Questions tagged [colossians]
Questions about Paul's letter to the church in Colossae.
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What was nailed to the cross in Colossians 2:14?
Colossians 2:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, ...
2
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1answer
195 views
Based on the Greek word ‘prōtotokos’ in Colossians 1:13, does “firstborn” mean “first created”? [duplicate]
If Jesus was the first created, as some people claim, surely the Greek word ‘protoktistos’ would have been used instead – or is my information incorrect? I do not pretend to understand Greek and so I ...
2
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1answer
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Does Paul thank God for the faith and love of the Colossians or for the hope laid in heaven?
In Colossians 1:3-5, Paul writes of his thanks to God (ESV translation):
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus ...
2
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2answers
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Colossians 3:5 - akatharsía means heresy?
http://biblehub.com/greek/167.htm
'Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. '
Colossians 3:5
...
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1answer
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What is the significance of μέρει in Colossians 2:16?
Μὴ οὖν τις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω ἐν βρώσει καὶ ἐν πόσει ἢ ἐν μέρει ἑορτῆς ἢ νεομηνίας ἢ σαββάτων, NA27
The list of items in which not to allow yourselves to be judged is delimited by ἐν: «ἐν βρώσει...ἐν πόσει....
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In Colossians 1:15, what does “firstborn of every creature” mean?
I was studying passages on the Bible about Jesus and its origin. One verse is, to me, somewhat hard to understand (Colossians 1:15, in King James version):
Who is the image of the invisible God, ...
3
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1answer
90 views
Why do some translations use “every creature” in Colossians 1:15?
Colossians 1:15: ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου,
πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως (NA28). Some translations render "πάσης κτίσεως" as "every creature" most as "all creation."
Who is the image of the ...
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What does the word “prototokos” mean in Colossians 1:15?
What does the Greek word "prototokos" mean in English as used in Colossians 1:15?
Col 1:15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn [prōtotokos] over all creation. [NIV]
...
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What does John 1:3 mean by “through” Jesus everything is made?
Do any parts of the Bible definitively claim that everything is made by Jesus?
I have read already that some people say that Colossians 1:16 does not mean Jesus was the agent of creation, but of his ...
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How can we reconcile Colossians 4:11 & Titus 1:10?
Colossians 4:11(KJV)
11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.
Titus 1:10 (...
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0answers
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what is the mystery of Christ in Colossians 4:3? [duplicate]
Colossians 4:3 (KJV)
Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
What was the mystery of Christ that ...
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3answers
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What has value against self-indulgence in Col 2:23?
Colossians 2:23 (HCSB)
Although these have a reputation of wisdom by promoting ascetic practices, humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence. ...
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Sharing of Paul epistles amongst churches
In Colossians 4:16, Paul explicitely instructs the sharing of epistles between the Laodiceans and Colossians:
16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also
in the church ...
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2answers
259 views
In Colossians 2:20-23, is the author of Colossians saying that precepts from the Torah are of human origin?
In Colossians 2:20-23, is the author of Colossians saying that precepts from the Torah are of human origin?:
ISV
Col 2:20 If you have died with the Messiah to the basic principles of
the world,...
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1answer
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Did the author of Colossians know Paul’s Epistle to Philemon?
The majority of critical scholars now believe that Colossians was written in Paul’s name decades after his death. Are the parallels between Colossians 4:14-17 and Philemon 23-24 sufficient evidence ...
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In Colossians 1:16, what is the meaning of the phrase “in him” (ἐν αὐτῷ)?
Sorry if this seems like a really simple question but this always confuses me. For example Colossians 1:16:
For it was in Him that all things were created.
Would it mean the same thing if the word ...
4
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4answers
253 views
'In all the world' - are Matthew 24:14 & Colossians 1:6 talking about the same scope?
"This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come." - Matthew 24:14 (HCSB)
καὶ κηρυχθήσεται τοῦτο τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς ...
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What is known about the letter to the Laodiceans mentioned in Colossians 4:16?
Paul references a letter to the Laodiceans in his epistle to the Colossians:
And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the
church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also ...
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1answer
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Is it necessary to assert that Paul has never been to Colossae when this letter is written?
Commentaries and NT introductions all like to state that Paul has never been to Colossae. It is generally founded in this passage:
Colossians 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I ...
2
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1answer
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In Colossians 3:23, what is the meaning of «ἐκ ψυχῆς» and the distinction between «ποιῆτε» and «ἐργάζεσθε»?
The Greek text of Col. 3:23 according to the Textus Receptus states,
ΚΓʹ καὶ πᾶν ὃ τι ἐὰν ποιῆτε ἐκ ψυχῆς ἐργάζεσθε ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις TR, 1550
What does «ἐκ ψυχῆς» mean in this context?...
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What does the 'body of flesh' mean in Colossians 2:11?
and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without
hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision
of Christ;
Colossians 2:11 (NASB)
When you came ...
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2answers
749 views
What does 'love in the Spirit' mean in Colossians 1:8?
and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
Colossians 1:8 (ESV)
What does 'love in the Spirit' means in Colossians 1:8?
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2answers
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What is the difference between the indwelling of God in Christians and the indwelling of the Godhead in Christ?
for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,
Colossians 2:9 (ASV)
and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be
filled unto all the fulness of God.
...
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2answers
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Who are “the sons of disobedience” in Colossians 3:6?
If this variant represents the original text, then who are "the sons of disobedience" (τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας, tous huious tēs apeitheias) in Colossians 3:6?
NA28:
δι᾿ ἃ ἔρχεται ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ ...
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2answers
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Colossians 2:16 speaks of holy days, festivals or weekly sabbaths?
LITV says
Then do not let anyone judge you in eating, or in drinking, or in part of a feast, or of a new moon, or of sabbaths,
GW says clearly
weekly worship days.
for "Sabbath." However, ...
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In Colossians 1:27, what is the meaning of “this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”?
In Col. 1:24-29, it is written,
24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is ...
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What does the Greek word θεότητος in Colossians 2:9 mean?
The Greek word θεότητος is translated differently in English Bibles:
Colossians 2:9
New Living Translation For in Christ lives all the fullness of God
in a human body.
New American ...
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3answers
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Why doesn't St. Paul use LOVE for each of the members, when he lays out the Rules for a Christian Households [Col 3:18-20]?
In laying out Rules for a Christian Households, St. Paul says in:
Colossians 3:18-20 (RSVCE)
Rules for Christian Households
18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
...
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3answers
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Is Paul quoting the “Apocrypha” in Colossians 1:17?
Sirach 43:26 (KJV) “By him the end of them hath prosperous success, and by his word all things consist.”
Colossians 1:17 (KJV) “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
Is ...
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Defining Idolatry according to Col 3:5
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (Col 3:5 ESV)
According to this verse in the Greek is ...
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1answer
225 views
What is the Godhead? [duplicate]
Colossians 2:9 (DARBY):
For in him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
What is meant here by Godhead?
Does Godhead composed of Father, Son and Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit)?
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3answers
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“Slave” vs. “servant” in Colossians [duplicate]
The translators of the NET note for Colossians 1:7 and 4:12,
The Greek word translated “fellow slave” is σύνδουλος (sundoulo"); the σύν- prefix here denotes association. Though δοῦλος is normally ...
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2answers
304 views
Is Paul communicating that all their future sins were forgiven in Colossians 2:13-14?
Exegetically, without bringing theology to the text, is Paul stating that all their sins, including future sins were forgiven in Colossians 2:13-14? Would the recipients of this letter understand "...
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1answer
227 views
Were the household tables in Peter and Paul counter-cultural in their day?
The household tables in Paul's letters and in 1 Peter pair up sets of people:
Wives submit to your husbands : Husbands love your wives
Children obey your fathers : Fathers don't exasperate your ...
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3answers
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What is the origin of the household tables?
The household tables in Colossians 3:18-4:1, in Ephesians 5:21-6:9, and in 1 Peter 2:18-3:7 all have a distinct rhetorical form bearing resemblance to one another. The general form seems to be:
A[1], ...
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What does it mean when it says that Christ is “the head of the body”?
In Gen. 2:23, we see that Chavva (Eve) was taken out of Adam, built from his rib, and concerning her, Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called "Woman" (Ishah)...
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How sure can we be that Archippus was a church leader?
Paul twice mentions Archippus. In Philemon he is a fellow soldier, and, in Colossians, he has some sort of ministry to fulfill.
Colossians 4:17 "Say to Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which ...
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1answer
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Why does the household table in Colossians spend so long on slaves?
In the household table in Colossians 3:18-4:1, almost half the words are directed towards slaves. This seems significant, especially since in the house table in Ephesians it is much more even (perhaps ...
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In Colossians 2:18 what is the “worship of angels”?
In Colossians 2:18, Paul warns his readers, "Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize" (NIV emphasis mine). Of course, that it is in the ...
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What does the term “principalities and powers” mean?
In some translations, I see the term "principalities and powers." To what does this refer?
This will not be exhaustive, but for example, consider the KJV's translation of Romans 8:38-39:
For I am ...
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Connotation of πλεονεξία in Colossians 3:5
Looking at Colossians 3:5 in Greek:
Νεκρώσατε οὖν τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορνείαν ἀκαθαρσίαν πάθος ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν, καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολατρία.
Πλεονεξία, often translated greed, ...
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Does Luke's supposed profession matter when interpreting his work as an author?
Paul makes reference to a physician named Luke:
Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.—Colossians 4:14 (ESV)
Tradition also assigns Luke as author of the gospel that bears its ...
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Psalms, Hymns, Songs: What are the meanings of these words Biblically?
Verses in Question
Let the word of Christ 18 dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace 19 in your hearts ...
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Meaning of στοιχεῖον (stoicheion)
What does Paul mean by the word στοιχεῖον, and in particular the phrase τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου? Here is a list of occurrences of the word in the New Testament. Feel free to respond concerning the ...
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2answers
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Translation of “ἐλπίς” [closed]
Ἐλπίς is a theologically important word in the New Testament. It is glossed hope, but I have often heard it emphasized that this does not mean hope in the sense of a positive wish or feeling which is ...
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Meaning of “Body of Flesh” in Colossians 2:11
In Colossians 2:11, what does Paul mean by τοῦ σώματος τῆς σαρκός? Paul uses σάρξ to refer to the body or the physical far less than John, and it is clear that isn't what he's referring to here: the ...
6
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1answer
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Translation of “οἰκονομίαν”
Οἰκονομία is often glossed stewardship; the UBS 4th edition Greek New Testament renders it management of a household in the glossary. However, I find it is often difficult to translate in a sentence. ...
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7answers
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What does “reconciling all things” mean in Colossians 1:20?
In Colossians 1:19-20 (NIV) we read:
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by ...
7
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1answer
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What restrictions would Paul have been preaching against in Colossians 2?
Colossians 2:20-23 (ESV)
20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 "Do not handle, Do not ...
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14answers
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In Colossians 1:24 what “is lacking in Christ's afflictions” according to Paul?
In Colossians 1:24, I read:
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church (ESV)
...
