Colossians 3

If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God.

Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory.

Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

For these things’ sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.

You also once walked in those, when you lived in them,

but now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth.

Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings,

and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator,

where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, or free person; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.

Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful.

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

Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives, and don’t be bitter against them.

Children, obey your parents in all things, for this pleases the Lord.

Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.

Servants, obey in all things those who are your masters according to the flesh, not just when they are looking, as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God.

And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

But he who does wrong will receive again for the wrong that he has done, and there is no partiality.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter calls believers to live out their union with the risen Christ through radical holiness and mutual love, rooted in their new identity in Him. It moves from the theological foundation of being spiritually raised and hidden with Christ to the practical outworking of that reality in personal sanctification, community relationships, and daily labor, all framed by worship and accountability to the Lord.

Flow.

Begins with an exhortation to seek and set the mind on heavenly things, grounded in the believer’s spiritual resurrection and hidden life in Christ.
Calls for the mortification of sinful desires and behaviors, contrasting the old life with the new self renewed in God’s image.
Shifts to positive exhortations: cultivating virtues like compassion, forgiveness, and love, with Christ as the unifying head of a transformed community.
Concludes with instructions for household relationships and work, emphasizing obedience, justice, and wholehearted service rendered to the Lord.

Connections.
Following chapter 2, which warns against hollow philosophies and insists on Christ’s supremacy and the believer’s fullness in Him, this chapter answers the question: What does life in Christ actually look like now? It takes the doctrinal riches of union with Christ and works them out in ethical and relational terms. The "putting off" and "puting on" language continues the theme of dying and rising with Christ in baptism, which chapter 4 takes up by grounding perseverance in the hope of Christ’s return and the promise of reward.

What it teaches.
Believers have died with Christ and now share in His risen life, which necessitates a decisive break with sin and a progressive renewal according to God’s image (WCF 13.1; LC 75). The moral transformation is not mere rule-keeping but a Spirit-wrought renewal leading to visible holiness, mutual forbearance, and Christ-centered unity that transcends social divisions (HC LD 46, WCF 13.2). The law’s demands are fulfilled not by human effort but through gratitude and the indwelling Word, as all actions are done in the name of the Lord Jesus (WCF 18.1). Even household duties are sanctified when performed in reverence for Christ, with assurance that divine justice governs both reward and retribution (WCF 16.5; LC 153).

Apply.
Work, speak, and relate to others daily as one who already shares in Christ’s resurrection and will appear with Him in glory.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.