Colossians 3

Greetings,

This is one of those chapters I dread writing about. Colossians chapter 3 could be the subject of a whole series of blogs by itself, and I am limited to one summary entry. Were I to pick a 'life verse' (3:16) from a 'life chapter' (ch3), this would be it. I will do my best to do it justice.

The memory passage for this chapter is really, really hard to discern. I have already memorized most of it, so picking from those verses and certain other thematic verses was difficult. Based on the thematic outline of Life in Christ and Life in the Family, I would choose 1-4 and 18-21. But this leaves out an 'essential' memory section of 12-17 (not to mention 23-24). So, for the sake of this study I will have to make a compromise. If I were to limit the memory section to about 6 verses it would be

Colossians 3:3-4, 16-17, 18-21 (ESV)
³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
¹⁸ Wives, submit 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, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

(I know, that's eight, but 18-21 is no longer than some single verses in Romans...)

The thematic outline, as stated above, is Life in Christ and Life in the Family.

Life in Christ
Chapter 3 begins by orienting our life in Christ; it is to be IN CHRIST. If we have been raised with Him (which we have) we should seek Him and His kingdom, not the things on earth. Since 'one who has died has been set free from sin' (Rom 6:7) we are now hidden (secure and safe) with Christ in God. And when He appears in glory, we will appear with Him (1 Cor 15:49).

So, if your life in Christ is oriented with Christ, here's what you also have to do: put to death the deeds of the flesh (not just 'not seek' them). What are those? Sexual immorality, impurity, passion (lust), evil desire, covetousness, idolatry, anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, lying. These are examples of the 'old self' and walking in the flesh. But we are to put off the old self (like dirty clothes, cf Gal 5:16-21) and are to put on the new self (like clean clothes, cf Eph 4:22ff). This new self comes from God and is made in His image. There is no distinction of race, appearance, or status in Christ; we all have sinned (Rom 3:23) and we all are redeemed (Rom 3:24) by the blood of Christ. And in Christ there is true unity and oneness with each other as we embrace unity and oneness with Him.

Verse 12 begins a section of Scripture that I have long memorized (and would highly recommend doing. Although I confess that I have not RE-memorized it in the ESV; it's still rattling around in my brain in the NIV). After telling us to set our mind and hearts on Christ, reminding us what walking apart from Christ looks like, and then reminding us of our unity in Christ, Paul tells us more of what we should do.

Put on (as a garment) compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. He adds forbearance (Gal 6:2), forgiveness, love, peace and thankfulness. These are all things that are unnatural and unattainable without Christ. They describe His very character. And as we put off the old self and the old practices, He has promised to fill us in Him (2:10) and give us His holy and righteous character (Eph 4:24). And our unity and peace comes from letting Him rule in all of our hearts.

I wrote an entire entry a while back on the next verse, so I will briefly summarize it here. The Word of Christ, the 'all that He commanded' us, is the place we must start. Not just reading, not just hearing, but letting it dwell richly in our hearts through memory and meditation. As an outpouring of the rich-dwelling of His Word, we must disciple each other with teaching and admonishment in the spiritual wisdom and understanding (1:9ff) He gives us. And as we grow in our apprenticeship to Jesus, we can join together in corporate worship by giving thanks to Him in a variety of ways. This is the core of the disciple; His Word, His wisdom, and His worship.

Verse 17 speaks for itself.
Colossians 3:17 (ESV)
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Life in the Family
Verse 18 begins a change in focus; Life in the family. Here we read a short version of what Paul writes in Ephesians 5:22ff. Wives are to submit to their husbands, who are to love their wives as Christ loves the church. Children are to obey their parents, and fathers are not to provoke their children to anger and discourage them. While we do not have a modern context (in this country) for slavery, the principle can apply to our work. We are to work as if the Lord is our boss; not just when someone is watching or only enough to please people. We should work for the reward that waits for us from the Lord, and leave the judgment of those who mistreat us in the hands of God.

How does this affect my worship?
I have found my worship to be truly enhanced as I let His Word dwell richly in my heart. It gives me a language for praise and an example for thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a critical element to true worship. After studying worship throughout the Bible, I find that thanksgiving seems to be always present, preceding, or following passages concerning worship. Thanksgiving re-orients us into a proper posture toward our God who sustains our very life. It aligns us in His kingdom and under His authority. It turns our face toward Him as we pray, worship, or commune with Him. And it can begin as simply as 'thank You'.

How does his affect my discipleship?
I see v16 as an expansion of how we are to 'teach (disciples) all that (Jesus) commanded'. We are to be grounded in His Word and filled with His wisdom (in order to teach and admonish effectively). I'm encouraged that He doesn't just give us a command and then say 'good luck with that'. He has given us access to all of His power and authority to fulfill His command.

May Christ and His Word dwell in you richly,

Ethan