Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3:12-13)

Paul reminds us who we are before he tells us what to do – we are chosen, holy, and beloved by God. This identity isn’t earned—it’s given. And it’s the foundation for everything else. Only when we truly know and believe that we are chosen by the Father, set apart as holy for His purposes, and dearly loved by Him, will we have the desire and the strength to put on the qualities of compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

If we skip straight to “bearing with” and “forgiving” without first clothing ourselves in these qualities and virtues, we will quickly find ourselves frustrated and empty. It’s like trying to push a cart forward rather than letting the horse pull it from the base of its strength—it’s exhausting and ineffective. Those virtues are the strong legs that pull the weight of relationships forward and actually allow us to bear with and forgive each other.

Once we have put those virtues on, bearing with one another becomes spiritually natural. Forgiving becomes less about our willpower and more about God’s Spirit flowing through us. The same God who chose you and calls you holy is the One enabling you to love others as He loves you. Let Him clothe you, and you will find yourself doing what once felt impossible—because it will be Christ in you.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:5-10)

Paul’s words here are both sobering and freeing—put to death what is earthly in you, put away the old ways, and put on the new self. The “earthly” in us is not neutral; it is idolatry, because it serves self rather than God. Jesus Himself said that to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23). Crucifixion wasn’t quick—it was long, grueling, and deeply painful. In the same way, putting to death the earthly desires in us is often a slow and costly process.

The flesh will fight to survive, because it’s part of us. But if we are in Christ, we must choose to nail it to the cross—those selfish desires, those lustful thoughts, that prideful outlook, that lingering bitterness—and refuse to let them climb back down. Putting them to death means also putting away the behaviors and attitudes that flow from them: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk. These don’t erupt out of nowhere; they start as desires, turn into thoughts, grow into emotions, and then become actions. Cut them off at the root.

But God never tells us to simply empty ourselves and leave the space vacant. Right after putting off the old self, we are told to put on the new self. In Christ, this new self is already ours positionally—we have been clothed in His righteousness. Now, in practice, we walk, speak, and act in a way that reflects it. And this new self is not stagnant; it’s being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. Day by day, as we submit to God’s work in us, the old fades, the new grows, and our lives look more like Jesus. So today, heed the command – put to death therefore what is earthly in you – and put on the new self.

When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)

The world clings desperately to life and fears death, but for those hidden in Christ, death is no longer a terrifying end—it’s a doorway to gain Whom we’ve lived for. Jesus has already defeated death, and because we are in Him, the grave no longer has the final word - He does. It’s simply the moment we step from walking with God by faith to seeing Him face to face in the fullness of glory.

This promise is certain: when Christ appears, we will appear with Him—transformed, radiant, and fully alive in His presence. But that’s the then. Until that moment comes, this truth should still shape our now. Philippians 1:21 says, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Can we honestly say that’s true of us?

People are often known for what they live for—which often turns out to be sports, career, hobbies, etc. But for the follower of Jesus, our identity and devotion should be summed up in this: “Christ is my life.” Our calendars, conversations, and choices inevitably reveal what we truly live for.

The question now that remains: Is Christ YOUR life?

This is something we should dig into with God. Because this is one of the major areas the devil tries to deceive us in. The enemy actively works to deceive us into thinking God doesn’t love us as much as He does – and also works to deceive us into thinking that we love God more than we do.

We know the “right Christian answer” is “Christ is my life” but is He really?

I encourage you to take time with the Lord and ask Him to reveal if there is anything currently in the way of saying that honestly – Christ is my life.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)

Paul calls us to seek the things above and set our minds there—but this isn’t just a nice suggestion. This command is given in the present tense, meaning it’s meant to be our continual way of life. Yet, interestingly, the verb is in the passive voice. That means we’re not the originators of this action—God is—but we are active cooperators. God works; we respond.

Being raised with Christ and hidden in Him means our identity is secure. It should stir us to willingly join in His work, turning our gaze from the fleeting shadows of earth to the eternal realities above. Philippians 4:8 reminds us to fix our thoughts on what is true, pure, and praiseworthy—things that align with heaven’s perspective.

God is the Author and Finisher of our faith, but He doesn’t force our cooperation. Every day, we choose whether to align our thoughts with His or drift with the currents of this world. To set your mind on things that are above is to make a conscious, ongoing choice to forsake the pull of the temporary and anchor yourself in the eternal. In doing so, we live not just for Christ, but with Christ—securely hidden in Him, awaiting the day our lives are fully revealed in glory. So if you have been raised in Christ – seek the things that are above.

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ… If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:16-17, 20-23)

Christ has called us to freedom—so why live under the weight of legalism? Paul warns that there will be those who judge us for not keeping their man-made rules or interpretations of the Law. But the Law was only a shadow, and chasing shadows when we have the substance—Christ Himself—is a tragic waste.

Romans 10:4 says Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes. He fulfilled it. Now His Spirit lives in us, writing God’s law on our hearts. We’re no longer bound by the Law, but we willingly walk in its moral truth as we follow our Savior in freedom.

Paul reminds us we have died to the world and are alive in Christ—so why submit again to its regulations? Galatians 5:1 is clear: we’ve been set free, so don’t take on the yoke of slavery again. Legalistic rules may look wise and offer an enticing image of “Christianity”, but verse 23 tells us they are nothing more than self-made religion—powerless to actually stop the indulgence of the flesh.

Only God can keep us from stumbling and present us blameless (Jude 1:24–25). When we try to add our own works to secure righteousness, we’re feeding pride and rejecting the simplicity of grace. Jesus already paid our debt with His very life. The only truly correct response to God’s grace is to receive it fully, walk in His freedom, and abide in Him—the only place where true victory over the flesh is found.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:13-15)

Before Christ, we weren’t just “struggling” or “a little lost”—we were spiritually dead in our trespasses. Dead men walking. Like prisoners on death row, we were bound in the dark prison of this world, awaiting the final execution of our sentence.

But God stepped in. He sent His Son, Jesus—much like a judge sending his own child into the prison to take the place of the guilty. Jesus took our sentence, bore our punishment, and died in our place. Justice was satisfied. Our record of debt, with every single charge against us, was nailed to the cross and marked paid in full.

And it didn’t stop there.

God raised Jesus from the dead, and in doing so, made us alive together with Him. Not only were the cell doors unlocked, but Jesus flung them wide open. We aren’t meant to stay wandering the prison yard—we’re called to walk out in freedom, into His marvelous light.

So why do so many believers live under the chains of legalism, guilt, and shame? Pride whispers that we aren’t worth such a gift and that we need to “pay back” at least part of the cost. But grace doesn’t work like that. If we’re still trying to earn God’s favor, we’ve missed the reality and grace of the cross.

The record is gone, the debt is erased, and the enemy’s accusations have been disarmed because the Father looks at us in the same way that He sees Jesus. All that’s left is for us to receive the gift fully and walk in the freedom Christ has already purchased.

Does anything hold you back? We can label it pride, because that’s a foundation, but push beyond that. Get alone with God and ask Him to reveal what might be holding you back from walking in freedom. The work has been finished. The debt has been paid. So let’s walk like we’re free – because in Christ we are!

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. (Colossians 2:8-10)

Paul warns the Colossians—and us—to be on guard. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we’re told to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Philippians 4:8 tells us exactly what kinds of things we should dwell on. This passage echoes that call but with a sharp warning: do not let your mind be taken captive by the world’s wisdom.

The philosophies and deep thoughts of the world may sound enticing, but to God they are foolishness. Paul says they are “empty deceit”—void of true substance and full of lies. They are not according to Christ, and that alone should be enough for us to reject them without hesitation.

Why? Because we already have everything we need in Christ. The fullness of God dwells bodily in Him, and because He indwells us, His full authority rests over us. If Christ is our Head, then we are to submit our minds, wills, and lives entirely to Him. To submit them to the master of this world through deceptive philosophies, human traditions, or the elemental spirits is to willingly step under a rule that has no rightful claim over us.

The enemy is the father of lies, and he has no authority over the children of God. Therefore, we have no business dabbling in his “wisdom” or entertaining his ideas. Our focus must remain fixed on Jesus Christ—our Head, our Master, our God. He alone is truth, and He alone is worthy of captivating all of our heart and mind.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7)

Paul begins this passage by reminding us of what happened when we first received Christ. The Greek word here for ‘received’ means “to join to oneself, to associate with oneself.” When we came to faith, we weren’t just agreeing to a set of beliefs—we were joined to Jesus Himself, becoming one with Him. Our identity is now in Jesus.

Because of that union, Paul commands us to walk—to regulate and conduct our lives—in Christ. The word “in” (en) here is beautiful. It denotes a fixed position, a place of rest, where we give ourselves wholly to Christ. It’s not like “with” (para), which means to be close beside. We are in Him, abiding and resting in that relationship.

Paul then describes three things God has done and is doing in us:

Rooted – This verb is in the perfect tense, meaning it’s a completed action with lasting effect. We have been firmly planted in Christ, our stable and unshakable foundation.

Built up – Present tense. God is actively building on that foundation in an ongoing, continual way.

Established – Also present tense. God is continually stabilizing and making us steadfast in our faith and fellowship with Him.

Also take notice that these three verbs are written in what’s called the passive voice in the Greek—meaning we are the receivers of the action, not the doers. God Himself is the One rooting, building, and establishing us. Our role? Abide.

And Paul ends with a command: be abounding in thanksgiving. The Greek means to overflow beyond measure, to excel in gratitude. This isn’t polite table-grace thankfulness—it’s an extravagant, overflowing response to God’s grace. The word thanksgiving (eucharistia) reminds us of the heart posture we are to carry daily: gratitude for the One who gave Himself so we could receive Him, be rooted in Him, and grow in Him.

We began by receiving Christ; we continue by resting in Him and letting Him do the work that keeps us stable, grounded, and overflowing in thanks. So continue to abide in Him, abounding in thanksgiving, and let God do that work!