Colossians chapter 3

vs 1

Interestingly, the word 'heart' isn't even mentioned in the NASB and KJV. Which is probably all for the best, because the ancient culture thought the organs did different things. But I'd be interested to see if the greek word used mentions the organ...

Which it doesn't. Which really makes me wonder why they would use it in the IVs. The word seems to mean to seek or to meditate on. So do that.

vs 2

Ok, so this verse really does mention the mind, using a word with the root phren, which means 'faculty for perceiving of judging' and actually refers to a part of the heart. Weird culture.

So making the point that we focus our emotions and our minds on heavenly things isn't exactly correct - for Paul this is much more an intellectual (you are thinking, meditating and setting your mind on it after all).

vs 3

Only a Christian could say that you have died but you're not dead. We're crazy that way.

vs 4

It's interesting that the greek word for life used here, zeo, (and its root zao) have similar cross-meanings with english. So a saying in english like "you are alive, but you've never really lived" would work in greek too. Which makes me wonder if that is kinda what Paul is saying here - sort of a wordplay. We have died, and our lives (like our living lives) are in Christ. When Christ (who is our "real life") appears, we appear with him too. Of course for Paul, 'really living' wasn't about parties and stuff, but about a life devoted to God.

vs 5

Well, according to my non-greek reading of the greek, the NASB is completely ineffectual in its translation here, which is a shame. I don't know why they put "consider" in there at all - the verb doesn't seem to suggest that. It seems to suggest the active "kill it!" of the IVs (or even the 'mortify' of the KJV, for all those who know how to mortify something).

The point being that there is an active role for us. We might say "Oh, we can't deal with sin, only Christ can". But Paul tells the reader to put it to death. We should at least try. And the knowledge of our true lives being in Christ should help us.

This is one of those verses where Paul makes it clear that greed is idolatry. Making a material sin sound like a spiritual sin gives it a whole lot more impact.

vs 6

Which is bad.

Just for interest, the NASB and KVJ online add the early mss thing into the verse, but my print version of the NASB does not.

vs 7

Some people might make the argument that the list of sins in vs 5 is particularly gentile in nature. But I would say that the inclusion of idolatry as a function of greed is making it clear that Jews aren't all that special either. We're all sinful.

vs 8

I have said in sermons before that if you delineate these two lists of sins, that the first one is primarily sins against God, and the second is primarily sins against other people. I am aware that greed is harmful to ohters, but Paul's focus on it is its idolatrous aspects, which is obviously more a you-and-God thing.

vs 9-10

I wonder if the church had a problem with lying. Perhaps they did. Or perhaps Paul just adds it afterwards because he thinks it makes this next thought more complete. Notice particularly it is 'lying to each other' which makes me think it is referring to something specific.

Anyway, his point flows into another, which is about the change in our selves, between the old self and the new self. Notice two points. Paul said earlier that our true lives would appear when Christ finally appears. But he wants the readers to stop lying right now, because the old self has gone and the new self is over us! But that new self is 'being renewed' in the present.

vs 11

This statement about the equality of all in Christ (or more correctly the equality of Christ in all) tells us that there was some problems of prejudice in the ranks, but you can see it was even between different gentiles, and even between slaves and non-slaves.

vs 12

Again with the clothing thing. I wonder if they made clothes in Colossae or something. These things are almost entirely to do with dealing with other people. We can be humble before God, too, and patient, but not kind, gentle or compassionate. So our Christianity really does need to be earthy and other-people focused, not just between us and God.