Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Colossians Chapter 3
Metaphysically Interpreting Colossians 3:1-17
3:1If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. 3:2Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. 3:3For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 3:4When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory.
3:5Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; 3:6for which things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience: 3:7wherein ye also once walked, when ye lived in these things; 3:8but now do ye also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth:3:9lie not one to another; seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings, 3:10and have put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him: 3:11where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.
3:12Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; 3:13forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 3:14and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. 3:15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. 3:17And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
June 2, 1935: Colossians 3:15-17
Explain how we learn to recognize the Spirit of truth as indwelling. Through meditating on the Spirit of truth, believing in it as the fundamental reality of our being, expecting its guidance, directing toward it the desire of our heart, and focusing our thoughts upon it, we learn to recognize it as indwelling.
Do praise and rejoicing help to make one conscious of the Spirit of truth? Both these acts exalt the mind and heart, and exaltation puts one in touch with the Spirit of truth.
How do we come to know God, the good? This knowledge comes as we learn to express active goodness. Praise, thanksgiving, loving-kindness, and faithfulness, each in degree reveals God to us as we give it active expression.
Do forms, ceremonies, or special localities have power to make God known to us? These things are unknown in the realm of Spirit. Satisfaction is found by the Christ-minded in the formless life and substance.
Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Salvation is from the Jews.” Interpret this, statement. The Jews represent spiritual understanding, inspiration; the Gentiles, material understanding. Salvation comes only through spiritual inspiration.
What is communion with God? To commune with God is to have a consciousness of the Holy One and of oneself as a part of the universal unity.
Is communion with God an active or a passive relation? In communion with God man’s mind and heart are active. Divine Mind is a living principle, and its works are positive and constructive.
Is man presumptuous in claiming divine wisdom? Claiming divine wisdom is simple obedience to the divine law. “If any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
Does our word commit us as definitely as our deed? Our spoken word is as clear as expression of ourselves as our deeds. “Whatsoever ye do in word or in deed” puts both in the class of acts of will.
Sunday, November 7, 1937: Colossians 3:1-17
What is the main thought brought out in this lesson? The main thought is that entering into the Christ consciousness means rising to a higher level of thought, feeling, and action than one has known before.
How does one set the mind on “the things that are above”? Denial and affirmation help one to set or fix the mind steadily on things that are above the level of what has previously held one's interest and attention.
Explain verse 3, “For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” When we awake to new life in Christ, we die to the old life of the flesh consciousness. The new life is as yet unmanifested, being merely a mental conception of what is possible for us. It is “hid with Christ in God,” the universal understanding or light.
Does individuality survive the death of the natural consciousness? Individuality is preserved, and when the Christ life becomes manifest in us, we manifest all individual traits also. “When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory.”
How are undesirable habits of thought and conduct “put off” and other habits “put on”? By dropping undesirable habits from mind as completely as though they had never been, and supplanting them with desirable habits, we put off the one and put on the other. To “put on the new man” is to be reborn into the consciousness of spiritual values.
Are these changes superficial, having to do only with the consciousness of externals? The manner of expressing these changes is superficial, but the changes themselves are basic, reaching to the foundations of the thought life and affecting the whole subsequent history of the individual.
How is the universal nature of the Christ mind described? It is described as a mind “where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.”
In what sense is the word “let” [added?] in verses 15 and 16? The peace of Christ and the word of Christ are universal in scope and can be made manifest by anyone at will. We let or allow them to become manifested, claiming them and realizing that we are now immersed in the universal mind and are giving expression to it in and through ourselves.
December 6, 1942: Colossians 3:1-17
What are the things that are above? Whatever uplifts mind, body, or soul belongs to the things that are above.
How are the higher things attained? By dropping lower thoughts and impulses and holding the higher in mind, we make a beginning toward a permanent habit of high-mindedness.
How is the mind “set” on any chosen subject or thing? Either through zeal, that is, involuntary intensity of feeling on the subject on which it is desired to fix the thoughts, or by an act of will in keeping to the chosen subject.
How is Christ “our life”? The Christ is the vital spirit that gives meaning to life and raises it above the level of the flesh or animal consciousness. This is the only satisfying level on which to live, therefore the Christ is our life, the life that is life indeed.
“Ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” How is this to be understood? We “die” to the flesh when we turn toward the things of the mind and heart and make them our conscious goal. The flesh consciousness dies out of us or we “die” to it, since we cannot be in both states at one and the same time.
How can we be manifested with Christ in glory? As we express what is Christ-like in our life, the Christ is manifested in us, and our life expresses its glory.
What is meant by putting “to death” such undesirables as anger, wrath, malice, failing, shameful speaking? By putting these things out of mind and steadily refusing to give them room in the thoughts or to express them, they die out of the consciousness and disappear from the life. This is best accomplished by keeping in mind the opposites of the traits that we wish to let die.
Where is Christ “all, and in all”? In the mind and soul of the “new man” who has been transformed by ideal goals created by compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and other Godlike qualities of Truth.
Is it possible to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” regardless of external conditions? It is. By staying the mind on God and the things that are above and by expressing only what is in the mind, we can be at peace regardless of conditions or circumstances. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.”
March 28, 1948: Colossians 3:1-4
What serves as proof that a person has risen to Christ consciousness? His life is in conformity with the Christ ideal; he seeks “the things that are above, where Christ is.” The Christ mind elevates all the thoughts. If we are in the Christ consciousness, we share this elevation and our words reveal it.
Is it possible to know a truth without applying it in our daily life? Quite possible. Such knowledge however is only an academic knowledge, the heart being left unawakened. To be “where Christ is” is to be one with Christ and therefore to be about the Father's business.
In what sense is Christ “our life”? When our thought is centered in compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, long-suffering, forbearance, forgiveness, love, peace, gratitude, then Christ is our life, for the qualities of Christ-likeness have free play in us.
March 28, 1948: Colossians 3:12-17
What law operates to free us from sense consciousness? “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” This law sets us “free from the law of sin and of death.”
What is the peace of Christ? It is a state of detachment from self and devotion to the common good.
Does this state rule out anxiety and other negative thoughts? It does, by giving the mind something constructive on which to think and by showing the nothingness of negative thinking.
What helps us demonstrate the Christ in our daily life? The word of Christ or true word, a cheerful outlook on life and a habit of expressing that cheerfulness, the resolve to think, speak, and act only from the ideal conception of life, a thankful heart, gratitude rather than complaint and faultfinding. These all help us to “put on the new man,” thus demonstrating the Christ in our daily life.
November 19, 1950: Colossians 3:16
How does “the word of Christ dwell” in anyone? The “word of Christ” is the Truth, the perfect expression of God, Divine Mind. Truth is the standard by which we are to gauge our every thought, word, and deed. As we fill our thoughts with what is true, charitable, constructive, and uplifting, our silent influence tips the scale on the side of goodness and tightness. When our thoughts are in accord with Truth, our words and deeds must necessarily be also in accord with Truth.
Metaphysically Interpreting Colossians 3:18-25
3:18Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 3:19Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
3:20Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord. 3:21Fathers, provoke not your children, that they be not discouraged. 3:22Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord: 3:23whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; 3:24knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ. 3:25For he that doeth wrong shall receive again for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-16-2014
