📊 Colossians 3:1 | False Teachings & Original Greek

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📧 In today’s email…

• 📖 Overview of Colossians + false teachings

• 🤓 The original Greek

• 🤔 A reflection question

• 📊 Tuesday Trivia

 🧠 Memorize

_{see if you know what words go in the blanks}

If then you ____ ____ ______ with ______, seek the things that ___ _____,

where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:1

Book Context & Original Greek 🤓 

First let’s understand the broader context of Colossians and what leads up to our memory verse.

As you read through the 4 chapters in Colossians, you can see Paul’s main goals in writing, which include:

• Declaring the supremacy of Christ (Col 1:15-20)

• Promoting unity (Col 1:9-14) and strengthening the faith and hope of the believers in Colossae (Col 1:21-23)

• Protecting the church from false doctrines (Col 2:16-23)

• Giving instructions for Christian living (Col 3)

So in Colossians 2 - leading up to our memory verse - Paul addresses false teachings that threatened the Colossian believers:

• Reliance on human, worldly philosophy (Colossians 2:1–10)

• Jewish legalism around practices like circumcision, food and drink customs, and Sabbath (Colossians 2:11–17)

• Ascetic living, worship of angels and visions (Colossians 2:18–23)

Paul says ends Chapter 2, saying:

Only Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit can change the heart.

The Transition 📖 

Colossians 3:1 is the inflection point where Paul transitions from “avoid false teachings” to “put on the new self.”

Original Greek 🤓 

Now, let’s dig into a few Greek words found in verse 1.

Today, we’ll look at the first part of the verse:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above

A few notes about the original Greek:

• In context, we know that Paul is talking to followers of Jesus, so the little word translated ‘if’ (ei) functions more like “Since” or “Because”

  • “Since/Because you have been raised with Christ, seek…”

• The Greek word for ‘seek’ (zēteō) is the same word used in Matthew 6:33 (“seek first the Kingdom…”).

  • To seek something means to both desire it and to actively look for it

Paul’s point?

He explains it in verse 3:

The old self desires and looks for things that are earthly and below (“things that all perish”).

The new self in Christ desires and looks for things that are above (things that last).

Since we are now in Christ, our old selves are dead and we are invited to set our minds on eternal things.

Apply & Respond: Reflect 🤔 

Later this week, we’ll explore what things are considered “things that are above” or things that have eternal value.

But for today, consider the reflection question below.

Reflect 🙏 

Can you think of a time in the past when you intentionally sought to think about, meditate on or do something of eternal value?

🗣️ Bonus: Share your answer with 1 person and invite them to share their answer with you.

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Tuesday Trivia 📊 

Click one of the options below! Let’s see how you do..

Answer key ✅ 

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