Colossians 3:1-17

Verse 1:

Moving to chapter 3 we are moving away from the negative analyzation of the “empty” “philosophy” that promises much but delivers nothing, and contrasting it with the efficacious work of Christ when the Colossians first received him. Much of this will be familiar stomping ground, even in Colossians, but it serves to highlight the all-sufficiency of Christ and the emptiness of the heresy.

These first four verses especially set forth the proper outlook for the Christian. Melick writes: “The foolish attempts at sanctification in 2:20-23 often entrap Christian people. The real issue is the outlook found in 3:1-4” (279).

This new outlook is dictated by their having been “raised with Christ.” This very much recalls the language of 2:12 and thus points to the redemptive effects of one’s baptism into Christ. You were buried with him, and raised with him. The life that you now lead is lived in that same resurrection power.

The ethical conduct that results on that is an active seeking of those things that are above where Christ is seated in power. N.T. Wright notes: “The command to aspire to the things of heaven is a command to meditate and dwell upon Christ’s sort of life, and on the fact that he is now enthroned as the Lord of the world” (136).

Verse 2:

While verse 1 sets forth the desire of the Christian, the second sets forth the disposition and mentality of the Christian. The verb in verse 2 is φρονέω which we saw frequently in Philippians and carries the sense of “all that makes up one’s attitude, including intellectual, emotional, and volitional elements.” This is the mentality of the Christian who has been raised (notice how that is a past action by the way, you have currently been raised with Christ) is set on the things above and not on earthly things.

Melick writes: “The term implies more than a way of thinking; it includes values and loves as well. It could well be translated “delight in things above.” In contrast with this second command, which speaks of values, the first command refers to desires. Since basic desires proceed from the heart (Jesus’ words in Mark 7:15), the NIV correctly inserts the word “heart.” The first concern is moral; the second, mental” (280). I implore you to put this into practice because it works. Ask yourself in times of temptation: “Am I allowing my mind to dwell on this?” If the answer is yes, you must immediately take that thought captive and refocus (redelight) in the things above.

Verse 3:

Verse 3 then provides an explanatory clause. Why do you set your desires and delights on things above? Because you died and your life is now hidden with Christ (who is above) in God. Verses 3-4 sum up the Christians present status in Christ. As Wright writes: “With Christ, he has died, he is risen, and he will appear in glory” (137). The Colossians are to think of themselves as dead to the things of this earth. Now tell me, how active is a dead person? Not very. So tell me, if you are dead to the things of this earth, how active are you in them?

The question quickly becomes: “If I’m dead, how can I be alive?” The answer is that we are “in Christ.” You life is “hidden” with Christ in God. While the verb here is somewhat tricky, it carries the notion of being concealed with the intent of keeping something safe or secret. Here I am perhaps more inclined to think of it denoting some sense of safety or security, and therefore your life is “concealed for safe keeping” with Christ in God.

Verse 4:

There’s a wonderful element to this. See, the epistle began with a note of hope, and here the thing hoped for is clearly stated, namely the return of Christ. Though you have died to this world, your life which is in Christ is concealed for safe keeping with Christ in God, until that which is “hidden” is made manifest and we are glorified with Christ. Regardless of what tomorrow may bring, if we are in Christ, we will be raised to glory with him.

Notice the language of Paul here. It is not just “your life,” but your life is “Christ.” N.T. Wright notes: “that life is not just ‘hidden with Christ in God’ it actually is Christ himself, their hope of glory (1:27). As in Romans 8:18ff, or 1 John 3:1ff., the Christian hopes not merely for the coming of the Lord, but for the full revelation of what he or she already is” (137). The Christian life is characterized by Christ. The Christian is buried with him in baptism, raised to newness of life with him, his life is concealed for safe keeping with Christ until the day when Christ’s glory is revealed and we share that glory.

Verse 5:

Verse 4 thus ends the doctrinal section and verse 5 begins the conduct portion. As always we find that Christian conduct proceeds from Christian doctrine. What we believe matters, and influences conduct. Paul has thus demonstrated the all sufficiency of Christ, his preeminence in all things, the work that God has accomplished through him, the need to remain in the faith for the Christian (to continue to walk in Christ), and now he describes what that looks like.

We can almost certainly take this first imperative as a sort of “be what you are” command. Melick explains this idea reasonably well. It seems almost strange that Paul would say: “You have died,” and then give the command “put to death.” Melick writes: “the command was necessary because of the nature of the death with Christ. It is a spiritual reality, but the experiential and psychological aspects of the believers’ position in Christ must be worked out. Although the believers died with Christ, they seemed to be unaware of the specific implications of salvation and, therefore, unable to live the consecrated life so desired” (287).

The assertion is essentially: “You have died with Christ, now you must recognize that, and live that out.” Paul has already discussed the power by which he struggles, that is the empowering power of God, and he’s already stated that his prayer for them is that they would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, that this would lead to proper living and that they would then be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, and this proper living would be empowered by God. So Paul says: “You’ve died, now live like it!”

This involves putting to death the parts (μέλος) of you that are of this earth. N.T. Wright correctly points out that the phrase could be translated: “the members (or limbs) which are upon the earth;’ Paul probably intends this as a vivid metaphor, as in Matthew 5:29-30. Practices such as these are like a gangrenous limb to the eyes of a surgeon: they must be cut off before they infect the whole person” (138). The list here presents an image of their former pagan lives influenced by the culture, and such a life is to be left behind (the old man is dead, do not revive him), and when such tendencies try to resurrect themselves in the Colossians lives, they are to kill them again.

Verses 6-7:

This has to be done when one recognizes that such vices are the very reason why God’s wrath is going to be meted against all the sons of disobedience. Two things we should note here. First, God’s wrath is not primarily an emotional outburst, but rather, as Melick puts it, “the active reaction of his nature against all that is contrary to his nature. It is a recoiling of God’s entire being. It has logical and volitional elements and primarily expresses God’s judgement on people” (292). There is a consequence to living in a manner that is “hostile to God, doing evil deeds” and such a life demonstrates a failure to remain located in the faith and a failure to continue to walk in Christ.

The tail end of verse 6 I have also translated quite literally “sons of disobedience.” To be the “son of” something is a very frequent way of describing one who is characterized by such things. A son of righteousness is characterized by righteousness whereas a son of disobedience is characterized by disobedience.

This lends itself to the imagery in verse 7 where Paul says: “In these also you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.” Again, Paul uses the Gk. term περιπατέω to describe their “walk of life” the term literally meaning “to walk.” This was your former walk of life, as sons of disobedience, when you were alive in them. Notice the back and forth between the language of life and death. Having come to Christ, being baptized into him, you have died. Now the task of the Christian is to recognize that and live like it. You cannot walk as if you are alive in this location (disobedience) any longer.

Verse 8:

Paul adds an additional metaphor here: changing clothes. The imperative in verse 8 is ἀποτίθημι that has the semantic range of “put off, take off, lay down.” Paul’s used it before in Ephesians with the sense of removing vice like an old filthy garment, and this is the same manner in which he uses the term here (in just a few verses he will instruct them concerning what garment they are supposed to put on). So, here’s the command: “Remove the old garment of anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth.”

While we won’t touch on each of these, what is so dangerous about these particular vices? They destroy relationships. Melick notes: “These sins destroy social relationships and are more expressive of attitudes than specific actions…Since the new life is to be lived corporately with all Christians, positive Christian social relationships are mandatory. These five, then, are mentioned not so much because they are more typical of Christians than of non-Christians, but because they are necessary to harmonious relationships in the body of Christ” (293). These things that destroy the social fabric must be removed, recognizing that the Christian life is lived in community.

Verse 9:

Verse 9 makes it very clear that such conduct is in keeping with their former lives (when they were hostile in their minds to God, doing evil deeds, and thus alienated from him). Such a walk of life is completely out of line with the new life that Christ has accomplished in us when we raised with him.

That old life was characterized by hostility to those things which belong to God, including truth, and thus lying must also be shed like an ugly garment. N.T. Wright, talking about the state of the Colossians (and everyone) prior to conversion, writes: “The behaviour outlined in verses 5 and 3:8 is characteristic of distorted humanity. Being itself out of shape, it tends to twist everything else—people, by manipulation or anger; facts, by lying—to make them fit in with its own distortions. The humanity which has been straightened out according to the perfect model, that of Christ (1:15–20; 2:6), has no excuse for such behaviour. The standard now is the life of heaven (3:1–4). They do not behave like that there” (142).

This new life is lived out with the recognition that “you have already undressed yourselves from the old self with its practices.” Notice that the command continues to be in line with what is their present spiritual condition. Paul says: “Take off the practices of the old self, knowing that you have already undressed yourselves of the old self and its practices.” The Christian must “Be what he/she already is” as a result of the reconciliation work of the cross (being buried with Christ and risen with him to new life).

Verse 10:

There is some word play taking place in vv. 9-10. To describe how the old self has already been “stripped off” Paul uses the term ἀπεκδύομαι that means something like “remove; undress.” In verse 10 to describe how the Colossians have put on the new self he uses the term ἐνδύω that means “put on, clothe; dress oneself.” These two things happened in conjunction with one another. The old self was stripped off and the new self was put on (like a garment).

Now this new self is described with a present passive participle ἀνακαινόω that means “make new; restore, renew” suggesting that it is undergoing a process of renewal (effectuated by another force, here presumably God working on the individual) in knowledge according to the image of its creator. That reference to knowledge ought to remind us (pull us back to) Paul’s prayer in chapter 1:9 where he prayed that they would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, that this would in turn lead to proper living and the knowledge of God’s will, and this empowered by the hand of God. Thus, the Colossians are to live out the new life recognizing what God has already done, recognizing what he is doing, and with our eyes towards the goal: that the new life would be in accord to the image of its creator.

This is the language of the creation account, and the consequence of that would be the recognition that through Christ we have been reconciled back to God in order to be what we were intended to be when God first breathed life into Adam, reflections of God and representatives of the mighty one to his creation. This idea should probably take us straight back to 1:15-20 in which we discovered Christ’s integral working in creation that all things were made “in him, by him, and for him.” Your life then, has true purpose: to be lived to the glory of God as a reflection of him, and this is only possible through the working of Christ and you remaining in the faith, continuing to walk in Christ, and being what God has made already made you (dead to the things of the earth, alive with Christ in God. Unclothed of vice, garbed in that which is of Christ, which Paul will enumerate in vv. 12-17).

So, two questions: “Since this is what God has accomplished by Christ in us, why are Christians tempted to add to this genuine hope from the things of this world that are hopeless?” “How do we ‘kill’ the parts of us that are earthly and remove the vices that are characteristic of our old life?” Recognize that God already has through Christ. You are not those things. Satan has done an excellent job tricking people into believing that they are their sin. It is simply not true. You have died to sin, you’ve been risen with Christ. This is the reality of the situation.