The One Year Bible Club with Teaching
Commentary by Nick Boork
Commentary by Nick Boork
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October 7 – Colossians 3:1-17
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 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. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
OKAY, HERE’S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
In this portion of Scripture Paul begins to talk about what it means to live as a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. If we have been raised with Christ to a new life through being born again then we have a new destiny and that is to be with God forever in heaven but now we’re still here on the earth so we are to always keep in mind that someday we’re going to meet the Lord and receive a new glorified body like he has! Paul says that in this process we need to put to death sinful ways that are in both our body and in our souls. He names the outward sins that are the obvious ones that have to do with our body like adultery, fornication and idolatry but then he moves to the area of the soul saying that we need to put off anger, wrath and evil desires because all that is part of the old man and in Christ it is been crucified on the cross.
After we have been born again we need to renew our minds with the word of God and learn what it means to become like Jesus because we are made alive in the image of God. It really doesn’t matter about our racial background or the status that we have in life whether we are rich or poor because the new spiritual life in Christ is the same for everyone that is born again. So we are to put off the old man with his evil thinking and deeds and put on the new man as Paul says because we are the elect of God or another words in Christ we are now the people of God.
So the question is what is the character of God like? The Bible says here that it is manifesting mercy, kindness, humility and gentleness in our relationships with our fellow man. This is why it says that we are to be long-suffering and to forgive people when they offend us because that’s how God is. He has a lot of patience with all of us and every time that we ask him for forgiveness you know that he’s going to answer our prayers and cleanse us and restore us in our relationship with him. So we need to have the same attitude for people all around us because we’re going to run into many opportunities to be offended but we need to forgive others just as Christ has forgiven us. Above everything else we are to learn to walk in the love of God which Paul says is the bond of perfection. Showing love is the highest virtue or quality of God and should also be evident in all of our lives.
The word here says that we are to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. One translation of the Bible says that we are to allow the peace of God to act just like an umpire deciding the decisions we face every day. Ask yourself a question when you’re faced with challenges in relationships; Is the action that I am going to take one of peace as a peacemaker or am I going to create more hostility? One preacher said that if you are standing in front of a fire you have a choice. You can either throw a gallon of gasoline on it or you can quench it with water and put it out. The natural thing to do when we were offended is to defend ourselves and sometimes we just want to tell people off and put them in their place. However, are we really showing the love of God and allowing his peace to rule hearts? We all need to learn how to allow the peace of God rule our hearts and not allow other people’s actions or words to cause us to react in a negative way because this does not glorify God.
The word teaches us here that we are to allow the word of Christ to live in us richly and I want to emphasize the word “RICHELY” which means abundant. Letting the word of Christ live in us richly is a choice that we make every day by either committing to read the word of God and meditate on it or to allow other things to take first place in our lives. By the way some Christians act you can tell that the word of Christ does not have first place in their lives but rather they allow their own flesh and emotions to rule them. When we allow the word of Christ to live in us richly we become filled with the wisdom of God and the power of God to glorify God! This is why Paul concludes this portion of his letter by saying that whatever we do in word or deed we should do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this is a very high standard indeed that we all fall short of but we need to keep this as our goal to glorify God every day by what we say, what we do and how we treat other people.
The good news is that the father has provided us the Holy Spirit to live within us and by relying on him we can find the strength and the grace that we need to live our Christian life and truly glorify God. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be given to us as our comforter and helper. He alone can strengthen us in our weaknesses. It seems like the more of the word of God I put into my life and the more that I pray the less I sin. I thank God for his mercy which is new every morning and his faithfulness to us is great because he knows that we are all weak in ourselves but as we learn to trust in him and ask him to strengthen us we’re going to find the power we need to live the Christian life and only in this way will we truly glorify our father God. Am I saying it’s easy? Absolutely not! As a matter fact the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do in my life is to live for Jesus Christ because let me tell you, it will cost you everything. Sometimes we are on the mountaintop of victory and other times we are in the valley of defeat but brother and sister don’t give up because the Lord loves you and he will give you the grace and strength to overcome so take a deep breath and say Lord help me to live for you and you’re going to find the divine strength you need in Jesus name!
WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1) We need to set our minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God because heaven is our eternal destiny.
2) The Bible teaches us that we have been crucified with Christ meaning that our old man has been put to death and now we need to learn how to apply the death of Christ to every area of sin that tries to continue in our body and souls.
3) We have been born again in Christ which is the new man but we need to renew our minds to become like the image of Christ from the inside out.
4) Let the word of Christ live in you richly and allow the peace of God to act as an empire in your heart deciding the best course of action always.
5) he ultimate goal for us as Christians is to become absorbed in the love of God and show that love to other people and in this way glorify our father in heaven.
PRAYER TO APPLY THE WORD OF GOD TO OUR LIVES
ORDINATION
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute.
Enroll free today! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 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. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
OKAY, HERE’S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
In this portion of Scripture Paul begins to talk about what it means to live as a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. If we have been raised with Christ to a new life through being born again then we have a new destiny and that is to be with God forever in heaven but now we’re still here on the earth so we are to always keep in mind that someday we’re going to meet the Lord and receive a new glorified body like he has! Paul says that in this process we need to put to death sinful ways that are in both our body and in our souls. He names the outward sins that are the obvious ones that have to do with our body like adultery, fornication and idolatry but then he moves to the area of the soul saying that we need to put off anger, wrath and evil desires because all that is part of the old man and in Christ it is been crucified on the cross.
After we have been born again we need to renew our minds with the word of God and learn what it means to become like Jesus because we are made alive in the image of God. It really doesn’t matter about our racial background or the status that we have in life whether we are rich or poor because the new spiritual life in Christ is the same for everyone that is born again. So we are to put off the old man with his evil thinking and deeds and put on the new man as Paul says because we are the elect of God or another words in Christ we are now the people of God.
So the question is what is the character of God like? The Bible says here that it is manifesting mercy, kindness, humility and gentleness in our relationships with our fellow man. This is why it says that we are to be long-suffering and to forgive people when they offend us because that’s how God is. He has a lot of patience with all of us and every time that we ask him for forgiveness you know that he’s going to answer our prayers and cleanse us and restore us in our relationship with him. So we need to have the same attitude for people all around us because we’re going to run into many opportunities to be offended but we need to forgive others just as Christ has forgiven us. Above everything else we are to learn to walk in the love of God which Paul says is the bond of perfection. Showing love is the highest virtue or quality of God and should also be evident in all of our lives.
The word here says that we are to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. One translation of the Bible says that we are to allow the peace of God to act just like an umpire deciding the decisions we face every day. Ask yourself a question when you’re faced with challenges in relationships; Is the action that I am going to take one of peace as a peacemaker or am I going to create more hostility? One preacher said that if you are standing in front of a fire you have a choice. You can either throw a gallon of gasoline on it or you can quench it with water and put it out. The natural thing to do when we were offended is to defend ourselves and sometimes we just want to tell people off and put them in their place. However, are we really showing the love of God and allowing his peace to rule hearts? We all need to learn how to allow the peace of God rule our hearts and not allow other people’s actions or words to cause us to react in a negative way because this does not glorify God.
The word teaches us here that we are to allow the word of Christ to live in us richly and I want to emphasize the word “RICHELY” which means abundant. Letting the word of Christ live in us richly is a choice that we make every day by either committing to read the word of God and meditate on it or to allow other things to take first place in our lives. By the way some Christians act you can tell that the word of Christ does not have first place in their lives but rather they allow their own flesh and emotions to rule them. When we allow the word of Christ to live in us richly we become filled with the wisdom of God and the power of God to glorify God! This is why Paul concludes this portion of his letter by saying that whatever we do in word or deed we should do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this is a very high standard indeed that we all fall short of but we need to keep this as our goal to glorify God every day by what we say, what we do and how we treat other people.
The good news is that the father has provided us the Holy Spirit to live within us and by relying on him we can find the strength and the grace that we need to live our Christian life and truly glorify God. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be given to us as our comforter and helper. He alone can strengthen us in our weaknesses. It seems like the more of the word of God I put into my life and the more that I pray the less I sin. I thank God for his mercy which is new every morning and his faithfulness to us is great because he knows that we are all weak in ourselves but as we learn to trust in him and ask him to strengthen us we’re going to find the power we need to live the Christian life and only in this way will we truly glorify our father God. Am I saying it’s easy? Absolutely not! As a matter fact the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do in my life is to live for Jesus Christ because let me tell you, it will cost you everything. Sometimes we are on the mountaintop of victory and other times we are in the valley of defeat but brother and sister don’t give up because the Lord loves you and he will give you the grace and strength to overcome so take a deep breath and say Lord help me to live for you and you’re going to find the divine strength you need in Jesus name!
WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1) We need to set our minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God because heaven is our eternal destiny.
2) The Bible teaches us that we have been crucified with Christ meaning that our old man has been put to death and now we need to learn how to apply the death of Christ to every area of sin that tries to continue in our body and souls.
3) We have been born again in Christ which is the new man but we need to renew our minds to become like the image of Christ from the inside out.
4) Let the word of Christ live in you richly and allow the peace of God to act as an empire in your heart deciding the best course of action always.
5) he ultimate goal for us as Christians is to become absorbed in the love of God and show that love to other people and in this way glorify our father in heaven.
PRAYER TO APPLY THE WORD OF GOD TO OUR LIVES
ORDINATION
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute.
Enroll free today! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll