THURSDAY, WEEK 2. Chapter 4 Bible Study. As we begin our study today, let s learn a little history about the book of Colossians.

Transcription

1 THURSDAY, WEEK 2 Chapter 4 Bible Study As we begin our study today, let s learn a little history about the book of Colossians. My Bible explains the purpose of Colossians is to combat errors in the church and to show that believers have everything they need in Christ. Amazingly enough, Colossians is a letter written by Paul, from prison, in Rome. He was writing to the church at Colosse. In the first half of this letter (chapters one and two), Paul teaches about what Christ has done. In the second half (chapters three and four), he teaches what Christians should do. This is where our verse of the week, Colossians 3:12, is found in the second half. Read Colossians 3. Highlight and/or jot down the words or phrases that stand out to you. Today we are going to focus on our verse of the week, Colossians 3:12. Let s take a look at this verse. First of all, what word does Colossians 3:12 begin with? I ve heard this quote from various Bible teachers. I don t know where it originated, but I ve found it to be true: whenever you see a therefore in Scripture, you have to see what it is there for. Therefore marks a transition from what has been said so far to what is about to be said next. The Asbury Bible Commentary states there is a natural break in the text at 3:12 (clearly marked by therefore ), a shift from negative to positive exhortation. Up to this point in Colossians, we ve heard a lot of do nots. But now we are about to hear the dos.

2 Colossians 3:12 gives us instruction on the dos. What does it tell us to do? (What are we to clothe ourselves with?) From the Asbury Bible Commentary: If indeed Christ is all, and is in all (v 11), then Christians ought to reflect his image. Clothe yourselves, the apostle exhorts (v 12), with the virtues Christ manifested. As Christians, one of our goals is to be more like Christ. Jesus was compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. Let s take a look at other places in the Bible where these virtues are mentioned. Read Galatians 5:22-23 Which of the virtues in Colossians 3:12 do we also see here? Read Philippians 2:3 Which of the virtues from Colossians 3:12 do we find in this passage? Read 1 Corinthians 13:4 From these verses, what is love?

3 Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 What do these verses say about compassion? We can find examples of the Lord s compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience throughout the Bible. Our verse of the week tells us we are to clothe ourselves in these things. We may not naturally possess these virtues, but they are available to us. We can put them on, just like we put on our clothes. Our clothes are an outward expression of us. You can tell a lot about a person simply by what they are wearing. If you saw me today, you d know that I have a favorite football team. Or at least you could assume that because the shirt I m wearing bears the name of that team. #GoPanthers The virtues we are told to clothe ourselves with should also be an outward expression of who we are and an inward expression of whose we are. If Christ is our Savior, He lives in us. Therefore, these virtues can be worn by us. Just like you can tell I m a Carolina Panthers fan today, my hope is that more importantly you can tell I m compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. If I m honest, there are days when you may not see these virtues in me. Days when I m tired, upset, when things aren t going my way or I just don t feel like being all virtuous. Usually, those are the days when I haven t been so close to God. I skipped a few days of Bible study. I ve been trying to do life my way. I ignore my need for God and His Word not good. We need God s Word. It has the power to transform our lives. So, I leave you with these questions and then some bonus work for you Bible study overachievers. What are you clothed in today? (And I don t mean the clothes on your back!)

4 How can you make sure you are clothed like Jesus? How can you be intentional about wearing and sharing the five virtues in our verse of the week? (be specific) BONUS: When writing today s Bible study, I used various resources: My Life Application Study Bible (the verses, explanations, references on the sides of the pages) Bible Gateway (biblegateway.com) Asbury Bible Commentary (which I found via Bible Gateway, along with other commentaries as well) Google- Yes, I love Google. Of course, when using Google, or any search engine, it s important that the source it leads you to is reliable, but it s so quick and helpful! A few things I Google searched while writing today s study that helped me today were: o What does it mean when you see therefore in scripture? o Compassion in the Bible o Patience in the Bible It was so helpful and led me to some great resources and information! Do a Google search of the five virtues in our verse of the week and see what you come up with. What were a few of your favorite verses these words led you to?

5 How does it affect the way you view these virtues when you see them in various places throughout the Bible? NOTES