One Verse at a Time

This episode looks at Colossians 3:19, “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.” Husbands have a high calling, to desire the eternal good of their wives in relation to God and to avoid harshness in the relationship. May God teach us to do these things.

This episode looks at Colossians 3:18, “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” This command does not indicate any difference in value, importance, or purpose. It is not even a statement about competency to do certain things. Rather, it is a statement about “fittingness” according to God’s original design. May God help us to understand his design and faithfully live out our Christian faith according to his calling on us.

This episode looks at Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” We fix our eyes on this end, and the means of reaching it mentioned in vv. 12–16 suddenly fit rightly in the scheme. We have an end goal, and we have our means of getting there. May God give us the right order of these things. Amen.

This episode looks at Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” We let the gospel dwell richly in our community by teaching one another from the Scriptures and singing the truths of the gospel to one another. We do it all with thankfulness.

This episode looks at Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” We have peace with Christ individually. This peace overflows into corporate peace between believers. The heart posture of those who are at peace irregardless of circumstances is thanksgiving. May it be so in us.

This episode looks at Colossians 3:14, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Love is what holds all of the traits together within us. It also holds us all together as a body of believers. The love God puts in our hearts for him and for others makes the whole enterprise of the Christian faith work.

This episode looks at Colossians 3:13, “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.” When we put on all of the traits of 3:12, we will inevitably bear with one another and show forgiveness to one another. May God work this in us for the healing of relationships and for his glory. Amen.

This episode looks at Colossians 3:12, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” We have died with Christ and have been raised to new life. In light of this new identity, which God worked in us, we now live out these traits in life with others.

This episode looks at Colossians 3:11, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” This verse does not eliminate distinctions between us, but it does emphasize that for Christians, we have one unifying identity marker that comes first before all things: Christ. We are being renewed in the image of Christ, so we should fix our eyes on him first above all else.

This episode looks at Colossians 3:10, “and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” We want more knowledge so that we can more and more resemble and represent God on earth as we imitate Christ. Amen.