Regardless or our natural inclination with God’s faulty and failing children, God has asked, called each of us to specifically deal with his Children with gentleness and patience and compassion. And when they fail and sin against you, do to them what your amazing Christ has done to you time and again… forgive them.

Here Paul calls believers to put off that which will kill us; the things that Christ came to die for and the things that God says he will punish. By God’s grace and his Spirit we are able to put these things away as we walk with him.

You have a true life. It is not in your physical possession right now, but Christ promises it soon will be and worth investing any and everything. And my brothers and sisters, when He appears again, the true you will be seen… and the world has never seen anything like it…. Has never seen anything like you in your full glory. This is where we are called to set our minds rather than this world and the flesh that fills it.

As we close out chapter 2, Paul comes against the false teachers in the Colossian church, and reminds us all to stay vigilant to not fall prey to their false, anti-gospel teaching. Anything added to the gospel takes away from the gospel.

Are we free enough? Christ makes his people free and wants us to walk in that freedom. The false teachers were aiming to rob the believers of the freedom that Christ had purchased for them. But the pure gospel sustains and frees the people of God.

Because Christ has brought about the end of the internal rule of our sin nature and the external rule of spiritual authorities of darkness in our lives, we can live fully for him and with him through this life and beyond.

The indwelling Christ is our developed and protected lens by which to know and value all things and the supreme Lord over all.

Paul reminds the Colossians that they were once enemies and aliens of the Father, but Christ has brought them home. And because of that, he is the only source we need for life and freedom.

It is the heart of the Father that each of us be brought to maturity in Christ  through teaching and shepherding so that we might do the same to many other children of God.