Paul the apostle wrote to
the Colossian church concerning putting off their “old man”
or “old way of living” and putting on the “new man”
which followed the ways of Jesus Christ. Their lives were different
now as they believed in Jesus, and they should reflect Him in their
actions, activities and attitudes. In chapter three and verse eleven
of his letter, Paul lets the Colossians know there is not a national,
social or positional difference between those who have received Jesus
as their Lord and Savior. We read:
Where
there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,
The verse begins,
“Where
there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,...”
As
Paul the apostle continued to instruct the Colossian church members
with the idea of disputing the position of the false teaching
Gnostics and Judaizers on his mind, he began to show the equality of
people once they have received Jesus Christ. As a reference to their
positions in Christ, he began, “Where
there is neither Greek”
which means “a
Greek either by nationality, whether a native of the main land or of
the Greek islands or colonies, and in
a wider sense the name embraces all nations not Jews that made the
language, customs, and learning of the Greeks their own; the primary
reference is to a difference of religion and worship”
“nor Jew”
or “those who belong to the Jewish nation, as respect to birth,
origin, and religion.” He added, “circumcision
nor uncircumcision”
or “those who had been circumcised and those who have not”. In
other words, as Christians, the Colossians who were “Greeks”
and were normally “uncircumcised”
were no different than the “Jews”
who usually were “circumcised”.
The verse goes on to
say, “Barbarian,
Scythian,”
Paul
continued his list with, “Barbarian”
which means “one
whose speech is rude, rough and harsh, one
who speaks a foreign or strange language which is not understood by
another. The term was used by the Greeks of any foreigner ignorant of
the Greek language, whether mental or moral, with the added notion
after the Persian war, of rudeness and brutality.” This term
implied and promoted a normal separation from this group in the past.
He added,
“Scythian”
which means “"rude or rough" and these people were
inhabitants of Scythia or modern day Russia. They were regarded as
the wildest of barbarians”. Still, when these
“Scythians”
came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, there was no
difference between them.
Finally
the verse reads, “bond
nor
free:
but Christ is
all,
and in all.” Paul
included the positions of people socially as he included “bond”
which means “a slave, bondman, man of servile condition, an
attendant or servant” “nor
free”
or a person who is “freeborn and not a slave, or who
ceases to be a slave, freed, manumitted, free, exempt, unrestrained,
and not bound by an obligation”. No matter whether a person was a
slave or not, whenever they accepted Jesus into their lives, there
was no difference between them, “but
Christ is all”
or “the same to each and every person” “and
in all”
which means “with, within, and by each and every person” who
receives Him.
As
we ponder Paul's words, perhaps we have been concerned between the
separation of people into different groups. Society tends to divide
people into different sections by nationality, economic status,
position in the workforce, race, ethnicity, culture and creed.
However, when we receive Jesus Christ, all the divisions fall away.
“Christ
is all, and in all”,
and those who know Him as Paul desired that we should, know when we
are “in Christ” and Christ is in us, there is to be no division
at all.
Next
time Paul tells the Colossians some specific things they should “put
on”,
so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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