“And be thankful.”(ESV Colossians 3:15). While this may not be the overall message of Colossians 3: 1-15, it still is a very powerful theme throughout the entirety of the bible. How often we tend to ignore the blessings of God, large and small, and this short last sentence of Colossians 3:15 is a short reminder to thank the Lord. While you may argue that in order to live like Christ you must be thankful, so therefore it is a part of the main theme, the overall message is instead strive to live in Christ’s image. A good example of living like Christ would most definitely Paul, who is none other than the author of Colossians.
Historical and Literary Context
We know Paul is the author because in the greeting of Colossians Chapter 1 it says, “Paul …show more content…
Paul is calling his audience to action; He calls them to live their lives in Christ. Who is his audience? Paul’s audience is, “God’s holy people in the city of Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ,” (NLT Colossians 1:2). He was writing to them because of the problems that the churches and Christians in this town were having with heresy and beliefs that were no longer considered Christian. They lost sight of what being a Christian really is. Paul calls them to, “Seek the things that are above,” and, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,” (ESV Colossians 3:1-2). According to Matthew Henry, Paul asks this of the people because he knows that, “As heaven and earth are contrary one to the other, both cannot be followed together; and affection to the one will weaken and abate affection to the other,” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary). Because Paul is aware that things in heaven sometimes do not coincide with things here on Earth, he warns them to make sure they have their eyes set on the correct one. This topic of setting your eyes on the Lord rather than the possessions of the earth comes up multiple times, especially in Proverbs 17:24, which reads, “The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.” (ESV Proverbs 17:24). The overall theme would be those who choose to …show more content…
Obviously their relationship to Christ is growing weak because he is writing this letter. He identifies what is earthly in them, which is, “Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry,” (ESV Colossians 3: 5). Paul also identifies our unholy emotions and the ways we release our emotions. In Colossians 3:8 Paul asks us to, “Put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.”(ESV Colossians 3:8) Paul again warns that these things are taking our eyes away from the Lord. Also, by identifying these defining issues, and bringing to attention that if they do not change their ways the wrath of God will come, Paul shows the people that there is a correct way to live and a wrong way. He is calling them to the correct way of life which is life, “Hidden with Christ in God,” (ESV Colossians 3:3). According to David Guzik, it is only because we were “Raised with Christ,” that we can, “Seek those things which are above,” (David Guzik Commentary on the Bible). Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that if you are not “Raised with Christ,” then you are not seeking the things above and are not living the life Christ intended for us. This is when Paul indicates that then, God’s wrath will be unleashed. Paul knows this because he has personal knowledge of not living the life we were supposed to and feeling God’s wrath.
Historical and Literary Context
We know Paul is the author because in the greeting of Colossians Chapter 1 it says, “Paul …show more content…
Paul is calling his audience to action; He calls them to live their lives in Christ. Who is his audience? Paul’s audience is, “God’s holy people in the city of Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ,” (NLT Colossians 1:2). He was writing to them because of the problems that the churches and Christians in this town were having with heresy and beliefs that were no longer considered Christian. They lost sight of what being a Christian really is. Paul calls them to, “Seek the things that are above,” and, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,” (ESV Colossians 3:1-2). According to Matthew Henry, Paul asks this of the people because he knows that, “As heaven and earth are contrary one to the other, both cannot be followed together; and affection to the one will weaken and abate affection to the other,” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary). Because Paul is aware that things in heaven sometimes do not coincide with things here on Earth, he warns them to make sure they have their eyes set on the correct one. This topic of setting your eyes on the Lord rather than the possessions of the earth comes up multiple times, especially in Proverbs 17:24, which reads, “The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.” (ESV Proverbs 17:24). The overall theme would be those who choose to …show more content…
Obviously their relationship to Christ is growing weak because he is writing this letter. He identifies what is earthly in them, which is, “Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry,” (ESV Colossians 3: 5). Paul also identifies our unholy emotions and the ways we release our emotions. In Colossians 3:8 Paul asks us to, “Put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.”(ESV Colossians 3:8) Paul again warns that these things are taking our eyes away from the Lord. Also, by identifying these defining issues, and bringing to attention that if they do not change their ways the wrath of God will come, Paul shows the people that there is a correct way to live and a wrong way. He is calling them to the correct way of life which is life, “Hidden with Christ in God,” (ESV Colossians 3:3). According to David Guzik, it is only because we were “Raised with Christ,” that we can, “Seek those things which are above,” (David Guzik Commentary on the Bible). Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that if you are not “Raised with Christ,” then you are not seeking the things above and are not living the life Christ intended for us. This is when Paul indicates that then, God’s wrath will be unleashed. Paul knows this because he has personal knowledge of not living the life we were supposed to and feeling God’s wrath.