Colossians 3:12-25 The text is as follows: 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and beloved, live in mercy, kindness, humility, A gentle and patient heart. 13 If one person has a problem with another, bear with one another and forgive one another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive. 14 Above all this, there must be love, which is the link between all virtues. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which also you were called into one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom, in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, Teach one another, admonish one another, have grateful hearts, and sing praises to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 18 Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is appropriate in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not treat them harshly. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not offend your children, lest they lose their ambition. 22 You servants, be obedient in all things to your masters of the flesh. Do not serve merely in front of your eyes, as if you were pleasing others, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do it heartily, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 because you know that from the Lord you will receive an inheritance as a reward; and it is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25 Whoever does injustice will receive the retribution of injustice; the Lord is no respecter of persons. This passage can be divided into several parts. 3:12-17 is about the relationship between man and God and the teaching on basic interpersonal relationships. 3:18-21 is about family ethics. 3:22-25 is about work. 3:12
Paul Proposing "God's chosen people": The reason why people can become God's chosen people is because of Jesus Christ; because in 1:13 Paul reminds us that "He (Jesus Christ) has saved us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the power of the beloved Son" In the kingdom; we have redemption in the beloved Son, the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus Christ has the authority to forgive because He is the One who created all things and for whom all things were created (1:16). The one who makes peace (1:20) Man and God can be reconciled because of Jesus Christ. Sins are forgiven because of Christ. Therefore, people should also follow the example of Christ. Just as He forgives us, we should also forgive one another. Forgiveness is something that is easier said than done. If a person only relies on himself to forgive, he will be limited in what he can do and will easily give up. You can forgive once, twice...seven times, but for those seventy sevens, you need to rely on Christ; you should also remember how Christ forgave yourself. Without a good relationship between man and God, the relationship between man and man will easily be based on wrong foundations, such as "interest", "reward", "vanity"... If the actual situation does not meet the requirements, friction will begin to occur, and gradually it will turn into resentment and complaints... Even if couples, parents and children are so close, they cannot escape the occurrence of these things. Sometimes, just because the relationship is close, the more expectations there are, the more friction there will be. Therefore, Paul taught people to fear God with thanksgiving. Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart and let Christ rule your life. The way husband and wife get along is that the husband should love his wife and not treat her badly; and the wife should respect her husband. Loving each other and respecting each other are the moral principles between husband and wife. Between parents and children, it is the parents' responsibility to love their children and not to make them angry. As children, you must be submissive. This does not mean that parents do not discipline their children, nor does it mean that children should be foolish and filial. Rather, parents and children each have their own duties. In work relationships, the master (or employer) does not treat his servants (or employees) badly. Those who are servants (or employees) must do their jobs with all their heart and soul.
Human relations, no matter what kind of relationship they are, are neither demanding nor one-sided. Everyone has their own role in different roles. 2009-07-09 14:57:47 Supplement: Is this teaching appropriate in today’s society? This teaching is still relevant in today's society.
Scripture: "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, you also will appear with him in glory." Put to death therefore the flesh that is in your body upon the earth: uncleanness, evil passions, greed, and covetousness, which are like idolatry; for because of these the wrath of God will come upon you, the children of disobedience. You have done this while you were living in these things. But now you must put away all these things, as well as wrath, anger, malice, slander, and filthy words from your mouth. For you have put off your old self and its practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge into the image of its Creator. There is neither Greek nor Jew nor circumcision. , uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, bond, free. But Christ includes all and is in every one. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and beloved. Have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with one another and forgive one another if one has a problem with another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ” (Colossians 3:13-21) The focus of teaching should be forgiveness, because we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord of life, so we must break away from the old self. We also know that our sins have been forgiven by Jesus Christ, so by the same token, we should also forgive those who have a problem with us. It is indeed difficult to forgive the sins of others, because people always have self-centered characteristics, and people will also tend to "be strict with others and forgive themselves." But what we do is not based on our own strength, but is based on Come to our Lord Jesus and overcome by His strength. I believe this teaching is applicable in any social situation. Even our sage Lao Tzu also advocated "repaying evil with kindness". This shows that the virtue of forgiveness will not become inappropriate over time.