Colossians 3

strive for the things above: Christians live on earth, but their true selves have been raised with Christ. This connects them to the spiritual world where Christ rules. In contrast, the commands and teachings of false teachers focus on earthly matters (2:22).

Paul calls on the Colossians to adopt a new mindset that leads to a different way of living.

• you died: See 2:20.

• What is now hidden will be revealed one day (compare 1:26). We cannot see Christ sitting at the right hand of God or that we have new life with Christ. But by faith in the good news, we know these things are true. When Christ returns in glory, everyone will see his supremacy. Then our relationship to him will become direct experience.

• Put to death, therefore: We must truly die to this life by how we live each day (3:3).

• greed, which is idolatry: Greedy people pursue money, sex, power, and possessions instead of God. They hope to find happiness in those things and treat them like idols.

coming: Some manuscripts say coming on all who disobey him. In the Greek text, these words are exactly the same as in Ephesians 5:6. An early scribe might have added them here on purpose or by mistake.

put aside (literally take off): Taking off clothes is a metaphor for removing habits that interfere with our relationship with the Lord (see Romans 13:12; Ephesians 4:22, 25; Hebrews 12:1; James 1:21; 1 Peter 2:1).

the old self … the new self: Paul contrasts old and new identities (see also Romans 5:12–21; 6:6; Ephesians 4:22–24). Believers stop living the way they used to and start living a new life in Christ, letting him be Lord and guide the way they live.

barbarian, Scythian: The Greeks mocked people from other cultures for their inability to speak Greek well. They claimed those people could only say “bar bar” (which is where the word barbarian comes from). The Scythians were tribes on the north coast of the Black Sea, known for being fierce and crude (see Josephus, Against Apion 2.38). In the Christian faith, these kinds of differences between people groups do not matter. The Bible teaches that our relationship with God through Christ is more important than cultural differences or where we come from.

Paul explains the new life of those who have been raised with Christ (3:1). Their good qualities and actions contribute to the peace and strength of the Christian community.

Just as Christ is one, there can only be one body of Christ (see 1:18; Ephesians 4:4–6). Loyalty to Jesus as Lord should go beyond differences and lead to peace in our relationships.

Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are for praise and worship (see 1 Corinthians 14:26; Ephesians 5:19). The book of Psalms serves as the original example.

in the name of the Lord Jesus: In the Bible, a person's name represents that person. To do something in the name of the Lord Jesus means to act in a way that aligns with his identity and authority.

To submit means understanding your position below someone else in a society. This submission always suggests that God is at the top and his will is most important (see Acts 4:19–20; 5:29).

This series of teachings is called a household code. Paul instructs wives (3:18), husbands (3:19), children (3:20), fathers (3:21), slaves (3:22–25), and masters (4:1). Similar codes are found in Greco-Roman writings and other parts of the New Testament (see Ephesians 5:22–6:9; 1 Peter 2:18–3:7).

After instructing wives to submit to their husbands, the Paul encourages husbands to love their wives (see also Ephesians 5:25–30; 1 Peter 3:7).

• Slaves have masters on earth they must obey. Slavery was central to life and the economy in the ancient world. The New Testament does not directly oppose slavery. Yet, Christian faith creates relationships that change the nature of the social structure (see Philemon 1:15–16).

• It is the Lord Christ you are serving: All Christians, whether slave or free, serve a higher Master. His will is most important.