Colossians 3:13
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The phrase "forgiving one another" is more intimate than we might think, as the original wording can also mean "forgiving yourselves." This highlights that when we forgive others in Christ, we're not just letting them off the hook; we're also participating in the very healing and wholeness that God extends to us, recognizing our interconnectedness as members of Christ's body.
Paul is building on his instruction for believers to live out their new identity in Christ by actively putting off their old ways and putting on virtues like compassion and humility. He's just described how this new life transcends divisions like ethnicity or social status, because Christ is all in all. This verse then flows directly from those ideas, explaining a crucial aspect of how believers are to relate to one another in this new reality, highlighting the practice of mutual forgiveness as a core demonstration of their shared life in Christ.
When someone gets on your nerves, what's your first instinct? Is it to just endure, or to actively step in with grace?
Paul uses two powerful verbs here: 'bearing with' and 'forgiving.' These aren't passive suggestions; they're active commands for how we live together.
We're called to forgive, but how much? Paul points to the ultimate example, one that dwarfs our own offenses and capabilities.
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The crucial phrase is 'as the Lord has forgiven you.' This isn't just a suggestion for how to forgive, but the standard by which we should forgive.
Why is forgiveness so central to the Christian life? It's more than just getting along; it's a fundamental aspect of who we are becoming in Christ.
In Colossians 3, Paul is talking about putting on the 'new self' – becoming more like Christ. Forgiveness isn't just a helpful behavior; it's a core characteristic of this new identity.
Understand the original words
charizomai · Greek Verb
The active, voluntary remission of an offense; modeled directly upon God's gracious action in Christ toward sinners.
This passage parallels Colossians 3:13 directly, emphasizing kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiving one another as God forgave us in Christ.
Jesus' parable of the unforgiving servant powerfully illustrates the extreme importance of forgiveness, showing that our forgiveness from God is directly tied to our willingness to forgive others, just as Paul highlights in Colossians.
Here, Jesus urges, 'Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful,' and 'Give, and it will be given to you.' This connects to the generous, unconditional forgiveness described in Colossians, rooted in God's own mercy.
1 Peter 4:8Peter also exhorts believers to 'Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, because love covers over a multitude of sins,' which speaks to the spirit of forbearance and forgiveness central to Colossians 3:13.
Romans 12:19-21Paul instructs believers not to 'avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God,' and to 'overcome evil with good,' echoing the forgiving and forbearing attitude commanded in Colossians.
vincentColossians 3:13: "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."
One another - one another (ἀλλήλων - ἑαυτοῖς)Lit., one another - yourselves. For a similar variation of the pronoun see Ephesians 4:32; 1 Peter 4:8-10. The latter pronoun emphasizes the fact that they are all members of Christ's body - everyone members one of another - so that, in forgiving each other they forgive themselves.Quarrel (μομφή…
meyerColossians 3:13: "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."
Colossians 3:13 . Neither the second part of the verse, καθὼς … ὑμεῖς , nor ἀνεχόμενοι … μομφήν , is to be parenthesized; for the whole is an uninterrupted continuation of the construction. ἀνεχόμ . ἀλλ .] modal definition of the ἐνδύσασθαι of the last two virtues, informing us how the required appropriation of them is to manifest itself in acti…
The phrase "forgiving one another" is more intimate than we might think, as the original wording can also mean "forgiving yourselves." This highlights that when we forgive others in Christ, we're not just letting them off the hook; we're also participating in the very healing and wholeness that God extends to us, recognizing our interconnectedness as members of Christ's body.
Paul is building on his instruction for believers to live out their new identity in Christ by actively putting off their old ways and putting on virtues like compassion and humility. He's just described how this new life transcends divisions like ethnicity or social status, because Christ is all in all. This verse then flows directly from those ideas, explaining a crucial aspect of how believers are to relate to one another in this new reality, highlighting the practice of mutual forgiveness as a core demonstration of their shared life in Christ.
Paul is building on his instruction for believers to live out their new identity in Christ by actively putting off their old ways and putting on virtues like compassion and humility. He's just described how this new life transcends divisions like ethnicity or social status, because Christ is all in all. This verse then flows directly from those ideas, explaining a crucial aspect of how believers are to relate to one another in this new reality, highlighting the practice of mutual forgiveness as a core demonstration of their shared life in Christ.
"bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." — The phrase "forgiving one another" is more intimate than we might think, as the original wording can also mean "forgiving yourselves." This highlights that when we forgive others in Christ, we're not…
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