3-4 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

5-8 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

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When Christ, who is your[a] life,(A) appears,(B) then you also will appear with him in glory.(C)

Put to death,(D) therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:(E) sexual immorality,(F) impurity, lust, evil desires and greed,(G) which is idolatry.(H) Because of these, the wrath of God(I) is coming.[b] You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.(J) But now you must also rid yourselves(K) of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander,(L) and filthy language from your lips.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 3:4 Some manuscripts our
  2. Colossians 3:6 Some early manuscripts coming on those who are disobedient