Colossians 3:18-19: Submit & Love

Hi, welcome to marriage week. Okay, so not really, but kinda. I pray that you do not read these verses and decide it doesn't apply to you. I pray that God will use this week to begin to create you into the woman He has designed you to be!! I pray that your heart would be open and soft toward this thing called submission and the role God calls us to as women.

Read Colossians 3:18-19. This week we will focus on what we learn from the Bible about man and woman and their roles. I created a chart for you to use this week to document your study, or you can create your own in your journal (or laptop). We are going to be all over the place in scripture, so hang on!! Just right click and download the picture.

Genesis

Let's go back to the beginning, the book of Genesis. Where this whole man and woman thing started. Go to Genesis 2:15-24. Read this section and write down on your chart what you learn about man and woman and what God designed their roles to be. 

Ephesians
Okay, now let's see what we learn in Ephesians. Remember, Ephesians and Colossians share similar themes. Read Ephesians 5:22-33. Write down everything that you learn about the husbands and wives on your chart.

1 Peter
Now let's go to 1 Peter 3:1-7. Read these verses and write down everything you learn about husbands and wives.

Titus
Okay, let's head to Titus 2. Read the entire chapter. This chapter has specific instructions for old men, young men, old women, and young women. Write down everything you learn about the roles and character of men and women in this chapter. The word 

Colossians
Okay, back to where we started! Go, back to Colossians and write down everything you learn about husbands and wives from this passage. 

Okay, let's make some observations about what we have learned about man and woman, husbands and wives. Going back to your chart, ask yourself, why did God make woman? What job did God create for man? What common instructions do you see from each New Testament passage? Who is the woman to submit to? Who is the man to love? To what degree is the man to love his wife (look for the word as, it shows a comparison)? Write down what you learn in your journal.

Now let's do some word studies!! First up, that word submit. Using Blue Letter Bible look up the greek definition and write down what you find in your journal. This word submit is in the middle voice. Blue Letter Bible Tells us: The middle voice indicates the subject performing an action upon himself (reflexive action) or for his own benefit. E.g., "The boy groomed himself." How does this help you understand what it means to submit? Write down your thoughts in your journal. 

Now, let's look up that word love. Look up this word and write down what you learn about it. 

Lastly, we are going to look up the word bitter. Write down what you learn about this word in your journal.

WOW! We have seen so much in scripture about the roles of men and women. Sometimes it amazes me how clear God is about who He calls us to be. Know I am praying for you as you study and wrestle with these truths.

Colossians 3:10-17: The New Self

Last week was a hard lesson. We had to honestly stop and take a look at ourselves and allow God to reveal any sin in our lives. I pray that you have not left that lesson and that you continue to deal with verses 5-9. As believers those things should not even be named among us. 

This week our contrast moves to the new self! Stop and ask God to move in your heart as you study. Ask Him to reveal if the new self is true of you! Now read Colossians 3:5-17. 

We begin our particular study this week in verse 10. What command does verse 10 give us? What do we learn about the renewal in verses 10-11? In other words how or to what are we to be renewed? 

Now let's start with some word studies & cross references on verses 10-11. Read through those verses and look for words you need to look up in the greek. As I look at these verses there are so many words that we need to dive into. Let's look up the definition of these phrases and find 2-3 cross references on each: put on, new self, & who is being renewed. Make sure to write down all that you learn with each word study & cross reference. Did you notice the voice of "put on" and "who is being renewed"? If not, go back and write down the voice of each one. 

Now let's look at what the new self looks like beginning in verse 12. How are we as believers  described at the beginning of verse 12? Paul used the word chosen. We need to stop at look at it before we move on. Look up the word chosen on Blue Letter Bible. Let's also look at some cross references. Look up 2-3 verses that help us get a better understanding of this word. Write down what you learn in the definition and the cross references about being chosen.

A list of the new self begins in verse 12. Write down the qualities of the new self. I think we also need to stop and reflect on each word in this list. Look up each word in the greek and write down the definition in your journal.

The new self list runs all through verse 13, then something happens in verse 14. Look at 14-17 and write down Paul's commands. Let's look up a few words from this section of verses on Blue Letter Bible. Look up these words: love, peace, rule, word, and dwell. Now think about how the commands in 14-17 connect to the new self found in 10-13. Write down your thoughts.

Now, stop, look back at Colossians 3:5-17. After all the work you have done the past few weeks do you have a greater understanding of this passage? Okay, now let's look at our hearts and our actions. Do your heart and the things of your heart (that spill out in action) reflect that of the old self or the new self? I am praying that God would continue to expose sin in our lives and that we would be willing to confess & repent that sin. I pray that you are "considering" the old self. Know that I am praying for you as you study this week! 

Colossians 3:5-9 The Old Self

I am so excited to get to this lesson and the next lesson. This part of Colossians was major in my life. God used it to show me change that needed to happen in my life. 

Begin this week by asking God to reveal to you sin in that is in your life. Ask Him to expose any areas of the Old Self that might remain in you. Now stop, read Colossians 3:5-17. Let's consider what the old self is. In your journal list what you learn about the old self. Please write down as much detail in your journal as possible. Now ask yourself why are we to consider these things as dead? 

Now let's break apart some of these verses. Look at Colossians 3:5-7 and look for words that you think we need to look up in the greek. Write them down in your journal. Now use Blue Letter Bible to investigate those words. Look up the greek definition, see if you can figure out the mood, tense, and voice. 

So what words did you look up? I looked up the words: consider, immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed, idolatry. If you missed it, go back and try to determine the mood, tense, voice of the word consider. 

Did you notice what verse 6 had to say about the result of these sins? Go back and look at it and write down the answer in your journal. Did you notice what Paul says in verse 7? Write down what Paul is saying about the Old Self in verse 7. 

The lists we see at the first part of this section of verses contrast how believers walked before Jesus and then how they walk in Jesus. But what about those people who profess to be in Jesus yet walk in sin? Let's consider some cross references on this subject!

• 1 Cor 6:9-11
• Eph 5:3-10
• Gal 5:19-21
• 1 John 3:4-10

Now let's look at the second command Paul wrote about in Colossians 3:8-9. What is the second list that we find? Write it down. What does Paul command them to do? Where do these things come from?

Paul is calling them to put aside several things. Let's look up what it means to "put aside". Using Blue Letter Bible, find the definition for this word along with 2-3 cross references that help us gain insight to this word. Write down the address to the verse and what you learn in that verse about putting aside. 

Now let's look specifically at Paul's second list. Let's look up each word in the greek and write down the definition. 

That is the end of our homework this week. Next week we will contrast the Old Self with the New Self. I pray this week as you look at the Old Self, if there are any parts of the Old Self still in your life that God will reveal that to you. Praying for you this week!!! 

Chapter 3:1-4 Seeking the Things Above

This week we begin diving into Chapter 3! Let's focus on verses 1-4. As we look at the beginning of chapter 3, it is important for us to remember how it connects to chapter 2. Look back at chapter 2 and ask yourself, what two points did Paul make in 2:11-13? Write them down in your journal.  Now look at 2:20-23, ask yourself what point did Paul make about believers having died with Christ? Now as we look at chapter 3, Paul continues with another point about having died with Christ. What point is he making in 3:1? Write your answer down in your journal.

According to verse 1, what are those who have been raised by Christ to do? Answer in your journal. In verse 1 Paul tells the church to keep seeking the things above. What does it mean to seek the things above? Let's turn our attention to word studies and cross references to find out.  Go to Blue Letter Bible and write down the definition of "keep seeking"in your journal. Keep seeking in in the active voice, go here and read what that means. Write down how knowing this helps you understand this verse better.

Now on to our cross references! Ask yourself: According to verse 1, where is Christ and what does that have to do with seeking the things above? Look up each verse below & write in your journal what this verse tells you about the idea of seeking the things above (were Christ is).

• Matthew 6:25-34
• Galatians 1:10

Consider how you might seek the things above in your daily life. Write down what God shows you in your journal.

Now let's look at verse 2. Using Blue Letter Bible look up the definition for "set your mind." Consider how you might set your mind on things above, not earthly things on a daily basis. Write down your thoughts in your journal.

How does doing what we see in Col 3:1-2 help us control the flesh? What is the flesh? Let's look up some cross references to give us more understanding. Look up the cross references below and write in your journal what you learn about the flesh.

• Galatians 5:16-25
• Romans 13:14
• 2 Timothy 2:22
• 1 Thessalonians 5:22

Now let's look at Colossians 3:3-4. In your journal write out what these verses have to do with verses 1-2. Let's look at some cross references that will help us make this connection:

• Philippians 1:20-21
• Romans 8
• 2 Corinthians 5:17
• Philippians 3:8-11

There is good news! Read the verse below and write down what you learn about when Christ is revealed:

• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
• 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

When we meet this week we will bring this all full circle. It's okay if it doesn't make sense right now. Press on, write down what you learn, and we will discuss it all together on Thursday night. 

Colossians: Chapter 3 Overview

Welcome to Chapter 3!! YEAH!!!! We are half way through with the book of Colossians. As I have been telling you we are at a turning point in the book of Colossians. 

If you are new to our study, I have a little catch up for you. I encourage you to read through the entire book of Colossians. Now, go back through chapters 1 & 2, and mark every reference to Jesus (including pronouns) with a red cross. Next make a list on what you learn about Jesus. As I mentioned above, so far in Colossians the focus has been on Jesus. So it is important for you to observe what we learn about Jesus in the first two chapters. When you make your list, just write down what you learn about Jesus exactly as it is mentioned in the text. (Example: 1:13- He (God) rescued us from the domain of darkness & transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Jesus))

Now let's turn to chapter 3 and do an overview.  Remember in an overview we are getting an birds eye view of the chapter. We won't dive into each truth that we see, but are looking what this chapter is about and how it relates to the rest of the book. Read through chapter 3. Now, read through it again and mark any reference to Jesus. Make a list on what you learn about Jesus in chapter 3. 

Now, read through chapter 3 again and look for terms of conclusion, contrasts, or lists. We have talked before that Paul likes to use terms of conclusion (the words therefore or so that) and contrasts. Another thing Paul loves is making lists. Read through chapter 3 and mark with a black rectangle any terms of conclusion. Now go back through and look for any contrasts, mark the contrast with a black slash /. When you see a contrast (like life or death, light or dark) put a / where the two thoughts divide. Now read back through one last time and look for any lists Paul makes (hint: there is one in verse 8). When you find a list number the list by putting a number by each item in the list. Please remember, at this point we are doing an overview of chapter 3. So we are not going to get into the detail of what we learn  about these terms of conclusion, contrasts, or lists quiet yet.

Now I want you to look for paragraph sections. If you are using an Observation worksheet or a NASB version of the Bible, it is easy to see the paragraph sections, you simply look for the bold verse numbers. Bold verse numbers help us to see the beginning of a new paragraph. Read through chapter 3 and write down where the paragraphs divide. 

Now let's look at each paragraph and write down the main theme of each paragraph. We determine the theme, not by interpreting the paragraph, but looking for a part of the paragraph that sums up what Paul is saying in the paragraph.

So where do our paragraphs divide? 3:1-4, 5-11,12-17,18-20,22-25. Read through each paragraph and look for a word, or phrase that sums up what Paul is saying in that paragraph. 

Now consider the rest of the book of Colossians. Write down how chapter 3 relates to the rest of the book of Colossians. I have told you this is a turning point in the book, how so?? Write down your thoughts in your journal.

Colossians 2: Bringing it to an End

Last week we talked about Paul's instruction to the Colossians to not allow anyone to judge them based on food, drink, Sabbath, festivals, or New Moon. All of these were laws that God gave the Israelite people in the Old Testament. We saw that these laws were only a shadow of things to come. That they foreshadowed something better that was coming, something perfect when the OT laws could not make us perfect. That something, was a someone: Jesus.

This week we are going to look at the next set of verses. Read Colossians 2:18-23. Focusing on verses 18-19 ask yourself some 5W's & H questions & write down your answers in your journal:

• In what ways are the Colossians allowing themselves to be defrauded of their prize?
• What are they not doing in verse 19?

As you read 18-19 once again look for words or phrases that we might need to study further (with a key word study or cross reference). Write down the words that you see we need to look at.

So what words did you write down? Did you really do it, or are you just waiting for me to give you the answer? No cheating!! If you didn't write anything down, then stop and do it now. It's okay, I will wait for you!

Okay, so let's do some word studies!! Pull up Blue Letter Bible and let look up some words. I picked these words to look at in the Greek: defrauding, self abasement, hold fast. You might have those same words, or you might have different ones. That is okay, it's better to look up too many than none at all. When you look these words up, write down in your journal what you learn about it. Make sure to also read the Vine's entry, sometimes Vine's gives us more insight.

Okay, let's look up some cross references on some of the words above and some I haven't mentioned yet.

• Self-Abasement: James 4:6 & 4:10
• Angels: Romans 8:38, 1 Corinthians 6:3, Hebrews 1:4
• Visions: Isaiah 8, Deuteronomy 13, Joel 2, Acts 2, 1 Corinthians 12

Okay, lets look at a couple more cross references. Look up Gal 4:8-11 & 1 Timothy 4:1-8. As you read these consider how they connect with Colossians 2:16-23. Write down your observations in your journal.

Okay, now let's go back to Colossians 2. Read verses 2:20-3:4. Ask yourself these questions and write down the answers in your journal:

• What is the flow of thought that we see from 2:20-3:4? Look for the therefore? Why is it therefore? What is it concluding. 
• The end of chapter 2 is reasoning about being dead with Christ. What is the reasoning and what does that have to do with what we saw in 2:16-19?
• What is the reasoning about being raised up with Him in 3:1-4?

We will study chapter 3 in more detail next week, but I want you to see how these two chapters connect. Remember that when Paul wrote this, he didn't write in chapters, but it was one long letter. Sometimes we need to stop and see how each chapter connects. 

Colossians 2:16-17

If you haven't already, read through the book of Colossians to re-establish context. It's been several weeks since we studied together, so I want you to remember what is happening in the book.

Now, go back and read through chapter two. As you read, consider what we have looked at specifically in chapter 2. In your journal, write down these questions along with the answers:

• What are Paul's labors & struggles according to the end of chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2
• What truths does Paul stress regarding Jesus in chapter 2

Now it's time to focus on verses 16-17 of chapter two. Read through these verses again. Did you notice the term of conclusion in verse 16. The word "therefore" is called a term of conclusion. Paul uses this often in his writings, often to sum of (or conclude) something he has been talking about. Look at the serves above and below verse 16 and write down what Paul is concluding or connecting with "therefore."

Read through these verses again and write down words, or ideas that we might need to do a word study on or cross reference. (Yes Marissa, that's how I figure this part out.) Often it is something that the Bible references that I am not sure what it is talking about. Other times a word stands out that I have studied in a different passage that I know is important. In these verses what are things that you need to know more about? Are there any words that stand out to you that you might need to do a word study on? Write them down in your journal.

Now, let's start doing some word studies!! What words did you write down? The words I wanted to learn more about were: judge, shadow, & substance. Using Blue Letter Bible, look up these words and any other words you wrote down.

Okay, now it's time to do some cross references!! YEAH!!! We have talked before how we find cross references. The easiest way to do this is when you are doing your word studies. When you have the Greek definition pulled up, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and see every reference to that word in the Bible. Sometimes you will find several pages, other times you will only find a couple.In the verses we are studying this week, there are several references to law from the Old Testament. It's important that we get some understanding about these laws, so we are going to focus our cross references here.

Look up the following cross references and write down what you learn about the laws God gives regarding food, drink, festivals, new moon, or the sabbath.

• Leviticus 11
• Exodus 20
• Mark 2
• 1 Chronicles 23
• 2 Chronicles 31
• Nehemiah 10
• Hebrews 8 & 10 (don't miss in these verses what you learn about the new covenant vs the law or old covenant)

Okay sweet girls, that is all for this week. I prayed for you this morning and asked the Lord to give you understanding of these verses. Love you greatly!! Cannot wait to see you!!