Colossians 3

1. Verses 1-17 can be divided into 3 sections, verses 1-4: set your mind on things above, verses 5-11: put off the earthly things, verses 12-17: put on the heavenly things. From verses 1-4 Paul tells the Colossians to set their minds on heavenly things rather than the earthly. Describe, in your own words the reasons he gives for this in verses 3-4.

2. From verses 5-11 name all of the attributes that Paul says we as Christians need to put off.

3. Verses 10-11 act as a transition from talking about putting off to putting on attributes. Our minds are being “renewed in knowledge” to be more Christ-like. What attributes then in verses 12-14 does Paul tell us that we should put on as followers of Christ?

4. In verses 15-17 Paul leaves the church with some commands on how to behave and what to do, describe these things.

5. What most impacted you from this section of putting on righteousness in verses 12-17?

6. In verses 3:18-4:1 we get a list of rules for wives, husbands, children, bondservants, and masters. Write down the rules for each. Do any surprise you? What stuck out to you from this passage?

7. “More than half the people seen on the streets of the great cities of the Roman world were slaves. And this was the status of the majority of ‘professional’ people such as teachers and doctors as well as that of menials and craftsmen.” (Vaughan) source . The relationship between the bondservant and master can be applied to our lives and our relationships with our bosses/employees. Paul’s instructions here essentially are to be a good representation of Christ. How can you apply the section 3:22-4:1 to your life?