Lesson #09

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Colossians

September 21, 2015

Lesson #01

January 20, 2010

Lesson #02

January 20, 2010

RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

COLOSSIANS 3:8-17
Lesson #09
DECISIONS ON HOW TO DRESS SPIRITUALLY

• Memory Verse: Col 3:14

 

• In the beginning of Col 3, we have learned about the flesh nature and the sins that come from the flesh nature.
• Because the believer in Jesus Christ has a choice to either follow the flesh nature or to follow the spirit nature, Paul explains to us these two natures and how they are manifested in life.

 

• Read Col 3:8-11
• Paul tells us what the Christian must “put off”.
  • The phrase “put off” means = to discard, cast off, to strip off and do away with.
    • Paul mentions the sins of the flesh in verses 5-11, and he tells us of these things that the Christian must make a conscious decision and commitment to put those sins out of his life.
      • These are all the sexual sins outside of a marriage relationship with a person of the opposite gender.
        • Even though modern society approves of same-sex marriage, God and the Bible do not.
        • Even though modern society approves of sex before marriage, God and the Bible do not.
  • The idea with the phrase, “put off” is like changing clothes, you take off one thing and put on another thing to produce a different look. People make judgmental perceptions about you by your appearance. In other words, the attitudes and actions of your testimony are revealed to others through your lifestyle.
  • Paul adds to the list of sexual sins other sins of character:
    • Anger
      • This word refers to a habitual attitude of hostility.
    • Wrath
      • This is a sudden, violent temper producing violence.
    • Malice
      • This is hatred, or a desire to injure or hurt someone.
    • Blasphemy
      • This is cursing and slanderous speech leading to injuring a person’s good reputation or name. It also refers to speaking against God.
    • Filthy communication
      • The Greek words are very strong. This is foul, obscene speech from the gutter of society.
    • Lying
      • This is any type of half truth or outright lie used to mislead or deceive.
  • These are all the sins of the “old man”.
    • What does Paul mean by the phrase, “the old man”?
      • Because a person that receives Jesus Christ as his personal savior is a new creation in Christ, the life that he had before his new birth conversion to Christ is the “old man”.
        • Read 2Cor 5:17
• You cannot remove these sins from your life without putting something else in their place. Therefore, after Paul tells us what to “put off”, he tells us what to “put on”.
  • The believer is to put on the “new man”.
    • What does Paul mean?
      • The “new man” is the new Spirit that lives in the born-again believer. Therefore the “new man” lets the new Spirit of Christ shine through his life to touch others.
      • When the believer considers that “the old man” is dead in Christ and that his “new man” is responsive to God, there will be changes to the believer’s character.
        • He is “renewed in knowledge”.
          • The new man is renewed day by day as he matures in Jesus Christ.
            • The more the believer learns and incorporates into his life, the more his life is renewed.
          • The phrases, “to take off”, and “to put on” were directed to the Gnostic doctrine.
            • The Gnostics thought they could put on perfection by knowledge without taking off the sins of the flesh.

 

• Read Col 3:12-17
• Christ breaks down the barriers between people.
  • The Gnostics separated people into two groups, those that were enlightened and those that were not.
  • The fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ crosses all barriers so that there is no difference :
    • …between Greeks and Jews.
      • The Greeks were a proud people that thought that anyone who did not speak Greek was a barbarian, so they never studied other languages.
      • The Jews told everyone that they were God’s chosen people.
    • …between circumcision and uncircumcision
      • The Jews and those people that were converted to Judaism were circumcised. Christ could save them and give them God’s wisdom.
      • The uncircumcision refers to the Gentiles that could also enter into Christ’s kingdom of eternal wisdom.
    • …between the barbarian and the Scythian
      • The barbarians were a primitive, crude people.
      • The Scythians were the most barbarous of any people having a reputation for extreme cruelty.
        • The Jewish historian, Josephus, called the Scythians “wild beasts”.
    • …between bond and free
      • Those in slavery are equally acceptable to God as those who are free.
    • Jesus Christ is sufficient for all of these distinctions.

 

• “…but Christ is all, and in all.”

 

(11)
• The phrase, “all and in all” is an interesting phrase in the Greek language.
  • The word, “all” is a neuter word as well as a masculine word.
    • If the neuter aspect is intended, the phrase means that Christ permeates all relationships of life.
    • If the masculine aspect is intended, the phrase means that Christ dwells in every believer regardless of who he is.
• The list of the things Paul tells the Christian to put on as a “new man” in Jesus Christ.

• The qualities on this list are not options. They are commanded by Jesus Christ that the believer must obey immediately without delay.

 

• “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”

(12)

• “

as the elect of God, holy and beloved” (12)

 

• All these words relate to Israel and the covenant relationship they had with God. Paul applies these words to Jews and Gentiles in Jesus Christ.
• The idea is that if we know we have a unique, covenant relationship with God, we will live more like our calling, more like the way God sees us in Jesus Christ.
  • The believer is set apart for God’s purpose, objects of his matchless love.
• Tender mercies
  • This is a heart of compassion toward people in need and helpless.
• Kindness
  • This is the quality that makes human relationships pleasant. It means to be concerned for others.
• Humility of mind
  • This is a sincerity in considering others of great importance and placing yourself last.
• Meekness
  • This quality is the absence of self-assertion. It is not a quality of weakness but of great strength where the person is under the control of the Holy Spirit. It is the acceptance of God’s will in your life, without resistance or complaining.
• Longsuffering
• This is the quality of mind that does not yield to unfavorable circumstances but by faith endures in patience to persevere.

 

• “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

(13)

 

• Forbearance
• This quality is to refrain from laying your hands on others in order to free yourself from some annoyance or to vindicate your rights. It is patience under provocation.
• Forgiving

• There are three Greek words used to translate the word forgive. Paul uses the least common word here which comes from the root word, grace.
• This tells us that the person having forgiveness treats the offending person better than he deserves, just as God treats us better than we deserve.
• Love

• All the above garments that we are to put on are held together by love like a sash holding the garment together. Love is what unites all these qualities together. Love is the greatest commandment.
• This love is the unconditional, agape type of love.
• Peace (15)

• This word means = to rule or arbitrate; to award the prize; to pronounce the decision in the matter of some controversy.
• All the above garments are mediated by peace.

• All the above characteristics relate to our relationships with other people.
• Paul does not mention in this list the characteristics of creativity, industriousness, perseverance, etc. These are qualities that are done in our own strength.
• The Christian’s personal walk with the Lord:

• Let the love of God dwell richly in you. (16)
  • This quality gives wisdom as to when, where, and how we are to display the above garments so that we live and worship God in truth.
  • The word, dwell, means = to settle down and be at home as though you are in a permanent place.
    • Therefore, worship means our lifestyle.
      • Read Rom 12:1-2
        • Too often Christians think that worship is just going to church on Sunday when in fact worship includes every area of our life and thoughts at all times.
• The Christian’s fellowship with other believers (16)

• Psalms
  • These are scriptural songs from the Bible. The book of Psalms is the example.
• Hymns
  • These are poetic compositions put to music. In the Old Testament it was not unusual to teach by singing. In other words, for people who do not have a copy of the Bible, songs are an excellent way to memorize scripture and doctrinal truth.
• Spiritual songs
  • These are songs of praise and worship.
    • Some Christians believe this refers to singing in tongues.
• Teaching
  • This is the positive aspect of declaring truth. It is the aspect of warning, reproving, and rebuking others.
• Admonishing
  • This is the negative aspect of declaring truth. Teaching and admonishing work together. Christians need both to be rebuked of sin and to be encouraged to gain the victory through Jesus Christ.
• Do all as unto the Lord.

• The Christian’s personal walk and relationship with the Lord and the Christian’s public walk and relationship with other believers in the church, must be governed by this principle.
• Summary and application:

• Daily the believer in Jesus Christ makes many decisions that directly refer to how the non-believer views the Christian. These are the decisions to display the flesh nature or the Spirit nature within the believer.
  • Does the believer see a life of habitual sin?
    • This must not be so, for Paul tells us to take off these filthy clothes.
  • Does the non-believer see a life of righteousness and spiritual growth?
    • This must be so, for Paul tells us to put on the righteousness of Christ so that people see Christ in us.
  • It is like designer clothes that have the name of the designer clearly printed on the clothes so that everyone knows immediately who made it.
    • The life of the Christian must display the name of our maker and designer, Jesus Christ so that all can see our label.
      • By the label we display to others, people can see the fruit of our choices in life between the flesh nature and the Spirit nature.

HOMEWORK
COLOSSIANS 3:17-25
This is a self-study. Please do not send hoemwork answers to theteacher for correction.

• Application of Col 3:8-17
  • What dirty clothing of the flesh must you remove from your life?

 

• What clothing of the Holy Spirit should you put on?

 

• Preparation of Col 3:17-25
• Read Col 3:17-25
  • Write some principles from this section that should guide the Christian in his or her relationship with others.

 

• Memory verse: Col 3:23