Colossians 3:9-11

9. lie not one to another; seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings,

Translation and Paraphrase

9. (And furthermore) do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his evil deeds, (that is, you have now in Christ put off your old nature, as if it were a dirty garment).

Notes

Christians have stripped off, or put off, the old man, their former nature, like undesirable clothes. Because of this they ought not to lie to one another. Lying would make it appear that their old man was still living. (Ephesians 4:22; Ephesians 4:24-25).

10. and have put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11. where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.

Translation and Paraphrase

10. (You must not lie because you have put off your old nature,) and (also you) have put on the new man, (which is) being renewed unto knowledge, (learning more every day of the precise knowledge of God. Also you are being renewed) in a manner agreeable to the likeness of (God) who created him (the new man).
11. (This new man, or new nature which we have put on, is a state) wherein there is no (distinction recognized between) Greek and Jew; circumcision (Jews) and uncircumcision (Gentiles); foreigners; (wild despised people like the) Scythians; slave (or) freeman; but Christ is all (that matters), and (Christ is) in all (of his people).

Notes

1.

In Colossians 3:10 Paul gives a second reason why we should not lie to one another: we have put on the new man, or new nature. Then he describes this new man in two ways: (1) He is constantly being renewed and improving so as to become Godlike; (2) In the new man there cannot be distinctions of race or social standing. Christ is all that matters, and He is in all of his people, to purify and empower them.

2.

If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, a new man. (2 Corinthians 5:17). We clothe ourselves with this new man, the new character that Christ gives unto us. (Ephesians 4:24; 2 Corinthians 4:16).

3.

This new man is continually being renewed unto spiritual knowledge, so as to capture new and fresh intimacy with God and the deep satisfying truths of God.

4.

It is wonderful to think that Christians are being renewed unto knowledge (Gr. epignosis, precise knowledge). Most of us live by our feelings and emotions. We are governed less by truth than by prejudice. We do indeed find a full range of emotions in our Christian experience. But so often our emotions are temporary and misleading. We should rejoice that we are being renewed unto knowledge, unto true facts and authoritative principles plainly stated in God's word.

5.

The new man is also being renewed after the image of him that created him. After (Gr .kata) here may either mean in the direction towards or in a manner agreeable to. The process of being renewed to conform to the image, or likeness, of God is a lifelong glory road. It goes forward best without our thinking about it, as we serve our Christ and learn of Him. We all. beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image, from glory to glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18).

6.

The reference to him that created him seems to refer to our spiritual re-creation at conversion, since only Adam and Eve were physically created by God. Compare Genesis 1:26-27. (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

7.

An added marvel about the new man that Christians have put on, is that in this new state all distinctions based on race or social differences are eliminated. (Compare Galatians 3:28), Paul itemizes a few of these abolished distinctions.

(a) Greek-Jew, The Greeks (Hellenists in this case) had been in bitter warfare with the Jews during the Maccabean period, about 165 B.C. The Greeks thought the Jews were uncultured, the Jews regarded the Hellenists as pagans, idolaters, and corrupters of true faith and morals.

(b) Circumcision-uncircumcision. This is simply the distinction between the Jews as a circumcised race, and the Gentiles as predominantly not so. Over the centuries Gentiles have often been guilty of anti-Semitic prejudice; but the Jews have also being guilty of an anti-Goyim (anti-Gentile) prejudice.

No Christian dares hate the Jews! Some preachers have gone into horrible error about this. They write and preach hate messages, claiming that the Jews are behind world Communism, or are planning to take over the world, or to outlaw Christianity, or a hundred other dreadful crimes. We do not deny that there have been and are bad Jews and undesirable Jews. Paul did not either. See 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16. But there are just as many rotten Gentiles proportionately as there are undesirable Jews.

Even if modern Jews should be plotting all the things some accuse them of (which we do not believe), this is no cause for Christians to hate them, nor would this be anything new. Jews plotted to kill Jesus and to kill Paul. They hounded his footsteps everywhere. But Paul loved his fellow-kinsmen the Jews so much that he was willing to be accursed himself before God, if that might bring them salvation. (Romans 9:3). He loved his nation, and denied that God had cast them off. (Romans 11:1).

We Christians must hold Paul's attitude toward the Jews and not the attitude of the professional anti-Semites and hate-mongers.
(c) Barbarians. This term refers to any who speak a foreign or strange language, which is not understood by those speaking. The Greeks called any foreigners who were ignorant of their language and culture barbarians, as if they were speaking the baby-like syllables Bar-bar. Such contempt is excluded in Christ.

(d) Scythians. The Scythians were a people from the steppes of southern Russia. They invaded the Middle East and Palestine in the late seventh century before Christ (about 625 B.C.). They were regarded as the wildest of all barbarians by the more civilized nations.

(e) Bondman-freeman. Christ is the master of masters and the brother of slaves. In Christ slaves are brothers to their masters. This thought is developed to glorious heights in Colossians 3:22-25; Colossians 4:1, and in Philemon.

8.

In the new man which Christians have put on CHRIST IS ALL. If a Jew is in Christ, he is a beloved brother to his Gentile Christian neighbor. (The Gentile Christian should be gracious to the Jew, even if the Jew is still an unbeliever.) In Christ there can be no negro, Japanese, Russian, Indian, etc. Christ is all that matters. (1 Corinthians 15:28).

9.

Not only is Christ all that matters, but Christ is in all. He sanctifies all in whom He dwells; he empowers them to overcome sin and prejudice. He is all and in all.

10.

In our unbelieving generation, conservative Christians are sometimes accused of causing racial prejudice because they insist that Christ is the world's only savior, and that we cannot come to God except through Him. We do believe these truths. (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). But we deny that our commitment to Christ causes us to harm others or speak evil of them.

The people who have hurt the Jews through the centuries have NOT been Christians. Hitler was NOT a Christian. The persecuting popes of the middle ages were not following Christ Jesus nor Paul, for Christ and his apostles taught us to do good to all men. (Matthew 5:43-48; Galatians 6:10).

In our own times we have read of many violent conflicts, and prejudices that have risen between groups when neither group even pretended to be Christiansbetween negroes and Jews, Arabs and Jews, negroes and whites, etc. Knowing the feelings in our own hearts toward other races and cultures, and seeing the hatreds in the non-Christian world, we deny that Christ causes race hatred. More than that, we affirm that only by common faith in Him will race hatred ever be eliminated. Laws have not eliminated it; government spending has not eliminated it. Only Christ can.

11.

PUT TO DEATH

PUT ON

1.

Fornication; Colossians 3:5.

1.

Compassion; Colossians 3:12.

2.

Uncleanness.

2.

Kindness.

3.

Passion.

3.

Lowliness.

4.

Evil desire.

4.

Meekness.

5.

Covetousness.

5.

Longsuffering.

6.

Anger; Colossians 3:8.

6.

Forbearance; Colossians 3:13.

7.

Wrath.

7.

Forgiveness.

8.

Malice.

8.

Love; Colossians 3:14.

9.

Railing.

9.

Peace of Christ; Colossians 3:15.

10.

Shameful speaking.

10.

Thankfulness; Colossians 3:15.

11.

Lies; Colossians 3:9.

11.

The word of Christ in music; Colossians 3:16.

12.

Racial and social prejudice; Colossians 3:11.

12.

Dedication to Christ; Colossians 3:17.

Study and Review

25.

What reason is given for not lying to one another? (Colossians 3:9)

26.

What is the old man?

27.

What have we put on? (Colossians 3:10)

28.

What is the new man being renewed unto?

29.

After what are we being renewed? (Colossians 3:10)

30.

Who created us? When? (Compare 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10)

31.

Where is it that there can be no Greek or Jew, or other such distinction? (Colossians 3:11)

32.

Whom did the Greeks call barbarians?

33.

What type of people were the Scythians? (Colossians 3:11)

34.

How can there be no bondman or freeman if slaves are still required to be obedient to their masters? (Colossians 3:11; Colossians 3:22)

35.

How important is Christ to the new man? (Colossians 3:11)