Colossians Chapter 3

The first word of the chapter is an IF. But this is not to say nor to suggest that the salvation of a believer is an "iffy" situation. It actually says IF..THEN. In order to get the full meaning of what Paul is saying here is to read it in the light of what he had just said back in Chapter 2, from about verse 10 through verse 15 and taking into account the exhortation in the remainder of the chapter. The warnings against being judged by religious men or being beguiled of your reward by being persuaded to do certain religious things.

A believer who has trusted Christ alone for salvation is COMPLETE in Christ. Nothing more needed. That came about as the result of the circumcision made without hands. That is...the cutting off of the body of the sins of the flesh. All of our sins were imputed to Christ and he was "cut off" for them. In other words, he died for our sins.

So there is an operation of God involved and through faith in that, we have been buried with him in baptism. Not in tap water. This is a Holy Spirit baptism. It is a planting together, a uniting together in the likeness of his death. God identified Christ with you and your sins. So as a believer you have identified yourself with Christ on the cross, dying for your sins. His death is as if it were your death. When you do that the Holy Spirit baptism takes place. It is the ONE baptism of Ephesians 4:5.

So you have been identified with him in his death on the cross and in that same identification, that baptism, you are also risen with him through faith of the operation of God who raised him from the dead. And that is where chapter three begins:

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Now that statement is quite a contrast to what the Lord said in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

The inheritance of the body of Christ is not in the earth or on the earth. We have a house not made with hands and it is "eternal in the heavens" according to 2 Corinthians 5:1. In Philippians 3:20 our conversation is in heaven. So we in the body of Christ should have our affection set on things above:

Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Now we are risen with Christ according to verse one, but that is POSITIONAL. Geographically speaking we are still here, walking around in the same old carnal sinful body that we have always had. Our risen life and our glorified life is IN CHRIST.

Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

So everything here is POSITIONAL TRUTH and because of it Paul tells the believer to do some things.

Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

All of those things are associated with idolatry. They are associated with religious people who are lost because they have not trusted Christ as their Saviour but instead are trusting their religion and their religious practices and their religious performances.

Colossians 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

The obedience God requires for salvation today is the obedience of FAITH. Those in the verse are in DISBELIEF or they are unbelievers.

Colossians 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

At some time, the time before we trusted Christ as our Saviour we walked just like the children of disobedience walk. We were unbelievers just as they are. But notice he says when you LIVED in them. A believer no longer lives in them because a believer is crucifed with Christ. Look back up at verse three: Ye are dead. You cannot be dead and living in those things at the same time. Notice back in Romans:

Romans 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

So judicially speaking a believer is dead and freed from sin. To be "freed" from sin is not saying the same thing as "free from sin," because every believer has not only the ability but the natural desire to sin. Paul said that he was "carnal, sold unto sin." So there is a contrast between positional and practical. The things that follow are practical.

Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Now notice why you should do this:

Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

You HAVE put off the old man:

Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

And you HAVE put on the new man. That happened the moment you trusted Christ and were given the new identity in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

That is not to say that your old nature has passed away, because you have not yet passed away. You are still living in a physical human body and in that the old nature is still there, always warrintg and tugging and wanting to prevail. That's the conflict you read about from a man who wrote about it over 20 years AFTER he was saved. That was Paul in Romans chapter seven.

But in Christ you are a new creature and those old things would be the things of the old religious mind. That's why he refers to the new man, which is "renewed in knowledge." that knowledge comes from studying the rightly divided word of truth. The "form of sound words" given to Paul.

So here we HAVE put off the old man and HAVE put on the new. In the book of Ephesians it is a little different. There Paul is speaking of the practical application of positional truth. In Ephesians 4:17 there are some religious people called "other Gentiles," and they walk in the vanity of their mind, their understanding is darkened and they are alienated from the life of God. They would be like the "children of disobedience" we just read about lin Colossians 3:5. But Paul says to the Ephesians "Ye have not so learned Christ."

Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

That is the practical application of the positional truth in Christ.

Colossians 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Colossians 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Those things are the practical things that a believer should do because of what God has done...saved him and made him a new creature in Christ.

Paul told the Ephesians in 5:18-19 to be filled with the Spirit and he describes how to do that exactly the same was as he says this:

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Next there are instructions for wives and then husbands:

Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

And then children:

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

And to the fathers of the children:

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

And then to servants:

Colossians 3:22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;

You see those same things in Ephesians chapter five.

Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Colossians 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

The reward OF the inheritance comes at the judgment seat of Christ. He that doeth wrong shall receive for that wrong. If you compare 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 you see that a believers work will be tried "of what sort it is." If it abides there is a reward and if not there is loss. To receive for the wrong would be to suffer that loss. It is not a loss of salvation because a believer is complete in Christ and cannot lose his salvaton. There is NO condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. And there is also no separation.