Colossians – Page 8 – Three Minute Bible

January 28, 2025January 28, 2025

Colossians 3:3 – Safe in Jesus

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Summary: Once again, Paul challenges us to use our understanding to discern what he means by life and death and to figure out what he means by being “hidden with Christ.”

You might remember from our meditation on Colossians 2:20, where Paul says, “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world …”, that we have already explored the concept of “death” according to the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-32).

In the story of the Prodigal, he leaves home, and when he does, Dad says his son is now “dead” to him (Luke 15:24,32). Now, he doesn’t mean “dead” in the sense of cutting someone off. Some people say, “You’re dead to me!” as a way of saying, “I hate you!” It is obvious from the story that the dad does not hate his son.

January 27, 2025January 27, 2025

Colossians 3:2 – Things Above (Part II)

Picture of sign that reads "HEAVEN" pointing to the night sky

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Summary: Understanding Paul’s thought about setting our minds on “things above” requires that we first understand what he means by “above.”

If this sounds like a repetition of the last verse, it is … kinda. Paul repeats his thought, but instead of saying, “set your hearts on things above,” here he says, “set your minds on things above.”

There is a difference!

January 25, 2025January 26, 2025

Colossians 3:1b – Things Above

… set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Summary: Bridging the language barrier between our world and Paul’s is not always easy or straightforward. Sometimes, we have to think hard about what he is saying.

It is interesting how my mind plays tricks on me.

You can play tricks on your mind, too. The funny thing is that the mind is pretty good at tricks. Take, for example, the ltetres in teshe wdors. Did you nitoce that they are all mxied up? Even though the letters are mixed up, most of you reading this will still be able to sort out what the words are.

The same thing happens with word order in a sentence. Our sees mind the words and somehow straightens out them.

January 24, 2025January 24, 2025

Colossians 3:1a – Metamorphosis

Picture of man walking along road in a world half colorless and half color.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ …

Summary: Paul’s words in this passage are the culmination of the point he has been working up to — that we are transformed by knowing Jesus. Not just a minor change but a metamorphosis.

Paul begins Chapter Three of his letter to the Colossians with a simple statement: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ …”

The challenge with this statement is the same one we find in many of the Bible’s proclamations; we live in two realms simultaneously. We have bodies in the physical realm that are subject to the curses that fell on Adam and Eve when they first sinned. We also have spirits that exist in the invisible realm.

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025

Colossians 2:23e – The Enemy Within

Picture of the earth floating against a sky with a sunset in the background.

… but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Summary: Paul wraps up his thoughts about “rules” with a reference to restraining physical desires.

Finally, we come to the end of Paul’s treasure-packed paragraph! He has pointed out that we are dead with Christ “to the elemental spiritual forces of this world” (vs 20). Then he asks, if we are “dead” to this world, why do we still submit to its rules?

The “rules” Paul refers to are not the type of rules that keep us safe. They are, instead, rules made by people about God without the benefit of knowing God.

January 22, 2025January 22, 2025

Colossians 2:23d – The Fourth Clue

Picture of Sherlock Holmes character looking at a clue.

… and their harsh treatment of the body …

Summary: Paul completes his list of examples of the characteristics of worldly rules.

So far, Paul has given us three clues to help us recognize worldly religious “rules.”

The first clue was that a religious rule would have the “appearance of wisdom.” This, we decided, would look like wisdom, but it would not be rooted in the fear of the Lord. By the same token, real wisdom brings with it knowledge and understanding. False wisdom, on the other hand, does not satisfy the intellect. Finally, real wisdom is “pleasant to your soul,” while the other kind leaves a bitter taste.

January 21, 2025January 21, 2025

Colossians 2:23c – Two Different Things

[Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with] … their false humility …

Summary: Three little words set us to wonder about the ways some people try to manipulate the beliefs of others.

Why would Paul rail against false humility?

Let’s take a second look at his sentence structure. He wants us to know the “appearance of wisdom” is created by things like “self-imposed worship” and “false humility.”

On its own, false humility is offensive. For one thing, it is pretentious. The fact that it is “false” humility means it is not real.

January 20, 2025January 20, 2025

Colossians 2:23b – The Invisible Line

Picture of ancient ruins of a temple in Ephesus.

… with their self-imposed worship …

Summary: In this passage, Paul provides us with another clue to the difference between true and false religion.

The Greek word Paul used for “self-imposed worship” is “ethelothrēskia.”* (Pronounced “eth-el-oth-race-ki’-ah,” the word is a mouthful in Greek and English.) It is a composite of two other words that describe a kind of worship ceremonial in nature and that originates in the human will. An example of this kind of worship is given in Acts, chapter nineteen.

In the story told in Acts, the people of Ephesus traditionally worshipped a statue of a goddess named Artemis. At one point in the story, the city clerk describes the religion this way:

January 18, 2025January 19, 2025

Colossians 2:23a – The Wisdom Test

Picture of a small boy taking a test in an old-style school room.

Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom …

Summary: Paul’s letter points us to a test for determining if a religious rule or regulation truly honors God.

If we are going to be able to recognize the kind of “rules” that Paul is talking about, we need to pay close attention to the clues Paul gives us. His first clue is that “Such regulations [aka ‘rules’] … have an appearance of wisdom …”

What does that mean?

Interestingly, the Bible has a lot to say about “wisdom.” The first thing to know about wisdom is this:

January 17, 2025January 17, 2025

Colossians 2:22 – What God Wants

Picture of a cross standing against a dramatic background of clouds and light.

These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.

Summary: It can be easy to lose sight of Paul’s message in the complexity of his words. But the heart of his message is simple: He wants us to understand what God wants from us.

In our last meditation, we discussed various kinds of rules. Some rules, obviously, are for our own good. “Don’t touch a hot stove” is an example of a “good rule.” Other rules are specific to Paul’s concerns for Christians.

In the next verse, Colossians 2:23, Paul provides hints about the kinds of rules he has in mind. Everything he lists has to do with external forms of worship. Of course, this is Paul’s point.