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Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

A reading plan that walks through the entire New Testament in 24 weeks of daily readings.

Duration: 168 days

Colossians 3-4

Exhortation To Live as Christians

Chapter 3

Seek the Things That Are Above.^[a] ¹Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. ²Fix your thoughts on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth, ³for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

A New Self.^[b] ⁵And so you should put to death everything in your nature that is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires, and greed (which is idolatry).^[c] ⁶Because of these practices, the wrath of God will fall on those who are disobedient. ⁷In the life you formerly lived, you used to do these things. ⁸But now you must cast them all aside—anger, rage, malice, slander, and foul language out of your lips.

⁹Do not lie to one another, since you have stripped off the old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self that is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ¹¹Now there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian and Scythian,^[d] slave and free man. Rather, Christ is all and in all.

¹²Characteristics of Life in Common.^[e] As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³Bear with one another, and forgive one another if anyone has reason to be offended with another. You must forgive just as the Lord has forgiven you.

¹⁴Over all these put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it was for this that you were called together in one body. Always be thankful.

¹⁶Let the word of Christ^[f] with all its richness dwell in you. Teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

¹⁸The Christian Family.^[g]Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ¹⁹Husbands, love your wives and do not treat them harshly. ²⁰Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. ²¹Fathers, do not provoke your children lest they lose heart.

²²Slaves and Masters. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only when you are being observed or in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, out of reverence for the Lord. ²³Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly, as if you were doing it for the Lord and not for others, ²⁴since you know that you will receive from the Lord an inheritance as your reward for you are serving the Lord Christ. ²⁵But anyone who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done. There will not be any favoritism shown.

Chapter 4

¹Masters, be just and fair in your treatment of your slaves, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

Assiduous Prayer.^[h] ²Persevere in prayer, with alert minds and thankful hearts. ³At the same time, pray for us too, so that God may open a door to us to proclaim the word, the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison. ⁴Pray that I may proclaim it as clearly as I should.

Christian Behavior.^[i] ⁵Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of your opportunity. ⁶Let your speech always be gracious and seasoned with wisdom, so that you will know how to respond properly to all.

Conclusion

Tychicus and Onesimus.^[j] ⁷Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. ⁸I am sending him to you for this very purpose, so that you will know how we are and that he may cheer your hearts. ⁹He will be accompanied by Onesimus, our trustworthy and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything that has happened here.

¹⁰Paul’s Coworkers. Aristarchus,^[k] my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, make him welcome.) ¹¹And Jesus who is called Justus also greets you. Of all those who are of the circumcision, these are the only ones who are working with me for the kingdom of God, and they have been a great comfort to me.

¹²Epaphras sends you greetings. He is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, and he is always pleading earnestly in his prayers on your behalf so that you may seek perfection and fulfill the will of God. ¹³I can testify for him that he has worked tirelessly for you and those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.^[l] ¹⁴Luke,^[m] the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.

¹⁵Notes for the Laodiceans. Give my greetings to the brethren in Laodicea, and to Nymphas^[n] and the Church in her house. ¹⁶Then when this letter has been read to you, see to it that it is also read to the Church at Laodicea; and I ask you in turn to read my letter that is coming from Laodicea. ¹⁷Also tell Archippus:^[o] “See that you carry out fully the ministry that you received in the Lord.”

¹⁸Paul’s Signature.^[p] I, Paul, write this farewell in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

Footnotes

Colossians 3:1 It is not a question here of having contempt for earthly realities but of a new movement by which Christians must let themselves be grasped. Seemingly, Baptism has changed nothing for them, but in reality they live henceforth united to Christ in an even more mysterious manner. They have entered the world of the Resurrection. It is a certitude that transforms the idea that they have of their existence. At the same time, it is an impatient longing for the return of the Lord, when this change in their lives will be made complete.
Colossians 3:5 This is a Christian endeavor, something that expresses the reality of life and the transformation of Baptism, and something that enables believers to become each day a bit more what they, in fact, are, i.e., living members of the risen Christ. Morality is then no longer a list of recommended reactions but a thrust that opposes sin and degradation, a growth in an ever more profound affinity with the Lord. United with Christ, Christians are new persons who no longer identify themselves by cultural references or by ethical and religious differences. Union with Christ basically destroys all divisions (see Gal 3:28).
Colossians 3:5 See Rom 1:29-31 and Gal 5:19-21 for other lists of vices.
Colossians 3:11 Scythian: the Scythians lived on the steppes of Asia and were regarded as barbarians par excellence.
Colossians 3:12 The Church is a community of persons bound together by love to give testimony to love. Without ceasing, models must be invented to express this truth. As a community united with the Lord, the Church lives in peace and joy. She lives in faith and mutual pardon, and she puts forth her deepest sentiments in prayer and thanksgiving.
Colossians 3:16 Word of Christ: principally Christ’s teaching, which was transmitted orally at that time but which also includes the Old Testament and the New. Hymns: these set forth some of the most important doctrines and have been preserved for us only in Paul’s Letters (e.g., Col 1:15-20; Eph 5:14; Phil 2:6-11; 1 Tim 3:16).
Colossians 3:18 Husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves were accustomed in ancient society to live in accord with links of superiority and submission. Paul does not reverse this social structure. However, neither is he content simply to enumerate the rights of husbands, parents, and masters so as to oppose them with the duties of wives, children, and slaves. He stresses a reciprocity of duties and preaches a Christian attachment—“in the Lord”—an appeal to conscience. He does not call upon slaves to revolt but gives them another way to look upon themselves—the fact that they belong to the Lord takes precedence over their dependence on their human masters. And in a near contradiction of terms, slaves are regarded as heirs of the Lord.
This short list of precepts of family morality was developed at length in the Letter to the Ephesians (5:21—6:9).
Colossians 4:2 Prayer keeps the conscience watchful and revives the concern for the apostolate.
Colossians 4:5 The behavior of Christians must serve as a sign to those who do not share their faith. The present period is the time of the Church, which must be regarded as a final time of grace, both short (see 1 Cor 7:29) and perilous (see Eph 5:16), in which human beings can open themselves to salvation while waiting for Christ’s Second Coming (see Gal 6:10).
Colossians 4:7 Tychicus is assigned to carry the Letter to the Colossians. Onesimus, his companion, is the slave whom Paul has converted and is now sending back to Colossae, while recommending him to his former owner (Letter to Philemon). Also named are Mark, who was for a short time Paul’s associate in the apostolate and is generally regarded as the author of the Second Gospel; then Luke, to whom we owe the Third Gospel and the Book of Acts; and finally Epaphras, founder of the Church of Colossae. The Letter to the Laodiceans (v. 16) may be the Letter to the Ephesians, which probably circulated in the communities of the region.
Colossians 4:10 Aristarchus: a native of Thessalonica and companion of Paul at Ephesus and on the journey to Macedonia (see Acts 19:29; 20:4).
Colossians 4:13 Hierapolis: a town six miles from Laodicea and 14 miles from Colossae. Its Church may have been founded during Paul’s stay at Ephesus (Acts 19) but probably not by Paul himself (see Col 2:1).
Colossians 4:14 Luke: this is the only place where the author of the Third Gospel is described as a medical doctor; see Philem 24 and 2 Tim 4:11. Demas: a Christian who later deserted Paul (2 Tim 4:10).
Colossians 4:15 Nymphas: probably a Laodicean in whose house Christians met for church services. The early Church had no buildings of its own and so Christians were accustomed to meeting at the homes of individuals for instruction and services, e.g., Prisca and Aquila (Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 16:19), Philemon (Philem 2), and Mary the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12).
Colossians 4:17 Archippus: perhaps the son of Philemon (Philem 2); he was to take care of the Church of Colossae in the absence of Epaphras.
Colossians 4:18 Paul ordinarily dictated his Letters, but added to them a few words in his own hand (1 Cor 16:21; Gal 6:11; 2 Thes 3:17).

New Catholic Bible (NCB)