Bible Commentaries
Colossians 3

Verse 1

Col 3:1

Colossians 3:1

If then ye were raised together with Christ,—In these words Paul refers to what took place when they entered into Christ. “Having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12). Since then they had put off the old man of sin in baptism, and had been raised with Christ, and in Christ, carry forward this begun work of conformity to the life of Christ.

seek the things that are above, where Christ is,—We seek the heavenly things by recognizing Jesus, who is in heaven, as our Head, and as members of his body, doing his will in all things. [These are the reward of faithful service on earth, and are within reach of present human effort and its noblest aim. Indeed, every effort to please Christ and to advance his kingdom may be looked upon as an effort to gain the things at his right hand, for these are an inevitable and known result of such effort. (Romans 2:7).]

seated on the right hand of God.—[The life in Christ is the elevation of our whole manhood into a divine realm of thought and action. This figuratively expresses the union of Christ with God in the possession of divine power and authority, and in peace, a further reason for seeking heavenly things.]

Verse 2

Col 3:2

Colossians 3:2

Set your mind on the things that are above,—To set the mind upon him in the affections is to direct the thoughts, desires, and affections toward the things that are in heaven, cultivate an earnest desire for them, and follow the path that leads to them.

not on the things that are upon the earth.—Do not seek after the worldly, fleshly ends and aims—the gratification of the

flesh—worldly ambition, or earthly riches. [We may use the world without abusing it. But it must be secondary, and made subservient to the higher and heavenly interests of the soul.]

Verse 3

Col 3:3

Colossians 3:3

For ye died,—You are dead with Christ to the world, and your life is swallowed up in the life of Jesus Christ. Paul said: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20). [This represents a distinct dement in Christian experience; it means that the soul passes through a death to earthly things—sin and its allurements of the flesh, just as the Lord died upon the cross. The crucifixion must have its counterpart within us. We die to the attractions of the world. The dead know not nor care for anything of this world. Their love and hatred and envy are wholly wiped out. A dead man is as cold and motionless as a stone to all things about which the living make ado. How perfectly then, how entirely, ought we to be free from sin, in order to be dead to it! It is not enough from outward acts of sin, but if the heart cherishes any liking for it. This is not dying to it. Before we can attain to that perfect sinlessness, our hearts must be completely closed against the temptation as if we were nailed down in our coffin; our ears must be deaf to his voice; our eyes must be blind to his charms. We must not only give up every evil practice; we must also stifle every evil desire. Nothing less can deserve the name of being dead to sin. This, then, is the perfection of devotion after which we are to diligently strive.]

and your life is hid with Christ in God.—By faith we are crucified to ourselves, die to our own life, and appropriate the life of Jesus and live his life, reproduce the life of the Son of God in our own bodies and lives. [Christ is our life now as well as here­after. This is simply a summary of two truths: “Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20) as the source of life; and “for to me to live—as the actual condition of life—is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). It is but a brief expression of faith in the truth which Jesus declared in these words: "I am the resurrection, and the life: . . . and who­soever . . . believeth on me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26). Hence our spiritual life is not only a being “with Christ”; it is also unity with Christ in the bosom of the Father.]

Verse 4

Col 3:4

Colossians 3:4

When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested,—The reference is to the second coming of Christ, which was a blessed hope to Paul as it is to us. He looked for his personal coming again as a glorious hope. Christ is our life here and now, for “he that hath the Son hath the life.” (1 John 5:12).

then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory.—It will be in glory and we shall share in that glory. “We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is.” (1 John 3:2). The glory will come as the crown of the hidden life.

Verse 5

Col 3:5

Colossians 3:5

Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth:—These members are those which seek only fleshly and sensual gratification, and pertain only to the flesh. They are those of the fleshly body in contrast with the faculties and desires of the spiritual body. The exhortation is to put them to death. Hold them in restraint, check them. Unrestrained they lead to the sins enumerated.

fornication,—Strictly speaking, fornication is illicit inter­course between the sexes, whether married or unmarried. Adul­tery is a violation of the marriage bed, or unlawful sexual inter­course with another person, whether married or unmarried. Fornication sometimes signifies adultery. (Matthew 19:9). [The church of Christ should wage such a relentless warfare against all such wickedness that all such characters would either come to repentance or learn that the church has no fellowship for them.]

uncleanness,—Every manifestation in word or look or deed of the impure spirit, and so is wider and subtler than the gross physical act. It includes self-abuse, bestiality, and sodomy.

passion, evil desire,—[The source of evil deeds. More in­ward and more general than the preceding. They include not only the lusts and longings which give rise to the special sins just denounced, but to all forms of hungry appetite and desire after the “members which are upon the earth.” If we desire to draw a distinction between the two, probably passion is somewhat narrow­er than desire, and the former represents the evil emotion as an affection which the mind suffers, while the latter represents it as a longing which it actually puts forth. The lusts of the flesh are in the one aspect kindled by the outward temptations which come with terrible force and carry the unstable captive, acting almost irresistibly on the animal nature. In the one the evil comes into the heart; in the other the heart goes out to the evil.]

and covetousness,—Covetousness is such an overmastering desire for what belongs to another that the laws of right and justice are violated to obtain it. It is closely allied to the grosser forms of sensuality, and but another form of evil desire going out to the things “which are upon the earth.” The ordinary worldly nature flies for solace either to the pleasures of appetite or to the passion of acquiring. And not only are they closely connected in root, but covetousness often follows lust in the history of a life just as it does in this catalogue. When the former evil spirit loses its hold, the latter often takes its place. Many men are now mainly devoted to making money, whose youth was foul with sensual indulgence. When that palled, this came to titillate the jaded desires with a new form of gratification. In that case, covetousness is promoted vice, lust superannuated.

which is idolatry;—Those who reject the God of the Bible formulate a god from their own imagination and desires. Such a god is of necessity the deification of their own reason, desires, appetites, and lusts. The heathen embody them in idols of wood, stone, and metal which are visible objects of worship; but these images are all representatives of certain qualities which they cherish and seek to attain. They are the embodiment of their ideas of the highest good. A man really worships that on which his heart is most earnestly set, which is the chief end of his labor in life. That which man most ardently desires, he worships; and the service he renders in obtaining it is worship. Hence the Holy Spirit defines covetousness to be idolatry. The man that is covet­ous unduly desires and seeks money, worships it, and becomes sor­did, heartless, selfish, and his whole soul is absorbed in the one end of gaining money. When a man desires, above all things, to gratify his lusts and fleshly appetites, and finds happiness only in this, he worships the god of lust; becomes licentious, sensual; loses all ennobling spiritual aspirations; and abandons himself to the grati­fication of his lusts, and the same is true of covetousness.

Verse 6

Col 3:6

Colossians 3:6

for which things’ sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience:—Man left without restraint which the worship of God lays on him, controlled by his fleshly lusts alone, falls into these degrading sins; the wrath of God rests upon them to destroy them. It was for sins of this kind that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and the inhabitants of Canaan. Faith in God is the only power on earth that can hold in restraint the evil passions and lusts of man to live the life God desires he should live. All the appetites, desires, and lusts of the body, restrained and guided by the law of God, promote man’s happiness and his well-being. Unrestrained, they work degradation, sink him below the brute, and bring him to ruin.

Verse 7

Col 3:7

Colossians 3:7

wherein ye also once walked, when ye lived in these things;—He reminds them that they walked in these things while they knew not God, and were given over to idolatry. [They formerly lived in the sins just mentioned. They then went along a path trodden by those whose character was derived from and determined by the principle of rebellion against God.]

Verse 8

Col 3:8

Colossians 3:8

but now do ye also put them all away:—Since they Had died with Christ to the world, they were to put away the sins he now mentions.

anger,—The natural passion or emotion of displeasure aroused by injury or insult, real or imagined, and directed against the cause thereof; sudden and strong displeasure. The apostle requires that this feeling be controlled.

wrath—Deep, determined, and lasting anger; extreme and uncontrolled passion, and if not quickly subdued it grows violent and works malice.

malice,—This is a disposition or intent to Injure others for the gratification of anger, jealousy, hatred; active malev­olence. It is always sinful.

railing,—Scornful, insolent, or derisive language; to blame with bitterness, and may be directed either against God or man. It is sinful in either case.

shameful speaking—Obscene and filthy talk, calculated to excite the appetite, lusts, and passion which are all wrong in the sight of God.

out of your mouth:—This adds to the prohibition graphic definiteness. “Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear.” (Ephesians 4:29). All that comes out of the mouth that injures the hearer works yet greater injury to the speaker. These are all to be put away by Christians as unworthy of their high calling in Christ.

Verse 9

Col 3:9

Colossians 3:9

lie not one to another;—To lie is to deceive. Intentional deception is lying, no matter whether done by deed or act, whether by opening or closing the mouth. Do not deceive or take advan­tage of one another. To deceive in order that one may get advan­tage is dishonest, is to steal. Lying, deception, and dishonesty belong to the did man—the man of sin that was put off in baptism.

seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings,—When we put off the old man of sin, we put off his deeds, cease the course of life in which we walked when following the flesh. [So complete is the change that the man himself as he formerly was is spoken of as an old garment laid aside, as though per­sonality itself were changed.]

Verse 10

Col 3:10

Colossians 3:10

and have put on the new man,—This is the new life into which they were led by faith in Christ Jesus. Faith in Christ leads man to seek to conform his spirit and life to the life of Christ

that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him:—Jesus Christ created him. By obtain­ing a knowledge of Christ and his will, our spiritual being is changed into the likeness of Christ. That is, we learn to think, feel, purpose, and act like Christ. So the heart, the inner man, is made into his image or likeness, and through this the body is brought to obey his will. [Knowledge is the aim of the renewal and the creator is its pattern: therefore the knowledge aimed at must be a human counterpart of the creator’s infinite knowledge. As the renewal makes progress, we shall in greater measure share God’s knowledge of all that he has made and done. In other words, spiritual growth is growth in intelligence of spiritual things.]

Verse 11

Col 3:11

Colossians 3:11

where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman;—In Christ there are no distinctions of the flesh—no distinct nationalities or states. By the law of Moses, all had to be circumcised, and become as children of Abraham or Jews, to become the people of God.

but Christ is all, and in all.—This does not mean that those of different states and sexes do not have different duties to per­form, suited to their different faculties and conditions, but all shall be the children of God without reference to these conditions. [To have Christ is to have all things—for he is himself all that his servants need. And in all his servants, as himself all things to them, Christ is. In the slave Christ is his liberty; in the Scythian, as his civilization and culture. And since Christ in­cludes in himself the whole world of man’s need, and dwells in all his servants, all human distinctions have in the new life passed utterly away. National and social barriers there cannot be where Christ is.]

Verse 12

Col 3:12

Colossians 3:12

Put on therefore, as God’s elect,—The Christians at Co­lossae, Gentiles who had believed and been baptized into Christ, are called God’s elect. The Jews had been the elect of God, now both Jews and Gentiles who believed in and obeyed Jesus Christ are equally God’s elect. And as his elect or chosen people Paul be­seeches them to clothe themselves with the qualities that become the children of God.

holy and beloved,—As God’s chosen people, he beseeches them to clothe themselves with the qualities that become the children of God. [Beloved describes the position of those who, carrying out by their present holiness the purpose of their election, are the objects of God’s abiding love. (1 Thessalonians 1:4). This love brought about their election and set at work the means by which it was accomplished. (Ephesians 1:3-4; Ephesians 2:4; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 4:9-10).]

a heart of compassion,—Inasmuch as we have put on Christ, as members of his body, we ought to drink into his spirit—a spirit of compassion for those who have done wrong. When we were sinners against God, he showed his compassion, his love for us, by giving his Son to die for us that we might escape death.

kindness,—If we are led by the Spirit of God, we must show the same spirit—a heart of kindness to all. [The objects of compassion are the suffering and miserable; of kindness to the needy and dependent.]

lowliness,—Not proud, haughty, not thinking highly of self. [This word here means lowliness of mind and not the mock humility of 2: 18. Jesus exalted lowliness and pointed out the perils of self-conceit in a number of parables and applied it to himself. (Matthew 11:29). This grace is opposed to haughtiness.]

meekness,—Gentle and forbearing under ill-treatment and provocation, but firm and unyielding in devotion to right. It goes far deeper down than any attitude towards man. It lays hold on the will of God as the supreme good, and delights in absolutely and perfectly conforming itself to it.

longsuffering;—Gentle and unresenting while suffering un­der ill-treatment. It finds its pattern in God’s dealing with the unthankful and the evil. (Luke 6:35). It is so natural for us when falsely accused to feel that we must defend ourselves, or to resent such treatment; but of our Lord we read that when false witnesses had risen up against him “he gave him no answer, not even to one word.” (Matthew 27:14).

Verse 13

Col 3:13

Colossians 3:13

forbearing one another, and forgiving each other,—In differences in which we feel that we are right and our brethren wrong, we should be gentle and patient, not quick to assert our rights, or to avenge the wrongs others committed against us.

if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye:—Here Christ and his course are held up as an example to us. We are to treat others and forgive others as Christ treated and forgave us. How did Christ treat us ? When we were sinners he forbore to execute justice upon us. He suffered long, treated us kindly, gave us health, sent the sunshine and rain, gave us food and raiment; and died to save us because he loved us, and desired not the death of any, but that all might repent that he might forgive them that they might live. Christ does not forgive us until we repent and turn from our sins against him. We cannot forgive those who sin against us until they repent. But Christ did love us, forbore with us, did good to us, and died for us to induce us to repent that he might save us. While those who have wronged us refuse to repent we are to be kind, and show our love for them—do good to them, return good for evil—that they may be brought to repent of their sins that we may forgive them. We cannot forgive those who sin against us till they repent.

Verse 14

Col 3:14

Colossians 3:14

and above all these things put on love,—As a bond above all the virtues, feelings, and acts, put on love, as a bond to bind all these special qualities together into one godly character—a char­acter like that of God. Jesus said: “Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.” (Matthew 5:44-45). Many of us have indefinite and incorrect con­ceptions of what love is. It is not an emotion, or a fleshly feeling, or a magnetic attraction, or a mere sentiment. The apostle defines it: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” (1 John 5:3).

which is the bond of perfectness.—We so trust and confide in God that we take his direction as our guide in all good, and do all that he directs, that we may do the greatest possible good. It, then, accepts God as the standard and inspiration of right and the source of all good; and so in discharging the obligations of love we do all that his law directs—what God would have us do to them. So love is the one thing that includes, binds in one, all that goes to make up perfection.

Verse 15

Col 3:15

Colossians 3:15

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,—The heart is the inner spiritual man. The peace of God is the peace he bestows on those who love and obey him. It arises from the consciousness of union and harmony with him. If we are in union and harmony with him, who rules the world, we can bear with quiet and complacency all the minor ills, trials, and troubles that spring up in our pathway here. [It is the test of everything; by it everything is to be determined.]

to the which also ye were called in one body;—In the body of Christ the peace of God reigns. All in Christ are time and again exhorted to cherish the peace that is the fruit of trusting obedience to the Lord.

and be ye thankful.—They were called by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, into the peace, and for this they should be truly thankful.

Verse 16

Col 3:16

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;—The word or teaching of Christ dwells in us richly, when we know and understand it, and it fills our hearts, moulds our thoughts and feelings, and guides our lives, accepting it as the fullness and completeness of all wisdom. [Richly suggests abundance. The spoken word of Christ is to have a permanent and abundant place in the church, and on the lips and thoughts of its members, thus making them truly rich.]

in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,—Singing is one means of getting the word of Christ into the hearts of the hearers. By speaking in songs they are to teach and admonish one another, by bringing the thoughts and feelings of the heart into harmony with the sentiment of the songs. These are the ends and purposes of the worship of the song service. To present the sentiment in song helps to carry the impression to the heart. The thoughts contained in the words do the teaching and admonishing; the song is the vehicle by which the sentiments are conveyed to the heart of those who hear and understand.

Instrumental accompaniment does not aid in conveying the thoughts and sentiments to the heart of those who hear. It hinders, rather than helps. The words must be heard and dis­tinctly understood and the sentiments apprehended to effect this end. The instrumental service hinders and diverts the mind from, instead of aiding in, this work. If it aids at all, it is in the execution of the musical performance. This is the danger point and the bane of the song service—that it be diverted to a musical performance to entertain, instead of service to God. The instru­mental performance helps to corrupt it at its weakest point, and really hinders it in the main end and purpose for which God ordained it. This, I conclude, would be the case, else God would have connected the instrumental with song service. He knew what is in man, and knew exactly what would be best to effect his purpose. He did not ordain instrumental music in his service. For man to bring it in is at once to impugn the wisdom of the Almighty and to corrupt his service and pervert the end of his appointment. As a musical performance it cannot be called an aid to the singing. An aid or helper is less conspicuous and im­portant than the thing aided. The principal occupies the chief and leading place; the aid the secondary position. The mechanical instrument occupies the leading, not the secondary, part in time and sound, in the service where it is used. It usurps the chief or principal place, and the singing is done as a mere accompaniment of the instrumental service. The attention and thoughts are diverted from the sentiment of the song to the symphonies of the mechanical instrument. It defeats the chief end of the song, the moral and spiritual impression on the heart, and in the musical performance is not an aid, but a hindrance, to the leading end, and makes the singing a minor accompaniment to the instrumental performance. It defeats and perverts the service ordained by God, both in the aim and in the performance.

singing with grace in your hearts unto God.—We are to sing in the sunshine of the favor of God, our song being prompted by his great goodness to us. The melody of the lips coming from and filling the heart. Whatever goes up to God must fill the heart. In the parallel passage it is said: “And ... be filled with the Spirit; speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:18-19). These passages mean exactly the same. To “be filled with the Spirit” and to have the “word of Christ dwell in you richly” are one and the same thing; to sing and make melody in the heart to the Lord and to sing with grace in the heart are one and the same thing, and mean to bring the thoughts and feelings into harmony with the sentiment sung. It is the sentiment that is sung that constitutes the worship; there is no acceptable worship in music distinct from the sentiment sung. The music of the song is only the means of impressing the senti­ment sung more deeply on the hearts of both singer and hearer. What is sung must be the outgrowth of the rich indwelling of the word of Christ in the heart. The purpose is to praise God and teach the word of Christ.

Verse 17

Col 3:17

Colossians 3:17

And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,—To do a thing in the name of the Lord Jesus is to do it for him and as He directs. Do it by his authority; do it as his servant, for his honor and glory. He is the only mediator between God and man. Does any one believe if Christ were here in person as we are that he would go into any human society and do things as they require ? We are re­quired to give and do all we do as the servants of God. Jesus, when on earth, did nothing save what God required. He had no will of his own, no wish or desire to do anything save the will of God. If we are his disciples and do his will, we will not enter or remain in any society that Jesus did not appoint or command. God and his institutions are entitled to the whole undivided service of man in carrying out the will of God. He has nothing to divide with others. God cannot reward for what a man does as a member of another body, and to divide his time and service with that of others is to vitiate all the service rendered. God will not accept a divided or mutilated service. “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matthew 4:10). “But in vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.” (Matthew 15:9). God demands our whole time and service in his church. We need it all there to make us loyal and true citizens of that kingdom.

[Our eating and drinking—acts which seem remote from the interests and sentiments of the spiritual life—these are to be “sanctified through the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:5), by the mention of Christ’s name in thanksgiving to the Father, who through him sends us all life’s blessings. And if our mere physical necessities of life are capable of being thus hallowed, there is nothing in family relations, or secular employments, or social duties, which may not receive and does not demand the same consideration. We should associate Christ with everything we do, doing all as his servants and under his eye, and in such a way that, in every part of our work, he may be glorified in us, and this will be a safeguard to the Christian. If he is to do everything in Christ’s name, he must do nothing unworthy of that name, nothing with which he cannot associate it. Nowhere, in any company or in any business, must he forget, “whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed,” that this worthy name is the name which he bears, and whose honor is in his keeping. This is the seal which every true Christian wears upon his heart: “Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteous­ness.” (2 Timothy 2:19).]

giving thanks to God the Father through him.—By living a life of constant gratitude to God the Father in the manner all is done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both in his gifts and in his chastisements, praise him. Such gratitude is through him since what he is and what he has done as our Redeemer not only makes us grateful, but gives us a Mediator for the expression of our thanksgiving. The first human motive? in the Christian life is gratitude for redemption, and it does not lose its power as we feel more and more how great a Redeemer the Lord Jesus is.

Verse 18

Col 3:18

Colossians 3:18

Wives, be in subjection to your husbands—It is fit or proper that the wife submit herself to her husband so far as she can do it in the Lord, or without disobedience to God. God ordained from the beginning that the husband should be the head of the household. The Holy Spirit says: “In like manner, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, even if any obey not the word, they may without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives; beholding your chaste behavior coupled with fear.” (1 Peter 3:1-2). It is proper for the wife to show what she regards as right, then to submit to his decisions. She may influence, but not control him.

as is fitting in the Lord.—This is what God has ordained, and it is fitting that those who are in the Lord should observe his order. [The holy and mysterious union of man and woman in marriage is fashioned in the likeness of the only union which is closer and more mysterious than itself—that between Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:32-33). Such then as is the subjection of the church to Christ, such will be the nature of the wife’s sub­jection to the husband—a subjection of which love is the very soul and animating principle. In a true marriage, as in loving obedience to a loving soul to Christ, the wife submits not be­cause she has found a master, but because her heart has found its rest. For its full satisfaction, a woman’s heart needs to look up where it loves. Since then a woman’s love is in general nobler, purer, more unselfish than a man’s and therein quite as much as in physical constitution, is laid the foundation of the divine ideal of marriage, which places the wife’s delight and dignity in sweet loving subjection. Of course the subjection has its limitations, for it is bound by: “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29).]

Where the husband and wife are both earnest Christians seeking to do the will of God, in whose hearts there is real mutual affec­tion and esteem, there will be no difficulty whatever in regard to such an admonition as this; but it will require grace to yield loving obedience when perhaps the husband is a carnal, worldly, and unreasonable man, and yet we need to remember that the marriage relationship is divinely ordained, and for the Christian woman, this relation once formed, there is no other position in conformity with the will of God than that of godly submission to the husband whom she herself has chosen. The present loose ideas in regard to easy divorce and remarriage to another are bearing fearful fruit which will increase unto more ungodliness, until there will be duplicated the corruption and vileness of the days before the flood and the unspeakable vileness and immorali­ties of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Of all this the Lord Jesus has warned us most solemnly. For one to seek to dissolve the marriage relationship because of incompatibility of temperament is to trample under foot the instructions of the Lord Jesus Christ. Death, or what is equivalent to it, adultery of husband or wife, is the only scriptural ground for the termination of the marriage contract, leaving the innocent party free to remarry. (Matthew 19:9).

Verse 19

Col 3:19

Colossians 3:19

Husbands, love your wives,—In the beginning it was said: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24). Husbands must love and cherish their wives, promote their good, happiness and welfare. The apostle says: “Even so ought husbands also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his own wife loveth himself: for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ also the church. . . . Nevertheless do ye also severally love each one his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she fear her husband.” (Ephesians 5:28-33). [The Christian husband is to accept his place of headship as a sacred responsibility put upon him by God himself, and is to exercise authority for the blessing of his home in the love of Christ And just as some wives may be united to tyrannical and unreasonable men, so there are hus­bands who, after marriage, find that the one who in the days of courtship seemed so affectionate is a veritable termagant, and as unreasonable as it is possible to be. But still the husband is to love and care for her, showing all consideration, as the apostle says: “Giving honor unto the woman, as unto the weaker vessel; as being also joint-heirs of the grace of life; to the end that your prayers be not hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7).]

and be not bitter against them.—[God knew how petty and trying some women’s ways would be when he said this. In the power of the new life one may manifest patience and grace under the most trying circumstances, and not suffer himself to become exasperated.]

Verse 20

Col 3:20

Colossians 3:20

Children, obey your parents in all things,—In the early years of the child life, the parents stand as God unto them. They should be taught implicit obedience. When they come to know and understand their relation to God, then the first and highest duty is to teach, and the command is: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” (Ephesians 6:1). Obey them in all things compatible with their obedience to God.

for this is well-pleasing in the Lord.—[There is something especially pleasing in the behavior of a lovingly obedient child, that wins “favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52). The law of filial obedience has its creative ground “in him” (Colossians 1:16), and is an essential part of the Christian order of life, which is the natural order restored and perfected. It is a pleasing thing to see children subjecting their impulses, their wishes, their plans, to the belter judgment, and riper experience, of their parents. It is a pleasing thing to see them rendering prompt obedience. This is not only pleasing in itself, but it is well-pleasing in the Lord.]

Verse 21

Col 3:21

Colossians 3:21

Fathers, provoke not your children.—Parents ought not to be hard to please, severe, and harsh. It disheartens them, and

makes them bitter and rebellious.—No more sacred or important duty was ever committed to mortals than that of nurturing and training children to the Lord. Parents owe it to the children and their everlasting well-being to train them for the Lord. In no point of duty are Christians more negligent than in training them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They should be trained from the beginning to obey, but with love. Sympathy and encouragement should be shown.

that they be not discouraged.—Under protracted irritation the child is likely to become despondent, hopeless, sullen, losing all courage and spirit and giving up all effort to obey, and finally become reckless. They should not be fretted, but they should be encouraged and commended when they do well. [They should be trained as to make them feel that the approbation of parents la a desirable thing, and when they act so as to deserve that approbation, it encourages them to know it. He who always finds fault with a child, who is never satisfied with what he does, who scolds, and frets, and complains, let him do what he will, breaks the spirit, and even destroys all desire of doing well The child, in despair, soon gives up every effort to please.]

Verse 22

Col 3:22

Colossians 3:22

Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh;—Slavery existed in the days of the apostles by political authority; and was recognized and regulated among Christians with reference to both master and slave. God did not break and destroy the relationships fixed by political governments suddenly. He breathed into them a spirit which softened their harsh features, and gradually prepared men to see the evils of such relations and that influence finally destroyed it. Christians are to obey their masters in all things.

not with eye-service,—[Service that must be watched to see that it was done at all, or properly done. The aim of the service was to seem faithful.]

as men-pleasers,—Solely desirous of pleasing men without reference to the right or wrong of the thing done. [To please men is their aim—and therefore their work is only such as falls within the range of human observation. Such merely external service is utterly unworthy of Christians. For it brings him down to the level of those whose well-being depends on the smiles of their fellows.]

but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord:—With the de­sire to do right for its own sake, or rather for the sake of the Lord Jesus as their divine Master; as against the selfish aim of men-pleasers. The principles here laid down as to slaves apply to all cases where one is entitled to the service of another, whether he be slave or hired servant; and all men who work for wages, from the president down, are in the good sense of the term hired serv­ants. The admonition is, when one is entitled to your service, ren­der it heartily and faithfully, knowing that God will take account of your faithfulness. God will hold to accountability as unworthy the man who is not as diligent and faithful in the absence of the employer as in his presence.

Verse 23

Col 3:23

Colossians 3:23

whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord,—Render service to the earthly master earnestly, faithfully, from the heart, as service rendered to the Lord and not unto man.

and not unto men;—The service the Christian servant ren­ders to the earthly master must be from the heart, and with a view to what the Lord thinks of it. [For everything should be done for Christ, as service rendered for him, in view of the relation to him. And the relation to the human master should not, in this method of regarding it, be taken into account at all, on the principle of not serving two masters.]

Colossians 3:24

knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recom­pense of the inheritance:—The Christian slave will receive of the Lord the reward for his fidelity in the service to the earthly master. Paul says: “For he that was called in the Lord being a bondservant, is the Lord’s freedman: likewise he that was called being free, is Christ’s bondservant.” (1 Corinthians 7:22). When another is entitled to the service of a Christian he cannot give the time and service to God that he would were he free; so the Lord releases him from that constant service to which he holds the free­man. But if the Christian servant will serve his earthly master faithfully, the Lord will accept it as service rendered to him, and will so reward him, for such service adorns “the doctrine of God our Saviour.” (Titus 2:10).

ye serve the Lord Christ.—In faithfully serving the earthly master, they served Christ.

Verse 25

Col 3:25

Colossians 3:25

For he that doeth wrong shall receive again for the wrong that he hath done:—He who does not serve the earthly master with fidelity wrongs him—is not diligent in his absence as in his presence, does not faithfully look after his interests, is not faith­ful unto God—God will punish for the wrong he does the earthly master, certainly, God demands that his children must be trustworthy and faithful in all relations of life.

and there is no respect of persons.—God does not reward a man for being a slave or a freeman, for being rich or poor; but requires fidelity of his servants in all the relations in which they stand.