Colossians Chapter 3 Verses 10-14 

Col. 3:10 “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” 

“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” From this verse we gather that the “new man” is a created being.  This is consistent with what we read in Eph. 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”  Christ is the creator as we read in Rev. 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”  One of the things we read about in the covenant of redemption in Rom. 8:29, 30 is that we are “predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son.”  In the spiritual birth we are conformed to the image of His Son in the inner man.  In the resurrection we will be conformed to the image of his Son in the outer man.   

Again the analogy of a man taking off dirty garments and putting on clean garments is presented here.  We are to put on the new man in the sense that we are to conform our lives to the teaching of God’s word.   

“Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”  God’s elect are not denominated by natural origin or position.  Christ is all and in all.  We are not denominated by man made criteria.   

“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”  As Paul admonishes the brethren and sisters of the church at Colosse he gives three statements concerning the people: 

1.  They are the elect of God.  As Eph. 1:4 reads: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” Thus, this is one of the reasons that they should put on the characteristics that he lists in the passage. 

2.  They are holy.  The word, holy, means to be separate.  This holiness is the result of God having separated them in election and then separating them in the new birth.  Also, they are holy in the respect that they separated themselves by uniting with the Lord’s visible church on earth. 

3.  They are beloved.  God loved them before they were ever born.  He loved them from the time he chose them.  Moreover, they cannot be separated from the love of God as taught in Romans chapter 8.   

Next, Paul list eight things that they and we should put on:

          1.  We are to put on bowels of mercies.  The word bowels refers to inward affections.  Thus we should have inward affections of mercy towards the plight and circumstances of others.

          2.  We are to put on kindness.  Kindness refers to being kind.  We are to show consideration and helpfulness to the needs of others.

          3.  We are to put on humbleness of mind.  I suppose Phil. 2:3-8 teaches us this lessons about as well as we can find anywhere:  3 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  Thus we are to make ourselves of no reputation, we are to consider ourselves servants and we are to be obedient and present ourselves a living sacrifice. 

          4.  We are to put on meekness.  Meekness can be defined as gentleness towards others.  It rules out railing and bullying and acting high minded and being arrogant.

          5.  We are to put on longsuffering.  This teaches us to be patient towards others and towards adverse circumstances in our lives.

          6.  We are to put on forbearance.  This teaches us that we ought to put up with and endure the actions of others.

          7.  We are to be forgiving.  Paul gives us the example of how we are to forgive others:  “even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”  Christ forgave us unconditionally and when we were totally unworthy of forgiveness. 

          8.  Finally we are to put on “charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”  Charity is love manifest.  John 15:13 tells us to which we are to strive: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”