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Colossians: Part 3 - Ch. 3

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The New Man


As we continue our study of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we now come across a very packed chapter. The reason for this is because Paul hits on topics like putting on our new selves since we’ve been made new in Christ, and even he even touches on how the Christian family should operate with their new lifestyle. If you recall from our last post, Paul was discussing in chapter 2 how we are made alive with Christ and that we are dead to our old selves now. This is exactly why Paul crosses the bridge into chapter 3 by talking about how we are to put on this new way of life and leave our old one behind. Go Questions beautifully explains this process when they state, “We did not inherit the new nature from our parents or decide to re-create ourselves anew. Neither did God simply clean up our old nature; He created something entirely fresh and unique. The new creation is completely new, brought about from nothing, just as the whole universe was created by God, from nothing. Only the Creator could accomplish such a feat.” The very reason we have new life in the first place is all because of God. Christ was the only one who could overcome our sin, and for that reason, He is the only one who can offer us a new life entirely as well. As we dissect this chapter, I hope you open your mind to what it truly means to live a new life and that you will examine your own life to see if your life matches what Paul is describing. Let’s dive in. 


Set Your Minds


To begin, Paul kicks off chapter 3 with another conjunctive adverb because he is building off of what he wrote in chapter 2, just like we mentioned earlier. To be alive with Christ means we must put on the new man, which is why these two chapters go together so well. Paul explains what the process of living our new lives should look like so clearly in just the first four verses of this chapter. Colossians 3:1-4 says, “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” There is a very significant difference that Paul notes here about how our new life should look different from our old life. In fact, he goes over this idea twice in these few verses alone. Paul mentions how if we have been raised with Christ, we should keep seeking the things above. He then goes further to say that we are to set our minds on the things above because we have died to our old way of life. One of the biggest differences we should notice once we have been saved is that our thoughts and minds start to shift from ‘What do I want?’ to ‘What does God want?’. This shift in mindset is not just an example of how God changes the believer, but it is a freeing mindset as we get to focus on the eternal, rather than on the temporary, here on this earth. This is why the very next verse in Colossians 3:5 says, “Therefore, treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” When our minds are focused on the ways of the Lord and on what matters in light of eternity, there is no room for sinful lusts and passions. 

We are dead to our old way of living because Christ has set us free and has given us a new way of thinking and living, so there is simply no room or desire left for our old ways. Now this is not to say that our old ways will not try and creep back into our lives and tempt us to fall back on them, of course, this will happen. However, since we have been redeemed by Christ, we can now overcome these sins, unlike before we didn’t belong to Christ. Paul sums up this overall idea by discussing what the Spirit should be producing in our lives as a new creation as well. Colossians 3:12-13 states, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever hasa complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, somust you do also.” These godly and righteous attributes should be marking our lives now that we have been made new in Christ, as opposed to the fallen and sinful attributes that marked our lives before. This passage follows up with how love is the most important of all of these attributes, as well, which shows us that, first and foremost, we should be loving differently as new creations compared to how we loved before we were saved. 


Family & Work


Lastly, Paul instructs the Colossians on how they are to go about functioning as a family and handling work as new believers as well. In Colossians 3:18-20, Paul mentions, “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not become bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.” Wives and husbands should function differently by honoring each other, and Paul goes even further by discussing how our relationship with our kids should change as well. When it comes to work, however, Paul mentions a very distinct difference that should take place once we have been redeemed. Colossians 3:23-24 tells us, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” This is an amazing and yet tough command at times to follow. Regardless of where we work or what we do, our Lord commands us to work as if we are working for Him. This may seem like a hard task, but when we have this mindset, we will find that working is much more enjoyable when we know that we are honoring the Lord through the way we work as well. This chapter obviously has a lot of content that is rich in knowledge, and I hope that this gives you a good taste as to what your new life should look like, from your own family and even to the workplace. May God use this newfound knowledge for your growth and for His glory. 






Sources

[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/




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