Questions tagged [colossians]

Questions about Paul's letter to the church in Colossae.

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Were the commands, concerning clean/unclean meats, from God or man?

Leviticus 11:1 – Starts with… "1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 2 “Tell the Israelites: You may eat all these kinds of land animals" then goes on to give a detailed list of which animals ...
matt's user avatar
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Colossians 1:22 — WHEN are we "presented" to God as Holy and Blameless? (aorist active infinitive)

Colossians 1:22 says, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him [ESV] νυνὶ δὲ ἀποκατήλλαξεν ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς ...
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What does "domain" mean in "the domain of darkness" Colossians 1:13?

Colossians 1:13 "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son". ESV. My emphasis. [domain/exousias]. Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus ...
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Col 2:15 - Was the triumph over them "in him" or "in it"

Within what/who were the rulers and authorities triumphed over? Here is an example of the two version showing different options: English Standard Version He disarmed the rulers and authorities and ...
Austin's user avatar
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When did Jesus disarm rulers and authorities?

“When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭ What instance is Paul referring to here?
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Was Paul tacitly referring to Moses as an Angel worshipper in Colossions 2:16-18?

KJV Colossians 2:16-18 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but ...
collen ndhlovu's user avatar
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What does “in bodily form” mean in Colossians 2:9?

in bodily form. σωματικῶς (sōmatikōs) Adverb Strong's 4985: Bodily, corporeally, belonging to the body. Adverb from somatikos; corporeally or physically. The actual verse: NASB 1995 “For in Him all ...
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Was Nymphas, Male or Female

Col 4:15 Greet the brothers who are in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that is in her house. (NHEB) Greet the brethren in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church in his house. (SLT)
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"ὑμᾶς νεκροὺς ὄντας -you being dead" (Col 2:13) - What does “being dead" (fig.) imply, a complete or partial inanimate state of us?

Col 2:13* - "And you -- being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh -- He made alive together with him, having forgiven you all the trespasses" (YTL).
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Does Colossians 4:2 condemn being a "prayer squirrel"?

My question arises from a preacher's Facebook post condemning the practice of being a "prayer squirrel" (i.e., getting distracted while praying). He offers the following as an example of ...
The Editor's user avatar
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Does Colossians 1:16 represent the creation of a sub-set of things within the universe?

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by ...
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Does Colossians 1:15, refer to the Genesis creation, or merely present Jesus as the beginning of those raised from the dead?

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or ...
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Col 2:11-12 - Is Paul equating Baptism to circumcision?

Colossians 2:11-12 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in ...
Austin's user avatar
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In Colossians 2:2 what translation issues are involved with ESV putting "in Christ" where the NKJV puts "both of the Father and of Christ"?

Colossians 2:2 ESV "...and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ." Colossians 2:2 NKJV "...to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ." ...
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Colossians 1:17 Perfect Tense - What did the "all things" do and when?

In Col 1:17, συνέστηκεν is in the perfect tense. However, it seems very common for translations like NIV to treat συνέστηκεν as if it were present in tense: "He is before all things, and in him ...
Austin's user avatar
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Shouldn't Christ be the subject of Colossians 1:19?

ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησεν πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα κατοικῆσαι In Colossians 1:19 there is no noun or pronoun in the nominative to specify the subject of the aorist active indicative "εὐδόκησεν." Since &...
Austin's user avatar
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Is the fullness in Colossians 1:19 necessarily the same as the fullness in Colossians 2:9?

19 Because in Him, it was well-pleased for all the fullness to dwell, 20 And through Him to reconcile completely all unto Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross- through Him- ...
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What is the meaning of "might be/may have/genetai" in Colossians 1:18?

Colossians 1:18 ESV "And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent". My emphasis. A. In this ...
C. Stroud's user avatar
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What does "being watchful" mean in Colossians 4:2?

Colossians 4:2 states the following (emphasis added): Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (ESV) Here, Paul tells Christians to be "watchful" in prayer. ...
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Meaning of "food" and "drink" in Colossians 2:16

After Paul discusses Jesus abolishing the handwriting of requirements that were against us, he writes in Colossians 2:16-17 (NKJV, emphasis mine): So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or ...
The Editor's user avatar
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What is the difference between Deity and Divinity? [closed]

What is the difference between Deity and Divinity? What are the greek definitions and usages? I was trying to dig deep about the meaning of the fullness of deity here in Colossians 2:9. Does this mean ...
Albert Hinkle's user avatar
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Greek question Colossians 1:23

Looking at Colossians 1:23, specifically: which was preached to every creature under heaven (KJV & NKJV) has been proclaimed (ESV) It looks like most translations translate "κηρύσσω - ...
Todd's user avatar
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What does "synesteken/hold together" mean in "in him all things hold together"? Colossians 1:17?

Colossians 1:17 "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." ESV. My emphasis. Barnes' notes on the Bible: "The meaning is, that they [all things] are kept in ...
C. Stroud's user avatar
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Colossians 1:20 reconciling "things in heaven"

I am aware of the other question on this site regarding this verse, but this one is slightly different, see: What does "reconciling all things" mean in Colossians 1:20? Yet, I want to ...
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What does "image" mean in "He is the image of the invisible God", Colossians 1:15?

Colossians 1:15 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation". ESV 1 Peter 2:24 "He himself bore our sins in his body". If a coin has someone's head on ...
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What does Paul mean you were "dead in your uncircumcision" in Colossians2:13?

Colossians 2:13 NIV When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, Paul had earlier on stated that the church ...
collen ndhlovu's user avatar
2 votes
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463 views

Colossians 1:18; "the firstborn from the dead" literal or symbolic?

Colossians 1:18 DRB; 18 And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he may hold the primacy: The Dead from whom the Christ was ...
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Buried with Him by/in baptism - Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12

Romans 6:4 (ESV), 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ...
The Votive Soul's user avatar
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183 views

Does Romans 10:18 imply the Apostles took the Gospel to the Americas?

According to the scriptures, Jesus told his apostles to go to all nations and preach the gospel. Paul says that mission was accomplished by the time of his writing to the Colossians and Romans: ...
Servant's user avatar
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How is Christ "firstborn of all creation" (Col. 1:15, e.g. NASB)? Was Adam not the first human being (Lk. 3:38)? [duplicate]

In the Letter to the Colossians, we are told: Colossians 1:15, NASB: "[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (emphasis added). This question has nothing ...
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Do any manuscripts have the singular 'sin' in Colossians 2:11?

I previously asked the question What is the textual evidence for 'of the sins' in Colossians 2:11 ? and received an answer which I both up-voted and accepted. Now, I am trying to discover if any ...
Nigel J's user avatar
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Colossians 4: Was Luke a gentile?

Colossians 4: 10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11Jesus, ...
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652 views

How do the two sorts of "new" in Colossians 3:10 relate to each other?

"and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator". Colossians 3:10 ESV "new" -neon. "renewed"-anakainoumenon. If the new ...
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What does "you have been raised" mean in Colossians 3:1?

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God". Colossians 3:1. ESV Possible avenues: A. Does "raised" ...
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What does "hidden" mean in Colossians 3:3?

Colossians 3:3 "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God". ESV. The truth that the Christian's life is hidden with Christ appears matched with the other side of the coin, ...
C. Stroud's user avatar
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8 votes
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What does it mean that "it pleased the Father" for "all the fullness" to dwell in Jesus (Colossians 1:19, NKJV)?

Colossians 1:19 states (NKJV): For it pleased [the Father that] in Him all the fullness should dwell. Now, the New King James Version supplies "the Father," but to my knowledge, most ...
The Editor's user avatar
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How are the two references to 'firstborn' connected?

From Colossians 1:15-18 we read (BLB) He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, because in him were created all things in the heavens and upon the earth, the ...
Steve's user avatar
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Did Paul allow believers to eat meat of strangled animals in Colossians 2:16?

At the Jerusalem Council, James spoke in Acts 15:29 New International Version You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual ...
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2 answers
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In Colossians 2:9 - Are Fully Deified souls in Christ ( πλήρωμα τῆς Θεότητος) : Sinless or Omnipotent?

If we [become] Fully Deity in Christ, based on [Colossians 2:9-10] which states: [9] For in Christ all the **fullness of the Deity** lives in bodily form, [10] and in Christ **you have been brought ...
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Does Colossians 1:18 refer to Mortals or Corpses as the Dead "nekron" (νεκρῶν)?

If Jesus is "Firstborn" (πρωτότοκος) "out from the Dead" (ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν) as stated by Paul & Timothy in [Colossians 1:18], and not conceived from "a man" | ἄνδρα (...
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What is the basis for translating Colossians 1:27-28 to “in union with Christ” and what are the theological implications?

Colossians 1:27-28 NWT: “But now it has been made manifest to his holy ones, to whom God has been pleased to make known what are the glorious riches of this sacred secret in union with you, the hope ...
Lesley's user avatar
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10 answers
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What does it mean that Jesus is before all things (Colossians 1:17)?

Colossians 1:17: 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [ESV] 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. [KJV] 17 He is before all things, and in Him ...
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Why did Jesus create Judas only for the predestined purpose of being doomed to destruction - based on [Colossians 1:15-20] + [John 13:27, 17:12]?

The new testament teaches Judas as a disciple/creation of Jesus is sadly never forgiven/blessed/prayed for in return for his devotion to Christ's commandments in John 13:27. - Although a creation of ...
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How should we understand Colossians 2:9 in contrast to [Isaiah 7:14-16, Matthew 1:22-23]?

How does a Human fully God not know how to reject bad and choose good? Colossians 2:9 [NASB] "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" Yeshayahu יְשַׁעְיָהוּ֒ | "...
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What is meant by "these are a shadow of the things to come" in Colossians 2:16-17?

Colossians 2:16-17 (ESV): 16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to ...
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Are there other O.T. commandments that experienced a similar "spiritual reinterpretation" as circumcision in the N.T.? [closed]

Circumcision in the O.T. was a commandment that was carried out in a physical fashion. Males had to undergo a literal, physical circumcision of their foreskin. However, in the New Testament the ...
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0 votes
3 answers
140 views

Christians don't circumcise their flesh, because baptism circumcised their flesh?

Based on the following verses - Are Christians required to circumcise their flesh or not? - "Paul" (Παῦλον) seems to contradict himself regarding circumcision. Colossians 2:11 "[11] and ...
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3 votes
1 answer
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Colossians 2, are angels the rudiments (the basic principles)of the world?

Colossians 2:18-23; ASV: Let no man rob you of your prize by a voluntary humility and worshipping of the angels, dwelling in the things which he hath seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19. ...
salah's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
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Does 1 Corinthians 15:49 show we are not currently in God’s image?

We know from Genesis that we are created in God's image. Genesis 1:26: Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness" Genesis 1:27: So God created mankind in his ...
Steve's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Colossians 1:16 ASV could we translate "dominions" as "Lordships"?

Colossians 1:16 GNT; ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα, τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, εἴτε θρόνοι, εἴτε κυριότητες εἴτε ἀρχαὶ εἴτε ...
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