–11. Those who seek the things above and think about them, in accordance with Colossians 3:1, 2 (and have been regenerated spiritually, as symbolized by the new man in Colossians 3:10), are now portrayed as “the elect of God, holy and beloved” (Col. 3:12, NKJV).
According to Paul, the true believer is someone who puts off certain things (Col. 3:8) so as to put on other things, such as “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12, NKJV). Whereas the old man’s life is characterized by lying “to one another” (Col. 3:9, NKJV; from the Greek allelōn), the new man’s life is characterized by “bearing with one another (Col. 3:13, NKJV; also from the Greek allelōn) and “forgiving one another” (Col. 3:13, NKJV). However, Paul says, “above all these things [that is, the virtue list in Col. 3:12, 13], put on love, which is the bond of perfection” (Col. 3:14, NKJV, emphasis added). Paul implies that all the other virtues can be put into practice only if love marks the relationships within the church. In other words, Paul is saying that when we love, we demonstrate “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12, NKJV). We also bear with one another and forgive one another (Col. 3:13). What a powerful statement!
The new life in Christ also is characterized by the presence of God’s peace (Col. 3:15). This peace within the church community is possible only because God reconciled all things to Himself through Christ, who “made peace through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:20, NKJV). In other words, peace in human relationships is a result of peace with God.
Finally, the new life in Christ includes an unyielding adherence to the Word of Christ (Col. 3:16). By saying that the word of Christ must “dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Col. 3:16, NIV, emphasis added), Paul implies that Jesus’ teachings ought to occupy our entire lives. This statement is very similar to the one found in Colossians 1:28: “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ” (NIV, emphasis added). Three important things can be noted, based on the parallels between these two verses. First, Christ and His teachings are inseparable in the sense that it is not possible to accept Christ without accepting His teachings. Second, the goal of proclamation is to present “everyone fully mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28, NIV). Third, people who have experienced a true conversion are involved in mission. Paul closes his teachings in Colossians 3:1–17 with a summarizing thought: he implies that those who live a new life do all things “in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17, NKJV).
Part III: Life Application
Meditate upon the following themes. Then ask your students to answer the questions at the end of the section.
The assertion that Christ is our life (Col. 3:4) is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable statements in the Bible. If Christ is our life, without Him we “can do nothing” (John 15:5), and through Him we “can do all things” (Phil. 4:13). If Christ is our life, His grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9). If Christ is our life, we “have been crucified” with Him, and we no longer live, but He lives in us (Gal. 2:20).
Paul is talking about such a profound relationship with Christ that we participate in His life, death, resurrection, and glorification. In order to emphasize this reality, the apostle constantly uses the phrase “with Christ” (seven times!) throughout his letter to the Colossians. Thus, we died (Col. 2:20), were buried (Col. 2:12), were raised (Col. 2:12, Col. 3:1), were made alive (Col. 2:13), and are hidden (Col. 3:3) with Christ, in such a way that we “will appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4, NKJV; emphasis added).
“In some mysterious fashion, every believer in Christ is united with Christ, so that his death is ours, his burial is ours, his new life is ours, his position in heaven is ours, and his glorious return is ours. . . . When we become ‘one spirit’ with Christ, our debts are transferred to him, and his assets are transferred to us.”—“Christ, Your Life: Colossians 3:4,” in Devotions on the Greek New Testament: 52 Reflections to Inspire & Instruct, ed. J. Scott Duvall and Verlyn D. Verbrugge (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), pp. 102, 103. Nothing could grant us a deeper sense of belonging than our union with Christ!
Questions
Christ is our life. What does this remarkable statement suggest to us about the kind of relationship we can, and indeed must, have with Christ?
What does it mean to participate in the life, death, resurrection, and glorification of Christ? How do you participate in these things in your life today?
Notes