Colossians 3:9 – Three Minute Bible

February 18, 2025February 18, 2025

Colossians 3:9b – Choosing Jesus

Picture of a man in bed thinking about the cross...

… since you have taken off your old self with its practices …

Summary: Understanding Paul’s words sometimes forces us to try and see things from God’s perspective.

Being the person I am, the brain God gave me tends to dwell on the details. Maybe “obsess” would be a better word. In this passage, Paul writes that we have “taken off [our] old self.” This isn’t the first time he has referred to this.

Just a few verses ago, he wrote, “Since you died with Christ …” (Col 2:20), which he followed up with “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ …” (Col 3:1).

February 17, 2025February 17, 2025

Colossians 3:9b – White Lies

Do not lie to each other …

Summary: Wondering about white lies leads us to wonder about the nature of truth as well.

The “Food for Thought” question at the end of the last meditation was, “Are ‘white lies’ okay in church?” This sparked comments that raised more questions.

The consensus in the comments was that we shouldn’t tell “white lies.” Lies are the province of the devil, the “father of lies” (John 8:44). Ergo, Christians should avoid lies of any kind. I agree, but what does that mean?

February 15, 2025February 17, 2025

Colossians 3:9a – A Flea Called “Deception”

A picture of a man in a dog suit sitting in church.

Do not lie to each other …

Summary: Deception is the art of obscuring the truth. It is also the hallmark of Satan (John 8:44). There is no place for deception in the Body of Christ.

Isn’t it interesting that Paul needed to tell the Colossians that they shouldn’t lie to each other?

Just because we go to church doesn’t mean we leave the “tent” of our bodies at home (2 Peter 1:13). All the things about our “earthly nature” that Paul has been talking about go with us. When we walk through the church doors on Sunday morning, our spiritual fleas of “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language” still cling to our flesh.