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COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 3 KJV WEB See previous page Col 3,1-17 (138i) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >> Exhorting the people to work together – The instruction that Paul is giving to the Colossians is for the sake of unity. So how important is it? Did Jesus talk about unity? It was the subject of His high priestly prayer! That sounds important enough to prioritize unity in the Church, yet where is it? It is almost non-existent! Would this have something to do with Satan being extremely successful in His endeavors to weaken the Church? He has been successful in actually convincing people that unity is not something to pursue, since we almost never hear about it. Denominations hold each other at arm’s length and never allow other denominations to get closer, yet unity is repeatedly mentioned in the Bible. Why can’t people have a heart for the things that matter most to God? It starts with finding what we have in common and focusing on that, but we focus more on our differences. See also: unity; Col 3,9-17; 128j Col 3,1-11 (6d) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Jesus’ yoke of death – Ask, and most people would say yes, they definitely want to go to heaven, but not just yet. If a person died, went to heaven and then returned to his body, he would anticipate going back to heaven, and he would also know that dying was the process of getting there. What if God gave us the opportunity to go to heaven now, but instead of literally dying we were called to sacrifice this life to God’s purposes, which He would consider a legitimate substitute for literal death? This is the opportunity Paul is saying God has given us. Paul is speaking the same way that he spoke in Romans chapter six when he expounded in detail that though we live in the flesh, he encouraged us to live as though we were already in heaven. See also: Die to self; Col 3,1-9; 187g Col 3,1-9 (187g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Dying to receive the glory of God >> Dying to self precedes the resurrection – Paul speaks metaphorically about dying and being raised from the dead in a way that we deny the flesh for the freedom to imbibe the Holy Spirit, who has come to live in us, but our body is not what God has saved, for it is destined for decay. Rather, it is our spirit that has been reborn. The Holy Spirit has merged with our spirit and raised us to a status with Christ (Eph 2,4-7), so in a sense our soul lives in heaven, leaving our flesh in this life to suffer the absence of God. Hence, to our spirit, the flesh has already died, making our only life the one in heaven. This might sound ghoulish and confusing but we Christians are like zombies hauling around a corpse that was once "us" before we got saved, but since our spiritual rebirth has entered various stages of decay. Our old life has died and our real life is in heaven that we already enjoy. The more we pay attention to our spirit, the more these things make sense and the more they become a reality, but those who don’t commit to the grace of God after being saved, who never grow, they often get confused and bewildered because of the inherent struggle between living in the flesh in disregard of Christ or sacrificing it to live through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, allowing Him to lead us into a new life in Christ. Our flesh experiences one thing while their spirit experiences another, and we should not attempt to juggle the two. The hope of anyone who dies in Christ is to partake of the First Resurrection, but Paul is telling us to simulate heaven by nullifying the temptations of sin by dying to its power through the anointing that results from obedience. As we continue to resist sin, its power of temptation subsides, losing its power of attraction and its ability to hold us in bondage. This is the concept of dying to self; the temptation dies when we starve its gratification, and once these things are out of the way, the anointing can flourish. See also: Die to self; Col 3,5-10; 2o Col 3,1-6 (94a) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective on this life >> It is our investment in the Kingdom of God -- These verses go with verses 22-25 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 3,1-4 (34dd) Gift of God >> Believer owns everything >> The divine nature belongs to us (38e) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection anointing (50dd) Judgment >> Last Days >> Jewish Led endtime revival >> Jews become obedient in the last days (60c) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> The second coming / End time revival (67e) Authority >> Jesus at the right hand of the father >> We are with Him – How wonderful that Jesus has taken His seat in the majesty in the heavens (Heb 8-1,2). Jesus is seated on His Father’s throne at His right-hand, and we are seated next to Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph 2-6). This is not something even the angels have received from God; in fact, Lucifer’s tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the throne of God. He may have said something to Lucifer similar to what He said to Adam and Eve, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen 2-16,17). Reiterating to Lucifer He may have said something like this, ‘My entire universe is yours, but My throne you shall not have, for in the day that you stretch our your hand to possess it you will surely die.’ It is different for man; God has given us His very throne, meaning that in eternity we will wield the authority of Almighty God through Christ. 1Cor 6-3 says, “Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?” God the Father has delegated all His authority to His Son, and the Son has delegate all His authority to us, and we will delegate all our authority to those whom God will put in our charge. Heaven will be configured as a cascade of authority disseminating from God’s throne, similar to the nations of the world but based on opposite principles. Instead of the greatest being the greatest and the least being the least, the greatest will be least and the least greatest (Lk 7-28). That seemingly slight change makes the difference between heaven and hell. This is what will secure God’s throne and make it a lasting kingdom forever. America’s founding fathers tried to create a government of checks and balances, yet the ultimate check and balance is to delegate greatness to servants. See also: Satan wanted to be God; he wanted His throne; 2Tim 4,16-18; 227g (109d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revela tions of the Holy Spirit >> Revelation of the true children of God -- These verses go with verses 9&10. This word “revealed” can be understood on various levels. For example, when we reveal Jesus Christ to people though the preaching of the gospel, we also will be revealed with them in glory. That is, our audience will comprehend our relationship with God as they comprehend God, and in this way God will reveal us as He reveals Himself to those who are being saved. On a second level, referring to endtimes and His second coming, the revelation of Jesus Christ is a time when God will reveal those who worship Him in spirit and truth. Christ will spiritually return to this planet (spiritual ascension) before He physically returns, and as He does He will also reveal those who are His saints and those who are not His saints, and the whole world will know who is the true Church during the Great Endtime Revival. On a third level, when Jesus physically returns to earth, all His saints will be behind Him, and He will set up His millennial kingdom, and God will in the most literal sense reveal His saints in glory. See also: Great Endtime Revival (Spiritual ascension); Tit 2-13; 237a (113b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Protection >> Shelter (121b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Contentment >> Content with seeking God (140d) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >> Living in the spiritual revelation of the word (226e) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> Our life is reserved in heaven (233f) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Seek The Kingdom With Your Essence >> Seek the elusive Kingdom of God (234e) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Set your mind on the glory of God – According to these verses, we have already been raised with Christ in that we have the power of His resurrection dwelling in us if we possess the indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul therefore says, “keep seeking the things above where Christ is…” He reminds us to set our mind and affections on heaven, our destiny, not on the temporal things of this life. (237i) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The ascension >> Believers’ spiritual ascension Col 3,1-3 (78l) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> Abiding in Jesus -- These verses go with verse 16 Col 3-1,2 (4k) Responsibility >> The choices you make >> Accountable for your thoughts – We are not allowed to walk in both kingdoms of light and darkness, since they cancel each other. If any Christian thinks he has a choice to do righteousness, he is wrong. Our only real choice is to obey Christ. Any other choice is sin of a worse kind than the unbeliever. Before Christ our bondage was natural in that we were sinners in bondage to sin, and we did not Know Christ, but then we got saved, and now we have no business walking in sin. Everyone commits sin, but the Christian who lives and walks in sin is walking on thin ice. Col 3-1 (92b) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Trail of good works >> Ray of light leading to the face of Christ KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 3-2 (165f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not partake of the world >> Do not love the world (167d) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Bound to the earth -- This verse goes with verses 5-10 Col 3-3,4 (222a) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> The Church is hidden from the world – Paul says, “You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Our spiritual life is hidden from the world. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mat 5-16). Jesus referred to our good works as the product of our faith, but the life of faith is off limits to the world. Our relationship with God is not something we can share with anyone. It’s like a married couple who bless many people through their love toward each other, but they cannot share that love with anyone else. What they do at home in their bedroom behind closed doors is their business alone. In the same way, our good works that Jesus wants us to share is our ministry to the world, but the life of God that we possess is hidden behind the veil of our flesh. We have a type of spiritual intercourse with God that the world will never know unless they are converted and experience God for themselves. Col 3,4-8 (78n) Thy kingdom come >> Putting your heart on display >> The result of a renewed mind -- These verses go with verses12-15 Col 3-4 (254b) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is the life of the Spirit >> We live because He is life >> We live because we are in Jesus Col 3,5-10 (2o) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Get out of His way >> Quit sinning – All sin is idolatry, and idolatry is the worship of other gods. Worshipping the God of heaven is mandated according to the pattern that was shown us in the Scriptures (Exodus 25-40). Worshipping God in Spirit and truth seeks to resolve sin in our lives, which is the only form of acceptable worship in the flesh. When we sin we are worshipping demons in a sense, and if we continue in sin, we cross a line that opens doors to the demonic world that receives our worship, as they continue to push themselves upon us into further sin and debauchery. Therefore, it is essential for us to die to sin through God’s help before sin kills us. There are sins of omission and there are sins of commission; the sins we commit and the righteousness we omit are linked in that the righteousness we omit causes us to sin. These things are done in spite of God giving us a second nature to which we should be devoting our attention and affections. This is the evil of sin: we choose it over righteousness. This new self that God has given us is in regard to the indwelling Holy Spirit, who gives us a choice to practice righteousness. Before we were saved we had no choice, except to get saved, and now that we have the Spirit of our salvation dwelling in us, we have a choice and an obligation to serve and worship God (Rom 6,20-23). The process of eliminating sin is simply a matter of paying attention to the Holy Spirit and doing what He says, who promises to direct us through life and help us focus on the person God has created in us. This new person is a mixture of both our own spirit and the Spirit of God, as it is written in 1Cor 6-17, “The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” Each person who has the Holy Spirit dwelling in him is a new creation. We must quit sinning to stay out of God’s way while He continues the process of creating us in the image of His Son, as we focus on the new person that God has created in us. See also: Die to self; Col 3,5-8; 134h (167d) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Bound to the earth -- These verses go with verse 2 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 3,5-9 (90f) Thy kingdom come >> Keeping the law >> Law is our tutor >> It shows our need for Jesus – Once Paul gives his metaphor about dying to self for the purpose of living for Jesus, he provides a list of behaviors to pattern our lives after them, reminding us that it is because of sin that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. He is not talking about the world but the Church, saying that we don’t have a prerogative to follow sin. We are all sinners, but a Christian who practices sin will be judged with the world, thus proclaiming all sin to be idolatry. God does not accept the practice of sin in His people; He sees it as the worship of other gods, which breaks the first commandment, “You shall put on other gods before me.” See also: Idolatry; 1The 1-9,10; 193d (168b) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to the world >> Do not conform to the world’s version of love (203f) Denying Christ >> Dishonor God >> Dishonor God by dishonoring your own body – We sin against our own body most specifically through sexual immorality. James said, “The tongue is a fire, the world of iniquity among our members, which defiles the whole body” (Jm 3-6). We use our tongue to say things that don’t apply to the body, but sexual immorality is so visceral it applies directly to the body. Jesus alluded to ‘dying to self’ in Jn 12-24, but Paul coined the phrase, and the way to dying to self is in Col 2-11,12, “In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” This speaks of a circumcision made without hands in removing the sins of the body; that is, we die to self through the Spirit. How can we expect God to control us when we don’t give Him the reigns? We should spend time in the word of God and prayer, focused for hours, not minutes. By this God will set us free from all our bondages and lead us into whatever ministry He has in mind for us. Using the flesh to die to the flesh doesn’t work, but there is a usage of the flesh in serving God, “Having done all to stand. Stand therefore” (Eph 6-13,14). Temptation will come to us, and we must stand against it, knowing that the world, the flesh and the devil are all cowards, and they will flee from us if we stand against them. Sometimes it takes every fiber of our being to resist temptation as Jesus exemplified in His temptation in the desert and in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He sweat drops of blood. Col 3,5-8 (134h) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Body of sin >> Dying to the sinful nature – Paul said to consider our body already dead and in the grave, for if we are dead we cannot sin. The manner of death that Paul insinuated resembles fasting. We fast because dying to self is most like starving to death; that is, we fast to simulate dying to self. We don’t want our body to literally die; we want to go on living in the flesh and continue serving the Lord (Phi 1-21,22), and now that we haven’t had any food for a while, we know what our sinful nature experiences apart from sin. When we begin a fast, we almost immediately get hungry; then once our body realizes we are not going to feed it, it quiets down and gets hungry later, and when we still don’t feed it, it gets quiet again, and this time it stays quiet for a long time. Waves of desire for food wash over us when we fast, and these represent waves of evil passion and desire for sin. We must deny them and starve our sinful nature. Dying to self is much like this; however, when our body cries to us for food, we are more willing to deny it than we are to deny its cries for sin. Every sin is a form of idolatry; God sees sin as valuing our evil passions and desires more than we value Him. See also: Die to self; Col 3-5,6; 156k / F asting; 1Pet 4-6,7; 187e Col 3-5,6 (16c) Sin >> Man’s nature is instinctively evil >> Man has a body of sin (22b) Sin >> Greed tries to satisfy man’s need for security >> The idolatry of greed (51c) Judgment >> Judging the Church with the world >> Warning of Wrath >> God warns the Church (134k) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Immorality >> Sexual perversion >> Basic immorality (156k) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Living an ungodly lifestyle >> Practicing sin – We think bondage to sin is an acceptable way to live, but it isn’t to God. He wants His people free. God values our freedom more than we do, and this is the first thing that needs to change; we need to place a higher priority on freedom. Man claims to fight every war for the cause of freedom, but when it comes to sin, he willingly surrenders to it. If we never get a grip on our evil passions and desires, we may not be destined for heaven, even if we believe in Jesus and said the Sinner’s Prayer. Most Christians claim to have strong faith, yet most walk with holes in their dedication to Christ, allowing inconsistencies of every kind. God sees all sin as equally evil, but from our standpoint there are some sins that are worse than others, more addictive and destructive. For example, mismanaging our vocabulary is less destructive than committing adultery and murder, though God sees them as equally sinful. The more we sin, the more it erodes our faith, and if we are not careful, it will become a distant memory. Every Christian has gone through waterless places where sin has prevailed. Everybody has been wayward at some point or another, for nobody has lived a perfect life, except Christ. He wants to deal with the most destructives sins first, and once we get a grip on those, He will then deal with us about the lesser sins, refining us throughout our lives. The Christian life is all about repentance and overcoming sin that have plagued us our whole lives. Some have walked the narrow way much better than others, but we all require the blood of Jesus to wash us. See also: Die to self; 193j (193j) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> Consequences of not repenting – Repentance is a lifelong process, and every Christian must go through it. When we sin, we repent, and when we repent, suddenly we understand God better; we hear His voice clearer, through a clearer conscience, and we understand the Scriptures better, because we are living them. Straddling the fence doesn’t work for the disciple of Jesus; living in both worlds is unfulfilling, for one cancels the other. We all commit sin, but we should not be acceptant of it. Every sin we commit we should be in the process of repentance or at least recognize it as sin and flag it for future expulsion. To simply allow sin without dealing with it is dangerous, because sin is deceitful. Sin speaks the language of the devil, and it will lie to us about ourselves, about other people and about God. See also: Die to self; Col 3,1-11; 6d (195g) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Worshipping men >> Worshipping the idol of pleasure Col 3-5 (4i) Responsibility >> The choices you make >> Accountable for your sinful nature (250i) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Lists >> List of traits that can be found in man >> List of deeds of the body -- This verse goes with verse 8 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 3,7-10 (84i) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Gossip >> Attacking a person’s name (92f) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Trail of good works >> You must be born again to walk on this trail – Paul writes about the old self and the new self, meaning everybody must come to Christ at some point, and that point is when we first believed in Jesus for eternal salvation, and that beginning point marks the transition between the old self and the new, and it says that the new self is being led by the Spirit. If God is doing anything in our lives, He is doing it through the Spirit. There are many churches that don’t teach being born-again, meaning they are not salvation churches. The work of the Spirit should be happening in every believer. To believe in Jesus is in reference to obedience, but faith does not need any good works to prove itself, for faith comes from God as a result of believing. Note that some of the words Paul cites are not in the Law: anger, wrath, malice, slander, yet God expects us to abandon these things. Notice also the way he describes the new self—we wear him like we wear our clothes—He represents us in the world. God wants the indwelling Holy Spirit to clothe our extremities with good works, so God doesn't arrest us for public nudity. This external manifestation of the inner workings of Christ is called the anointing. God wants us to develop an anointing that clothes us with good works and covers our nakedness, for having no good works is shameful. Col 3-7,8 (24l) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Unrighteous anger Col 3,8-17 (6h) Responsibility >> Being spiritual >> Ministering to God by submitting to the Holy Spirit Col 3,8-10 (190e) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Circumcision >> Undressing >> Take off your sins Col 3-8 (250i) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Lists >> List of traits that can be found in man >> List of deeds of the body -- This verse goes with verse 5. These are all traits that we should try to avoid. Of the items on the list, there is one that we can all relate: abusive speech from our mouth. Slander is a form of abusive speech, but if Paul separated them, there must be a difference. Slander defames a person’s character, which brings up the next word: malice. Malice does things intentionally to inflict harm on others physically, mentally, emotionally or even spiritually. It is good to filter profanity from our vocabulary, and even better, not pick up these words in the first place. They are a bad habit, and if we allow such words in our thought life, they will eventually come out our mouth, and so the first step in lessening our vocabulary of foul language is not to think that way in our heart. Anger and wrath are some of the most common negative behaviors known to man, though not all anger is intrinsically wrong. James said, “The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (Jm 1-20). That is, even if we have a right to be angry, it still doesn’t achieve the righteousness of God. Instead, God would call us to be patient, rather than get angry. Although anger has its place, most of the time it is of the unrighteous variety. Col 3,9-17 (128j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Living a fruitful life >> Living a continuous life of fruitfulness – Paul mentioned at least half the fruits of the Spirit, saying that these attributes are the components of unity and that love is of utmost importance. We could say that they are contained in this one, “love,” and that we clothe ourselves with these things (Gal 3-27). This concept of clothing ourselves means to manifest them in our bodies to cover our nakedness. Clothes are what people see about us, so too is compassion. The fruits of the Spirit do not belong in our heart; they belong displayed on the tips of our fingers and on the tips of our toes and on the tip of our tongue, where people can see them, for if the fruits of the Spirit don’t manifest, then they don’t exist. Jesus taught that we have no choice but to display the contents of our heart, and He wanted to ensure that when it does display, good things come of it. The fruits of the Spirit create an atmosphere that is conducive to unity, while compassion produces the environment. See also: clothing; Col 3,9-14; 113e / unity; Col 3,12-17; 74a (238e) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The kingdom is transferred to the Church >> New creation >> The new creation is our spiritual identity Col 3,9-14 (113e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Garments of the new creation – All these sins that Paul mentioned are problems that the Colossians had, so the early church wasn't perfect either. Paul tried to help them realize that practicing sin is unacceptable, saying that he laid aside the old self with its evil practices and put on the new self. He also used this concept in other epistles: taking off our sins as though they were clothing. Thinking about sin like this is indicative to undressing and putting on a new outfit, "according to the image of the One who created" it. We are to take off our sins and put on new garments that God has made for us, called the new self. People view us by this new person that we are wearing, who is also being renewed, meaning our clothes never wear-out but are dynamic in the sense that we are constantly growing in the true knowledge of Him. This is a concerted effort of both God and us providing the will to love and serve Him, who can effect real change in our lives. See also: clothing; Col 3,9-17; 128j Col 3,9-11 (78i) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind by the word >> Spirit renews as the flesh decays (132h) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> Filled with the Spirit >> Filled to overflowing (225b) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> Equality in heaven Col 3-9,10 (42i) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Conform to the mind of Christ (109d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelations of the Holy Spirit >> Revelation of the true children of God – Paul said that the new man conforms to the image of the one who created him, using the true knowledge of God, not just knowledge but true knowledge. A person can point at the Bible and say, ‘This is true knowledge,’ but there are two issues at hand: one is the proper interpretation of Scripture, and the other is the revelation of that interpretation by the Spirit. True knowledge grows within us as a living thing, an offshoot of the indwelling Holy Spirit that God placed in us the day of our spiritual birth, whose purpose is to manifest the Kingdom of God though us as an outward manifestation of an inward work. The Bible is the truth, but the anointing teaches us about God, converting the facts of the Bible to true knowledge. There are many so-called Christians who are in bondage to religion, who don't believe in the work of the Spirit. Those in the Bible most resembling them are the Sadducees, who didn’t believe in the resurrection, angels or spirits. They rejected the spiritual realm altogether, having invented doctrines that keep the gospel in the natural realm, denying all spiritual manifestations. They understand the natural realm and feel comfortable with it and don’t want an anointing revealing the truth to them, but this is how God develops the inner man and causes us to grow into the image of Christ. See also: Truth versus reality; Eph 6,10-12; 184b (125a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of faith >> Love is the response of receiving from God (228i) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God works in the new creation – This was Paul’s way of describing the new self; it is a very effective analogy of what happens to a Christian when he gets saved. A second person is born inside the first, so the two of them must live in the same body. There is the first person born of flesh, and there is the second person that came later, born of the Spirit, who has fused His Spirit with the man to become one spirit. The fleshly person still exists and accounts for the outer man, but it is the inner man who matters now. The fleshly mind remembers the good old days when he lived without God in the days when he was free in regard to sin, that is, he had “self” all to himself, but now he must share “self” with this newcomer, someone who demands full control, claiming to be a better manager, who won’t run the ship into the shallows of selfish hedonism. The fleshly man conveniently forgets the consequences of living without restraint, while the new man constantly reminds him about the destructive power of sin. The fleshly mind tells the spiritual mind that he was here first, and for that reason he has more rights, but the spiritual mind tells the flesh that he is under the authority of Christ. The fleshly man claims that since he was born of flesh that he is in ownership of the body, but the new man does not acknowledge the fleshly man’s authority, but was mandated by God to take over the body and control where it goes and what it does, according to the will of God. See also: Spiritual warfare (Contrast of two natures); Heb 12-1,2; 30c KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 3-10,11 (135m) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Similarity in the body >> The things we have in common >> Common salvation Col 3-10 (34f) Gift of God >> Believer owns everything >> True knowledge belongs to us Col 3-11 (53f) Paradox >> Opposites >> Freedom and bondage >> Slaves are free/free are slaves – When a person gets saved, he becomes an equal to his brothers and sisters in the faith, regardless of financial or social status, or of ethnicity, occupation, trade or profession. A person can be a nobody and get saved and be a somebody in the house of God. By the same token, a person can be a celebrity and get saved and have the same status as the nobody, equally great in the eyes of God. The question is not about our status in the world, but whether God recognizes us. If we are not one of His, then we are a nobody to Him, as Paul said in 1Cor 14-38, “But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized” (NASB). So the two possible states before God are to be recognized or unrecognized. (190j) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Circumcision >> Circumcision is a sign of obedience >> Symbolism over substance Col 3,12-17 (6b) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Jesus’ yoke of love (74a) Thy kingdom come >> The heart >> God wants you to bless your brother from the heart – Unity requires everyone’s participation; we must together agree to live in the love of God. If only one person chooses to live in a state of unity, the person would be thrown to the curb like a dog after every good thing has been taken from him. Unity requires the participation of everyone to come into agreement as how to behave in a group and how to react when offended by others. Things happen; sins are committed; opportunists exploit. What must happen for unity to form is that people should respond in a godly manner to their circumstances. Instead of seeking justice, we are to apply the principles that Paul mentioned in these verses, showing a better way to respond to those who would take advantage of us than our flesh would dictate. If those who are mistreating us are born of God, it is possible to convince them of better things, but if they are not, they will never listen to anything other than fleshly solutions. See also: unity; Col 3,12-15; 78n (95i) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >> Attitude of a servant (250k) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Lists >> Terms of graduating to the next level >> List of spiritual traits in descending order Col 3,12-15 (78n) Thy kingdom come >> Putting your heart on display >> The result of a renewed mind -- These verses go with verse 17. The things that Paul mentioned produce unity, resulting in renewing our mind in the word of God and transforming our life (Rom 12-2). We are the product of our thinking; our identity is defined by the summation of our thoughts. We look in the mirror and find it easy to believe the misnomer that our essence is a body. However, we look at our rotting corpse in a casket and say, ‘That’s not me;’ it never was you. We can change our identity by renewing our mind, in that we ultimately do whatever is in our heart, and what we do defines us. The heart represents our innermost thoughts; we have peripheral thoughts, and then there are the thoughts that come from the heart that seem to manifest on their own. We need to renew our mind so our desire for evil is replaced with doing the will of God. As members of the body of Christ we do things with the goal of unity in mind, and our flesh is first in line to benefit. See also: unity; Col 3-13,14; 131i Col 3-12,13 (43d) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Conform to the ministry of Christ’s church – The wording that Paul used was intriguing, “Put on a heart of compassion.” Some might say he was using poetic license; actually he was trying to express something that he had been conveying all through his epistles: the anointing, which is defined as, ‘an outward manifestation of an inward work.’ This implies that we must be born-again; those who are born of God are children of God, and those who are not born of God are not His children. If we work with God to avoid violating our conscience and serve the voice we hear in our heart directing us on the narrow way, the anointing will grow. The indwelling Holy Spirit works within us while the anointing clothes our body. Our clothes represent us in the world, and the same is true with the anointing. It consists of things like: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Paul tells us to bear with one another and forgive each other. (99c) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring the will of God >> Enduring people (patience) (99m) Thy kingdom come >> Perseverance >> Persevere in ministering to the body of Christ (120d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Forgiveness >> Forgiving your brother >> As God has forgiven you – Forgiveness is easy to discuss but not so easy to perform. We have all heard it said, ‘What he did is unforgivable.’ Maybe we have said this ourselves at one time or another. Maybe other people find it hard to forgive us for something we said or died; even God finds it difficult to forgive us when we have this attitude. It is not easy to forgive some people for what they have allowed themselves to become, but if we want to be free from them or reach them with the gospel, we must forgive them. (123d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Spiritual affection >> Compassion >> Reaching out to those in need (126h) Patience (Key verse) (126l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> Be patient with your brother (128f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Gentleness >> Be gentle in all your ways >> Be gentle toward one another Col 3-12 (77n) Thy kingdom come >> God ministers to people through the humble >> Humility gives a blessing (124d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love is one of the fruits of the Spirit (127a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Kindness >> Be kind like God >> Practice the kindness of God (133g) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >> The body of Christ is holy >> We have made ourselves holy through Christ – Paul is referring to exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit in our daily walk with God, saying that since we have been chosen of God, we are to put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. God expects us to do this, so it it a commandment? If we say yes, then we must say that the new covenant is no different from the old, except that the commandments have changed, but if we say it is not a law, then some people will get the idea that it is optional and simply choose not to follow Paul’s advice. However, we are the children of God and have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, who gives the desire to please Him. Paul therefore appeals to the born-again Christian, who does not require any commandments or laws, because he wants to obey God. (219c) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> God has chosen us KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 3-13,14 (131i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Interdependence >> Encouraging one another – Paul is talking about unity, which is the one state that has power to overcome every obstacle; it is the most powerful (positive) force in creation, and it’s reciprocal is jealousy, which has the power to destroy. The things that Paul is requiring are impossible in the flesh. Looking at history, all the wars man has fought collectively represent man’s willingness to walk in the flesh and his reluctance to walk in the Spirit. So when Paul said to do these things, he was leading us into spiritual warfare. These forces are very powerful and are led by little voices telling people they have rights and they are justified in their retribution against their fellow man. These forces against unity are an alternate view as though shortcuts to Christianity when in fact they are the inverse of it. Rather, they are the broad way to selfish pride and indignity, and they all end in death. People choose war more often than they seek truth and pursue faith and unity; in fact, it is doubtful that man has seen genuine unity in centuries. The type that Jesus outlined in his High Priestly Prayer (John chapter 17) has never been seen, but Jesus will not return until it is manifested in perfect form. Man has often witnessed war in its perfected state, but has rarely seen unity thriving in the bond of peace? See also: unity; Col 3-13; 124e Col 3-13 (12m) Servant >> Jesus is our example of a servant (124e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Do to others as you would have them do to you – A person who is born of God has the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, leading him to live with the brethren in the bond of peace, yet we rarely see it, because people are disobedient to the Holy Spirit. Most so-called Christians are more convinced by their flesh than they are by the Spirit of God who supposedly dwells within them, though they claim to believe in Jesus. There are many Christians who claim they would not take vengeance on their enemies, but they refuse to walk on the trail of good works that God has prepared for them (Eph 2-10), and because they omit righteousness, they can’t help but commit sin. Omitting righteousness is actually more destructive than committing sin, because it is the very cause of sin. The absence of righteousness is the perfect environment for sin to grow and fester in a person’s life or in a church, and the number one omission of righteousness is prayer. See also: unity; Col 3,1-17; 138i / Trail of good works is related to our salvation; Mk 7,6-13; 79l Col 3,14-17 (131d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Brother depends on you >> To help build the temple (234k) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Be a blessing >> Be a blessing and love your brother Col 3,14-16 (129f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> love perfects unity >> Love is the mortar between the blocks Col 3-14,15 (216g) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >> God forces us by His love Col 3-14 (43j) Judgment >> Satan destroyed in the absence of sin >> Perfected in love (61b) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Certificate of debt—Law of commandments / Records of our past Col 3,15-17 (81k) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church >> Giving thanks Col 3-15 (91h) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> Walking along the narrow way >> Those who walk in their calling are united (126b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Peace >> God is at peace >> The Peace of God (136h) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ consists of individual members >> We should live as Christ lived – The peace of Christ desires to rest in our heart, yet there are many reasons we don’t have His peace. We can run into adverse circumstances that can be very upsetting. We want the peace of Christ to settle in our heart, but God wants His peace to remain with us regardless of the circumstances, like the dove that rested on Jesus' shoulder at His baptism. It represented His anointing and stayed with Him throughout His ministry. If we make any sudden moves, it startles the dove, so we must remain very quiet. Jesus never did anything to scare away the anointing, and Paul wants the peace of Christ to remain with us too. We get scared and flinch and start walking in the flesh and He flies away. If we stop meditating on the thoughts of God, suddenly the thoughts of the world rush to take their place, and before long they are flowing from our mouth. We must calm ourselves and get back in the word of God and prayer, and invite the dove to return. Paul says that one of the ways we keep the dove perched on our shoulder is to be thankful. Gratitude is a type of worship. The opposite of being thankful is to be like the Israelites exiting Egypt and spending forty years wandering in the wilderness, grumbling and complaining about everything, and if we don’t learn to be thankful, we will find ourselves in the same situation. See also: Anointing (Produces the fruits of the Spirit); Heb 1-9; 224g KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 3-16,17 (252j) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God >> Worship God by your lifestyle – We should do our good works in the name of Jesus, for it is evidence of Him working in us. We should do all things in His name to promote His kingdom in the world (Jn 3-21). All of our friends, relatives and acquaintances should know we are Christians, in that every good thing we do is for the Lord. They should know that our lives are dedicated to His purpose and that we worship God the Father through Christ. The purpose of our existence is to glorify the Father through the Son. We worship Him because He sent His Son that we might be forgiven and accepted into His kingdom. Col 3-16 (34l) Gift of God >> Be generous like your Father >> Give to your brother (78l) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> Abiding in Jesus -- This verse goes with verses 1-3 (80j) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word to minister to people >> To edify one another – Paul is not talking to pastors but to the Colossian Church as a whole, saying that they were called not just to evangelize the world, but also to edify one another. We all know that the pastor is called to minister, but so are the saints. We sing our songs to the Lord and at the same time we edify one another. We can open the hymnbook and sing songs that have been written before us, or we can write our own and become psalmists if that is how God has blessed us. We know there is music in heaven. God has blessed us with the ability to interpret rhythm and melody. Many animals appear to enjoy music, or perhaps they are just imitating us, but none of them can write or play music. If it weren’t for man there would be no music in the world. Young infants who have barely begun to walk show an appreciation for music above the animals, so music is engrained within us, and God has given it to us to enjoy as a teaching tool and as a means of expressing our love and appreciation to the Lord. (89j) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Jesus is the wisdom of God (139e) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Encouragement >> Encouraged by the word of God (239j) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> The gift of teaching >> The ability to teach is a gift from God (249h) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> Being rich in Jesus Col 3-17 (67k) Authority >> Jesus delegates authority >> Praying in Jesus’ name (78n) Thy kingdom come >> Putting your heart on display >> The result of a renewed mind -- This verse goes with verses 4-8 (85h) Thy kingdom come >> Words that are spoken in faith >> Verbalize your faith (115a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Working God’s grace through Christ >> Worship God through Christ (124c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love is the proper motive for all you do (250a) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> In all things ... >> Glorify God in all things – Obviously there are some things we cannot do in Jesus’ name, such as commit sin. For example, we cannot bash our enemies over the head in His name, and if we cannot, then we should not. This suggests that we can use this verse as an acid test for our behavior, that if our intensions would not glorify God, then we should not do it. We should do only that which is good and right in His name, but if we can’t speak His name over the things we say and do, then we shouldn’t say and do them. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 3,18-25 (194i) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Yielding >> Yield to God’s right to direct your way – It is fitting that wives should be subject to their husbands in the Lord. “Fitting” means appropriate. The marriage relationship is very much like the relationship between Jesus and His Father, who willingly submitted to His authority. We know the Father doesn’t always ask His Son to do things that are fun or pleasant, but required Him to take on the cross. So too, husbands sometimes require their wives to do difficult things. Speech about women submitting to men is totally outlawed by society today; just talking about this is to some the most blasphemous use of the English language. To them, if we blasphemed the name of Jesus, it would not be as bad as telling women to submit to their husbands. These are fighting words! Granted, there are some men who are total jerks, and no women should submit to their abuse, but Paul is talking about that which is fitting in the Lord. If the husband is God-fearing and Christ-like, then it is fitting for the woman to submit to him, but if the husband acts unseemly (1Cor 13-5), the woman has no obligation to submit to his stupidity and brutality. In that case, she shouldn't have married the man in the first place (2Cor 6-14). Col 3-18,19 (3c) Responsibility >> To the Family >> Instruction about marriage – Colossians is similar to Ephesians in that they both talk about unity and about relationships between men and women. Paul's instruction in both cases are that women should be submissive and that men should love their wives, suggesting that these are the two main problem areas in marriage. Husbands have a tendency to become bitter against their wives in response to their defiance, so it is no wonder women don’t submit to their husbands. These two forces feed on each other to create a vicious cycle that Paul is trying to break, and it must be broken on both ends. No one individual can mend a marriage; both the man and the woman must be involved in fixing and improving the relationship. Paul is not saying that the man should correct his ways if the woman does, and that the woman should correct her ways if the man does, but that they should both independently correct their ways at the same time, making the needed changes on an unconditional basis for Jesus’ sake and not for the sake of the spouse. However a marriage cannot be healed unless both do their part in creating unity in the family structure. This is also how we establish unity in the Church. God rewards faithfulness, if not in this life, then in the next. (73h) Authority >> Respect authority in the family >> Respect the institution of marriage Col 3-19 (24k) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Anger >> Unforgiveness – The husband should not be embittered against his wife when she is acting like a jerk. This is a scenario of a good man whose wife is not submitting to him. Paul says not to be embittered against her but to love her instead, and allow the love of God to soften her heart. The best way to make a woman change her heart is through love. Col 3-20,21 (73i) Authority >> Respect authority in the family >> Respect your mother and Father – “All things” means everything. Does that mean when parents are unreasonable that children should submit to them? No, Paul is talking about good Christian parents making reasonable demands on their children. They are to obey their parents, because it is for their benefit and to the advantage of the family as a whole; it is to the advantage of the Church in general and for the purpose of promoting the Kingdom of God in the world. If children replace in their conduct with the good traits their parents are teaching them, it turns them into good people and teaches them how to live. When their parents teach them right from wrong, it is so they don't spend their lives in prison or die young. Through all this advice to families Paul addresses rebellion and names submission as the solution. When Christians model their lives after the Lord, people have an obligation to submit to them. Col 3-20 (3o) Responsibility >> Children are accountable to their parents (87k) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Obey authorities -- This verse goes with verses 22-24 (247i) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> Things that please God (250b) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> In all things ... >> Be obedient in all things Col 3-21 (3n) Responsibility >> Parenting >> How to discipline your children (75a) Thy kingdom come >> Let not your heart be hardened >> Numb from over stimulation (176j) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Extremes >> Truth is never found in your conduct on either extreme of any circumstance KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 3,22-25 (13i) Servant >> Support the body >> Servant in the work force (73g) Authority >> Respect positions of authority >> Respect your boss at work – We are to serve our employers as though we were fulfilling our calling from God, and how we make a living is part of it. He has called us with a holy calling and our means of income is part of that calling. We could have an important career and make lots of money, or we could have a simple job that virtually anyone could do; either way we are all called to do our very best to bring glory to God. In this life we reap is a paycheck, and we know how fast money spends, here one day and gone the next, but God intends to reward us for being good employees as we work wholeheartedly as for the Lord. That is, God will reward us for our wholeheartedness with a better job in heaven, but if we do our job for the sake of money, we have received our reward in full. If we do our work as for the Lord, garnishing the gospel, then in fact we are working for Him. If we have a fancy career making lots of money and in charge of many people, and have been entrusted with authority, we are not to forget that we have an inheritance coming from the Lord that will outshine any greatness we may have achieved in this life in ways we cannot imagine. (94a) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective on this life >> It is our investment in the Kingdom of God -- These verses go with verses 1-6 (101j) Thy kingdom come >> Ambition >> Be an ambitious businessman for God >> Ambitious in the business world of this life Col 3,22-2 4 (78d) Thy kingdom come >> Sincerity >> Taking God to heart >> Having a genuine heart (87k) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Obey authorities -- These verses go with verse 20 Col 3-22 (88k) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God >> Revering God (171f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Decorating the outside to simulate the inside >> Playing the part to be accepted by men (197b) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Rebelling Against what God wants you to do >> Refusing to take on responsibility Col 3-23,24 (31d) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> His favor enriches your life (36j) Gift of God >> Inheritance >> We are heirs through sanctification (75c) Thy kingdom come >> Motives of the heart >> Being motivated to do the will of God (226d) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> Our inheritance is reserved in heaven – If we hate our job, if we wake up and can’t stand our lives, knowing we have to go back to that pit-hole and do the same dumb thing and deal with the same stale problems, Paul is telling us to remember our inheritance. We are a special person, born of God, one in a thousand going to heaven. No matter how miserable our life, we are destined to receive an inheritance from God that is eternal. We will inherit heaven itself and the new creation. After God creates the new heavens and the new earth, He will give it to us and we will own it with Christ. Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…” (Mat 28-18). The day is coming when God will give us all authority to reign with Him in heaven and on earth. We might have to hold down a ridiculous job for now, but a day is coming when we will own all things as fellow heirs of the manifold grace of God. (233l) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seek His glory without wavering >> By all means seek the glory of God KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 3-25 (48f) Judgment >> Levels of judgment >> Judged according to your deeds >> In this life – This verse is a summation of the entire chapter. Christians should not have a problem with sin, should they? We are humans, so we will always wrestle with sin as long as we are in the body. Afterward, God will give us a new body that cannot be tempted, but until then the struggle continues. God is the one who brings about retribution for the sin of the Church, and he does it by His Spirit through conviction. There are also circumstantial consequences, especially when our sin involves other people, which it usually does. Paul wants the Church to properly manifest Jesus Christ in the world, and we cannot do that while we are practicing sin. (51h) Judgment >> Judging the Church with the world >> No partiality among us with God – Was Paul really talking to Christians when he wrote this? Yes, we are the main audience of his epistles. Was he talking about this life only, or was he also talking about the life to come? In this life people sometimes get away with murder, but in the life to come, all debts are paid, so Paul was talking about Christians in the life to come receiving the consequences of their sin without partiality. How does that square with grace? The reason many people pick and choose certain preferred verses from the Bible is that the rest doesn’t fit with their theology. Many don’t know how verses like this fit with the subject of grace; after all, hasn’t God forgiven us? “Without partiality” means that God doesn’t care about our doctrines of grace and mercy; He doesn’t care about all the good things we have done. The person who was a missionary and came home and murdered his friend will go to jail just the same; but more than that, Paul was talking about the judgment of God. We know that a Christian is forgiven, but when he sins, there are both temporal and eternal consequences that will befall him; that is, in eternity there will be a loss of reward. (88g) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God >> Fearing God's judgment is the beginning of wisdom >> Fear the consequences of your disobedience (218e) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Reaping the harvest >> We choose our actions, not their consequences >> Reaping the harvest of our works – Temporal consequences come from man; if we have committed a crime, we will stand before a judge, who will pass sentence against us, and in eternity God will review our lives and recall the sins we have committed, and if we are Christians we will have escaped the White Throne Judgment, so our sin will not condemn us to hell, but it will keep us from a full reward, according to 2Jn-8, “Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.” God has prepared a reward, and it is waiting for us in heaven, but our sins keep chipping away at it, so by the time we get there, our reward will have eroded to nothing (1Cor 3,12-15). Many Christians are willing to accept this; they only care about getting to heaven, but the truth for many is that if they don’t stop sinning, they may not be going to heaven. A person who really wants heaven will live for God in this life, but the one who has a mediocre faith is likely to undershoot heaven and land in God’s dragnet leading to the White Throne Judgment and to eternal punishment. Those who love God and have made a full commitment to Him, though they have sinned seek restitution of those they have offended and restoration with God. For this reason their sins are resolved and mediated in this life, and so this verse scarcely relates to them, but those who have given themselves to want and pleasure, Paul says beware not only of the consequences of sin but of hell itself. See also: Rewards; Heb 10-34; 25i See next page