10 And G2532 have put on G1746 the new G3501 man, which G3588 is renewed G341 in G1519 knowledge G1922 after G2596 the image of him G1504 that created G2936 him: G846
And G1161 be renewed G365 in the spirit G4151 of your G5216 mind; G3563 And G2532 that ye put on G1746 the new G2537 man, G444 which G3588 after G2596 God G2316 is created G2936 in G1722 righteousness G1343 and G2532 true G225 holiness. G3742
For G1063 we are G2070 his G846 workmanship, G4161 created G2936 in G1722 Christ G5547 Jesus G2424 unto G1909 good G18 works, G2041 which G3739 God G2316 hath before ordained G4282 that G2443 we should walk G4043 in G1722 them. G846
And G2532 be G4964 not G3361 conformed G4964 to this G5129 world: G165 but G235 be ye transformed G3339 by the renewing G342 of your G5216 mind, G3563 that G1519 ye G5209 may prove G1381 what G5101 is that good, G18 and G2532 acceptable, G2101 and G2532 perfect, G5046 will G2307 of God. G2316
Put on G1746 therefore, G3767 as G5613 the elect G1588 of God, G2316 holy G40 and G2532 beloved, G25 bowels G4698 of mercies, G3628 kindness, G5544 humbleness of mind, G5012 meekness, G4236 longsuffering; G3115
And I will give H5414 them one H259 heart, H3820 and I will put H5414 a new H2319 spirit H7307 within H7130 you; and I will take H5493 the stony H68 heart H3820 out of their flesh, H1320 and will give H5414 them an heart H3820 of flesh: H1320
Having abolished G2673 in G1722 his G846 flesh G4561 the enmity, G2189 even the law G3551 of commandments G1785 contained in G1722 ordinances; G1378 for to G2443 make G2936 in G1722 himself G1438 of twain G1417 one G1519 G1520 new G2537 man, G444 so making G4160 peace; G1515
For G1063 in G1722 Christ G5547 Jesus G2424 neither G3777 circumcision G4061 availeth G2480 any thing, G5100 nor G3777 uncircumcision, G203 but G235 a new G2537 creature. G2937
And God H430 said, H559 Let us make H6213 man H120 in our image, H6754 after our likeness: H1823 and let them have dominion H7287 over the fish H1710 of the sea, H3220 and over the fowl H5775 of the air, H8064 and over the cattle, H929 and over all the earth, H776 and over every creeping thing H7431 that creepeth H7430 upon the earth. H776 So God H430 created H1254 man H120 in his own image, H6754 in the image H6754 of God H430 created H1254 he him; male H2145 and female H5347 created H1254 he them.
But G1161 whoso G3739 keepeth G302 G5083 his G846 word, G3056 in G1722 him G5129 verily G230 is G5048 the love G26 of God G2316 perfected: G5048 hereby G1722 G5129 know we G1097 that G3754 we are G2070 in G1722 him. G846
And G2532 hereby G1722 G5129 we do know G1097 that G3754 we know G1097 him, G846 if G1437 we keep G5083 his G846 commandments. G1785
As G5613 obedient G5218 children, G5043 not G3361 fashioning yourselves according to G4964 the former G4386 lusts G1939 in G1722 your G5216 ignorance: G52 But G235 as G2596 he which hath called G2564 you G5209 is holy, G40 so G2532 be G1096 ye G846 holy G40 in G1722 all G3956 manner of conversation; G391
If G2532 they shall fall away, G3895 to renew them G340 again G3825 unto G1519 repentance; G3341 seeing they crucify G388 to themselves G1438 the Son G5207 of God G2316 afresh, G388 and G2532 put him to an open shame. G3856
For G3754 God, G2316 who G3588 commanded G2036 the light G5457 to shine G2989 out of G1537 darkness, G4655 G3739 hath shined G2989 in G1722 our G2257 hearts, G2588 to G4314 give the light G5462 of the knowledge G1108 of the glory G1391 of God G2316 in G1722 the face G4383 of Jesus G2424 Christ. G5547
But G1161 we G2249 all, G3956 with open G343 face G4383 beholding as in a glass G2734 the glory G1391 of the Lord, G2962 are changed G3339 into the same G846 image G1504 from G575 glory G1391 to G1519 glory, G1391 even as G2509 by G575 the Spirit G4151 of the Lord. G2962
For G1063 this G5124 corruptible G5349 must G1163 put on G1746 incorruption, G861 and G2532 this G5124 mortal G2349 must put on G1746 immortality. G110 So G1161 when G3752 this G5124 corruptible G5349 shall have put on G1746 incorruption, G861 and G2532 this G5124 mortal G2349 shall have put on G1746 immortality, G110 then G5119 shall be brought to pass G1096 the saying G3056 that is written, G1125 Death G2288 is swallowed up G2666 in G1519 victory. G3534
The night G3571 is far spent, G4298 G1161 the day G2250 is at hand: G1448 let us G659 therefore G3767 cast off G659 the works G2041 of darkness, G4655 and G2532 let us put on G1746 the armour G3696 of light. G5457
A new H2319 heart H3820 also will I give H5414 you, and a new H2319 spirit H7307 will I put H5414 within H7130 you: and I will take away H5493 the stony H68 heart H3820 out of your flesh, H1320 and I will give H5414 you an heart H3820 of flesh. H1320
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Colossians 3
Commentary on Colossians 3 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 3
Col 3:1-4
The apostle, having described our privileges by Christ in the former part of the epistle, and our discharge from the yoke of the ceremonial law, comes here to press upon us our duty as inferred thence. Though we are made free from the obligation of the ceremonial law, it does not therefore follow that we may live as we list. We must walk the more closely with God in all the instances of evangelical obedience. He begins with exhorting them to set their hearts on heaven, and take them off from this world: If you then have risen with Christ. It is our privilege that we have risen with Christ; that is, have benefit by the resurrection of Christ, and by virtue of our union and communion with him are justified and sanctified, and shall be glorified. Hence he infers that we must seek those things which are above. We must mind the concerns of another world more than the concerns of this. We must make heaven our scope and aim, seek the favour of God above, keep up our communion with the upper world by faith, and hope, and holy love, and make it our constant care and business to secure our title to and qualifications for the heavenly bliss. And the reason is because Christ sits at the right hand of God. He who is our best friend and our head is advanced to the highest dignity and honour in heaven, and has gone before to secure to us the heavenly happiness; and therefore we should seek and secure what he has purchased at so vast an expense, and is taking so much care about. We must live such a life as Christ lived here on earth and lives now in heaven, according to our capacities.
Col 3:5-7
The apostle exhorts the Colossians to the mortification of sin, the great hindrance to seeking the things which are above. Since it is our duty to set our affections upon heavenly things, it is our duty to mortify our members which are upon the earth, and which naturally incline us to the things of the world: "Mortify them, that is, subdue the vicious habits of mind which prevailed in your Gentile state. Kill them, suppress them, as you do weeds or vermin which spread and destroy all about them, or as you kill an enemy who fights against you and wounds you.'-Your members which are upon the earth; either the members of the body, which are the earthly part of us, and were curiously wrought in the lower parts of the earth (Ps. 139:15), or the corrupt affections of the mind, which lead us to earthly things, the members of the body of death, Rom. 7:24. He specifies,
Col 3:8-11
As we are to mortify inordinate appetites, so we are to mortify inordinate passions (v. 8): But now you also put off all these, anger wrath, malice; for these are contrary to the design of the gospel, as well as grosser impurities; and, though they are more spiritual wickedness, have not less malignity in them. The gospel religion introduces a change of the higher as well as the lower powers of the soul, and supports the dominion of right reason and conscience over appetite and passion. Anger and wrath are bad, but malice is worse, because it is more rooted and deliberate; it is anger heightened and settled. And, as the corrupt principles in the heart must be cut off, so the product of them in the tongue; as blasphemy, which seems there to mean, not so much speaking ill of God as speaking ill of men, giving ill language to them, or raising ill reports of them, and injuring their good name by any evil arts,-filthy communication, that is, all lewd and wanton discourse, which comes from a polluted mind in the speaker and propagates the same defilements in the hearers,-and lying: Lie not one to another (v. 9), for it is contrary both to the law of truth and the law of love, it is both unjust and unkind, and naturally tends to destroy all faith and friendship among mankind. Lying makes us like the devil (who is the father of lies), and is a prime part of the devil's image upon our souls; and therefore we are cautioned against this sin by this general reason: Seeing you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, v. 10. The consideration that we have by profession put away sin and espoused the cause and interest of Christ, that we have renounced all sin and stand engaged to Christ, should fortify us against this sin of lying. Those who have put off the old man have put it off with its deeds; and those who have put on the new man must put on all its deeds-not only espouse good principles but act them in a good conversation. The new man is said to be renewed in knowledge, because an ignorant soul cannot be a good soul. Without knowledge the heart cannot be good, Prov. 19:2. The grace of God works upon the will and affections by renewing the understanding. Light is the first thing in the new creation, as it was in the first: after the image of him who created him. It was the honour of man in innocence that he was made after the image of God; but that image was defaced and lost by sin, and is renewed by sanctifying grace: so that a renewed soul is something like what Adam was in the day he was created. In the privilege and duty of sanctification there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, v. 11. There is now no difference arising from different country or different condition and circumstance of life: it is as much the duty of the one as of the other to be holy, and as much the privilege of the one as of the other to receive from God the grace to be so. Christ came to take down all partition-walls, that all might stand on the same level before God, both in duty and privilege. And for this reason, because Christ is all in all. Christ is a Christian's all, his only Lord and Saviour, and all his hope and happiness. And to those who are sanctified, one as well as another and whatever they are in other respects, he is all in all, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end: he is all in all things to them.
Col 3:12-17
The apostle proceeds to exhort to mutual love and compassion: Put on therefore bowels of mercy, v. 12. We must not only put off anger and wrath (as v. 8), but we must put on compassion and kindness; not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well; not only not do hurt to any, but do what good we can to all.
Col 3:18-25
The apostle concludes the chapter with exhortations to relative duties, as before in the epistle to the Ephesians. The epistles which are most taken up in displaying the glory of divine grace, and magnifying the Lord Jesus, are the most particular and distinct in pressing the duties of the several relations. We must never separate the privileges and duties of the gospel religion.
It is probable that the apostle has a particular respect, in all these instances of duty, to the case mentioned 1 Co. 7 of relations of a different religion, as a Christian and heathen, a Jewish convert and an uncircumcised Gentile, where there was room to doubt whether they were bound to fulfil the proper duties of their several relations to such persons. And, if it hold in such cases, it is much stronger upon Christians one towards another, and where both are of the same religion. And how happy would the gospel religion make the world, if it every where prevailed; and how much would it influence every state of things and every relation of life!