2 Set your affection G5426 on things above, G507 not G3361 on things on G1909 the earth. G1093
Love G25 not G3361 the world, G2889 neither G3366 the things that are in G1722 the world. G2889 If G1437 any man G5100 love G25 the world, G2889 the love G26 of the Father G3962 is G2076 not G3756 in G1722 him. G846 For G3754 all G3956 that is in G1722 the world, G2889 the lust G1939 of the flesh, G4561 and G2532 the lust G1939 of the eyes, G3788 and G2532 the pride G212 of life, G979 is G2076 not G3756 of G1537 the Father, G3962 but G235 is G2076 of G1537 the world. G2889 And G2532 the world G2889 passeth away, G3855 and G2532 the lust G1939 thereof: G846 but G1161 he that doeth G4160 the will G2307 of God G2316 abideth G3306 for G1519 ever. G165
That G2443 the righteousness G1345 of the law G3551 might be fulfilled G4137 in G1722 us, G2254 who walk G4043 not G3361 after G2596 the flesh, G4561 but G235 after G2596 the Spirit. G4151 For G1063 they that are G5607 after G2596 the flesh G4561 do mind G5426 the things G3588 of the flesh; G4561 but G1161 they that are after G2596 the Spirit G4151 the things G3588 of the Spirit. G4151 For G1063 to be G5427 carnally G4561 minded G5427 is death; G2288 but G1161 to be G5427 spiritually G4151 minded G5427 is life G2222 and G2532 peace. G1515
Whose G3739 end G5056 is destruction, G684 whose G3739 God G2316 is their belly, G2836 and G2532 whose glory G1391 is in G1722 their G846 shame, G152 who G3588 mind G5426 earthly things.) G1919 For G1063 our G2257 conversation G4175 is G5225 in G1722 heaven; G3772 from G1537 whence G3739 also G2532 we look for G553 the Saviour, G4990 the Lord G2962 Jesus G2424 Christ: G5547
And G2532 the lord G2962 commended G1867 the unjust G93 steward, G3623 because G3754 he had done G4160 wisely: G5430 for G3754 the children G5207 of this G5127 world G165 are G1526 in G1519 their G1438 generation G1074 wiser G5429 than G5228 the children G5207 of light. G5457 And I G2504 say G3004 unto you, G5213 Make G4160 to yourselves G1438 friends G5384 of G1537 the mammon G3126 of unrighteousness; G93 that, G2443 when G3752 ye fail, G1587 they may receive G1209 you G5209 into G1519 everlasting G166 habitations. G4633
G1161 There was G2258 a certain G5100 rich G4145 man, G444 which G2532 was clothed G1737 in purple G4209 and G2532 fine linen, G1040 and fared G2165 sumptuously G2988 every G2596 day: G2250 And G1161 there was G2258 a certain G5100 beggar G4434 named G3686 Lazarus, G2976 which G3739 was laid G906 at G4314 his G846 gate, G4440 full of sores, G1669 And G2532 desiring G1937 to be fed G5526 with G575 the crumbs G5589 which G3588 fell G4098 from G575 the rich man's G4145 table: G5132 moreover G235 G2532 the dogs G2965 came G2064 and licked G621 his G846 sores. G1668 And G1161 it came to pass, G1096 that the beggar G4434 died, G599 and G2532 was carried G667 by G5259 the angels G32 into G1519 Abraham's G11 bosom: G2859 the rich man G4145 also G1161 G2532 died, G599 and G2532 was buried; G2290 And G2532 in G1722 hell G86 he lift up G1869 his G846 eyes, G3788 being G5225 in G1722 torments, G931 and seeth G3708 Abraham G11 afar G3113 off, G575 and G2532 Lazarus G2976 in G1722 his G846 bosom. G2859 And G2532 G846 he cried G5455 and said, G2036 Father G3962 Abraham, G11 have mercy G1653 on me, G3165 and G2532 send G3992 Lazarus, G2976 that G2443 he may dip G911 the tip G206 of his G846 finger G1147 in water, G5204 and G2532 cool G2711 my G3450 tongue; G1100 for G3754 I am tormented G3600 in G1722 this G5026 flame. G5395 But G1161 Abraham G11 said, G2036 Son, G5043 remember G3415 that G3754 thou G4771 in G1722 thy G4675 lifetime G2222 receivedst G618 thy G4675 good things, G18 and G2532 likewise G3668 Lazarus G2976 evil things: G2556 but G1161 now G3568 G3592 he is comforted, G3870 and G1161 thou G4771 art tormented. G3600
Their inward H7130 thought is, that their houses H1004 shall continue for ever, H5769 and their dwelling H4908 places to all H1755 generations; H1755 they call H7121 their lands H127 after their own names. H8034 Nevertheless man H120 being in honour H3366 abideth H3885 not: he is like H4911 the beasts H929 that perish. H1820 This their way H1870 is their folly: H3689 yet their posterity H310 approve H7521 their sayings. H6310 Selah. H5542 Like sheep H6629 they are laid H8371 in the grave; H7585 death H4194 shall feed H7462 on them; and the upright H3477 shall have dominion H7287 over them in the morning; H1242 and their beauty H6697 H6736 shall consume H1086 in the grave H7585 from their dwelling. H2073 But God H430 will redeem H6299 my soul H5315 from the power H3027 of the grave: H7585 for he shall receive H3947 me. Selah. H5542 Be not thou afraid H3372 when one H376 is made rich, H6238 when the glory H3519 of his house H1004 is increased; H7235 For when he dieth H4194 he shall carry nothing away: H3947 his glory H3519 shall not descend H3381 after H310 him.
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!