To those fruitless exercises which the false apostles urged, (429) as though perfection consisted in them, he opposes those true exercises in which it becomes Christians to employ themselves; and this has no slight bearing upon the point in hand; for when we see what God would have us do, we afterwa... [ Continue Reading ]
2._Not the things that are on earth. _He does not mean, as he does a little afterwards, depraved appetites, which reign in earthly men, nor even riches, or fields, or houses, nor any other things of the present life, which we must use, as though we did not use them, (1 Corinthians 7:30) (433) but i... [ Continue Reading ]
3._For ye are dead. _No one can rise again with Christ, if he has not first died with him. Hence he draws an argument from _rising again _to _dying_, as from a consequent to an antecedent, (434) meaning that we must be dead to the world that we may live to Christ. Why has he taught, that we must _se... [ Continue Reading ]
4._But when Christ, our life, shall appear_. Here we have a choice consolation — that the coming of Christ will be the manifestation of our life. And, at the same time, he admonishes us how unreasonable were the disposition of the man, who should refuse to bear up (435) until that day. For if our li... [ Continue Reading ]
5._Mortify therefore_. Hitherto he has been speaking of contempt of the world. He now proceeds further, and enters upon a higher philosophy, as to the _mortification of the flesh_. That this may be the better understood, let us take notice that there is a twofold _mortification_. The former relates... [ Continue Reading ]
6._On account of which things the wrath of God cometh_. I do not find fault with the rendering of Erasmus — _solet venire _ — (_is wont to come_,) but as the present tense is often taken in Scripture instead of the future, according to the idiom of the Hebrew language, I have preferred to leave the... [ Continue Reading ]
7._In which ye walked. _Erasmus mistakingly refers this to men, rendering it, “_inter quos _,” (“among _whom_, ”) for there can be no doubt that Paul had in view the vices, in which he, says that the Colossians had walked, during the time that they lived in them. For _living _and _walking _differ fr... [ Continue Reading ]
8._But now _— that is, after having ceased to _live in the flesh_. For the power and nature of _mortification _are such, that all corrupt affections are extinguished in us, lest sin should afterwards produce in us its wonted fruits. What I have rendered _indignationem _, (_indignation_,) is in the G... [ Continue Reading ]
9._Lie not_. When he forbids _lying_, he condemns every sort of cunning, and all base artifices of deception. For I do not understand the term as referring merely to calumnies, but I view it as contrasted in a general way with sincerity. Hence it might be allowable to render it more briefly, and I a... [ Continue Reading ]
10._Which is renewed in knowledge. _He shews in the _first _place, that newness of life consists in _knowledge _— not as though a simple and bare knowledge were sufficient, but he speaks of the illumination of the Holy Spirit, which is lively and effectual, so as not merely to enlighten the mind by... [ Continue Reading ]
11._Where there is neither Jew_. He has added this intentionally, that he may again draw away the Colossians from ceremonies. For the meaning of the statement is this, that Christian perfection does not stand in need of those outward observances, nay, that they are things that are altogether at vari... [ Continue Reading ]
13._Put on therefore_. As he has enumerated some parts of the _old man_, so he now also enumerates some parts of the _new. “Then_, ” says he, “will it appear that ye are renewed by Christ, when ye are _merciful _and _kind_. For these are the effects and evidences of renovation.” Hence the exhortatio... [ Continue Reading ]
14._On account of all these things. _The rendering that has been given by others, “super omnia haec,” (_above _all these things,) instead of insuper , (_over and above_,) is, in my opinion, meagre. It would be more suitable to render it, _Before _all these things. I have chosen, however, the more or... [ Continue Reading ]
15._And the peace of God_. He gives the name of the _peace of God _to that which God has established among us, as will appear from what follows. He would have it _reign _in our hearts. (445) He employs, however, a very appropriate metaphor; for as among wrestlers, (446) he who has vanquished all the... [ Continue Reading ]
16._Let the word of Christ dwell. _He would have the doctrine of the gospel be familiarly known by them. Hence we may infer by what spirit those are actuated in the present day, who cruelly (449) interdict the Christian people from making use of it, and furiously vociferate, that no pestilence is mo... [ Continue Reading ]
17_. And whatsoever ye do. _We have already explained these things, and what goes before, in the Epistle to the Ephesians, where the same things are said almost word for word. As he had already begun to discourse in reference to different parts of the Christian life, and had simply touched upon a fe... [ Continue Reading ]
18_Wives, be subject. _Now follow particular duties, as they are called, (456) which depend on the calling of individuals. In handling these it were superfluous to take up many words, inasmuch as I have already stated in the Epistle to the Ephesians (457) almost everything that was necessary. Here I... [ Continue Reading ]
20_Children, obey your parents. _He enjoins it upon _children _to obey their parents, (458) without any exception. But what if parents (459) should feel disposed to constrain them to anything that is unlawful; will they in that case, too, obey without any reservation? Now it were worse than unreason... [ Continue Reading ]
22_Servants, be obedient. _Anything that is stated here respecting _servants _requires no exposition, as it has been already expounded in commenting on Ephesians 6:1, with the exception of these two expressions, — _For we serve the Lord Christ_; and, _He that will act unjustly will receive the rewar... [ Continue Reading ]