Colossians 3:12-4:1

3:12-14 | God’s elect – His chosen ones – will not simply set aside the old life and its ways. They will display eighty new characteristics, culminating in love – the bond of perfection that has the power to change the world. While humility is a grace that grows withing a Christian’s heart, it is also a choice that believers make each day (Eph. 4:1-2; 1 Pet. 5:5-6).

3:15 | Peace is Christ’s gift to His followers today and forever (John 14:27; Phil. 4:7).

3:16 | Dwelling on the truth of the gospel (the word of Christ) produces an overflowing heart of worship – which includes a variety of musical styles (psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs), teaching and admonishing one another, and responding to the Lord with grace in your hearts. Spiritual songs come from a Greek phrase meaning “ode to a breath,” an expression that emanates spontaneously from one’s spirit – a reflection of the spontaneity of the early church (1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 5:19).

3:17 | The antidote to sin is to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus and to thank God in every word and deed (1 Cor. 10:31).

3:18 | Paul’s exhortation is based in Jesus’ example: the Son lived His life on earth in perfect submission to the will of the father (John 6-8). Context is helpful as well: the wife’s submission is in response to the sacrificial love of her husband (Eph. 5:22-31). Grammatically, the Greek verb expresses a voluntary, positive submission rather than one that is imposed. Christian marriages should be marked by each spouse’s identity in Christ. It is His pattern of humble love and submission that should be followed.

3:19 | Although Paul could have instructed husbands to specifically encourage, support, cherish, provide for, honor, and be faithful to their wives, he chose the word that encompasses and surpasses all these things: love (Eph. 5:25).

3:21 | The warning to fathers to not provoke or discourage their children can also be stated positively: cultivate good attitudes in your children and encourage them (Eph. 6:4).

3:23 | Heartily means “out of one’s soul” or “from the core of one’s being.” Christians should do everything with all their heart, actively motivated by their love for God and people (Matt. 22:37; Rom. 14:7; 1 Cor. 10:31; Gal. 6:9).

3:24 | The source of the believer’s passion is God, for you serve the Lord Christ. Passion is something Christians discover as they discover God’s gifts within them (Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12).

3:25 | When people confess their sins to God, He does not always remove the consequences of their choices. He does forgive the guilt, and He forgives freely, but sometimes consequences remain.

4:1 | This verse belongs at the end of chapter 3. God holds masters accountable for treating slaves with justice and equity (Eph. 6:9). A person’s social status should never affect a believer’s behavior toward them. The Christian’s treatment of others should flow out of love for God.