In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Colossians 3:7
What does Colossians 3:7 mean?
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Colossians 3:7
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Paul isn't just reminding them of their past sins; he's highlighting that their former "life" was intrinsically bound up with these destructive habits. Their "walking" (their actions and conduct) was simply the natural expression of the very "life" they were living before Christ.
In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is urging believers to put off sinful behaviors, reminding them that these vices are like "members" of their old selves that need to be "mortified" or put to death. He lists specific sins like sexual immorality and greed, which characterized their former pagan lives. This verse serves as a stark reminder that their past identity was deeply intertwined with these destructive habits, which they must now actively reject.
Before Christ, you weren't just surrounded by sin; you were actively living in it. Paul uses vivid language to paint this picture. What does it mean to 'walk' in something?
Paul uses the metaphor of 'walking' to describe how we lived our lives before coming to Christ. This wasn't a passive existence; it was an active participation in the vices and sinful practices of the world.
Active Participation:
When Paul says, 'ye also walked in them,' he's emphasizing that these sinful behaviors were not just incidental but were the very way you conducted yourselves. It's like saying, 'This was your lifestyle, your daily routine.'
Condition and Conduct Aligned:
Your inner condition (being 'dead' in sins, as Paul explains elsewhere) and your outward conduct ('walking' in sin) were in perfect agreement. The sins were the very 'air you breathed,' as one commentator put it, the native element of your former life.
Paul lists specific sins in the preceding verses. This verse connects your past 'walk' directly to those very things. What's the significance of this link?
Colossians 3:5-6 lists a series of sins like sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed. Verse 7 then directly references these 'things' as the realm in which believers formerly lived and walked.
Rooted in Sin:
Before embracing Christ, your life was characterized by actively engaging in these vices. They weren't just occasional temptations but defining aspects of your existence. It signifies that these sins were the foundation of your former walk.
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Earthly Attachments:
These 'members which are upon the earth,' as Paul calls them in verse 5, were what kept you bound to an earthly, self-centered existence, distinct from the heavenly focus he urges in verse 2.
Understand the original words
peripateō · Greek Verb
A habitual way of life or a manner of conduct; in a moral sense, it refers to the pattern of behavior and the ethical trajectory one follows.
This verse calls to mind the stark contrast between the believers' former pagan lifestyle, characterized by pervasive sin and idolatry, and their new life in Christ, highlighting the radical transformation the gospel brings.
c. 1st century AD
Life in Gentile Cities
The Colossians lived in a world heavily influenced by Greco-Roman culture, which often included widespread practices of sexual immorancy, greed, and idolatry.
c. 1st century AD
Paul's Ministry in the Roman Empire
The Apostle Paul traveled extensively, establishing churches in major urban centers like Ephesus, where he likely wrote this letter. His ministry focused on confronting pagan practices and calling people to Christ.
c. AD 60-62— this verse
Writing of the Letter to the Colossians
Paul, likely imprisoned in Rome, writes to the church in Colossae. He addresses theological errors and calls believers to live lives worthy of their new identity in Christ.
This passage echoes the idea of former 'walking' in disobedience, describing how people once lived according to the ways of the world and the spirit that is now active in those who disobey.
Romans 6:20-21It highlights the stark contrast between a past life lived in sin, where people were 'slaves of sin,' and their current state, drawing a parallel to the 'walking' in sin described in Colossians.
Titus 3:3This verse explicitly recalls a past state of living in foolishness, serving passions and vices, which directly relates to the 'walking' and 'living in them' mentioned in Colossians 3:7.
1 Peter 4:3It references a past time of 'wandering in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, carousing, and abominable idolatries,' painting a vivid picture of the former 'walk' and 'life' in sin.
henryColossians 3:5-11: "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:"
3:5-11 It is our duty to mortify our members which incline to the things of the world. Mortify them, kill them, suppress them, as weeds or vermin which spread and destroy all about them. Continual opposition must be made to all corrupt workings, and no provision made for carnal indulgences. Occasions of sin must be…
barnesColossians 3:7: "In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them."
In the which - In all which evil passions. Ye also walked sometime - You formerly lived. These were the common vices of the pagan; Ephesians 5:8, note; 1 Corinthians 6:10-11, notes; compare Romans 1:24-32, notes.
Paul isn't just reminding them of their past sins; he's highlighting that their former "life" was intrinsically bound up with these destructive habits. Their "walking" (their actions and conduct) was simply the natural expression of the very "life" they were living before Christ.
Paul is urging believers to put off sinful behaviors, reminding them that these vices are like "members" of their old selves that need to be "mortified" or put to death. He lists specific sins like sexual immorality and greed, which characterized their former pagan lives. This verse serves as a stark reminder that their past identity was deeply intertwined with these destructive habits, which they must now actively reject.
Paul is urging believers to put off sinful behaviors, reminding them that these vices are like "members" of their old selves that need to be "mortified" or put to death. He lists specific sins like sexual immorality and greed, which characterized their former pagan lives. This verse serves as a stark reminder that their past identity was deeply intertwined with these destructive habits, which they must now actively reject.
"In these you too once walked, when you were living in them." — Paul isn't just reminding them of their past sins; he's highlighting that their former "life" was intrinsically bound up with these destructive habits. Their "walking" (their actions and conduct) was…
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Last reviewed October 2026