John Calvin Commentary Colossians 3

To those fruitless exercises which the false apostles urged, as if perfection consisted in them, he opposes those true exercises in which it is fitting for Christians to engage; and this has no slight bearing upon the matter at hand, for when we see what God would have us do, we then easily despise human inventions.

When we also perceive that what God recommends to us is much more lofty and excellent than what men inculcate, our eagerness of mind to follow God increases, so that we disregard men. Paul here exhorts the Colossians to meditate on the heavenly life. And what about his opponents?

They wished to retain their childish rudiments. This doctrine, therefore, causes the ceremonies to be held in less esteem. Thus, it is clear that Paul, in this passage, exhorts in such a manner as to confirm the foregoing doctrine, for in describing solid piety and holiness of life, his aim is for those vain shows of human traditions to vanish.

At the same time, he anticipates an objection with which the false apostles might assail him. What then? "Would you rather have men be idle than devote themselves to such exercises, whatever kind they may be?" When, therefore, he instructs Christians to engage in far superior exercises, he removes any grounds for this calumny. Furthermore, he casts significant odium upon them because they hinder the proper course of the godly with worthless diversions.

If you are risen with Christ. Ascension follows resurrection; hence, if we are members of Christ, we must ascend into heaven, because He, on being raised from the dead, was received up into heaven (Mark 16:19), so that He might draw us up with Him. Now, we seek those things which are above when, in our minds, we are truly sojourners in this world and are not bound to it.

The word translated think upon expresses rather diligence and intensity of aim: "Let your whole meditation be on this: to this apply your intellect—to this your mind." But if we ought to think of nothing but what is heavenly, because Christ is in heaven, how much less fitting would it be to seek Christ on earth. Let us therefore remember that that is a true and holy thinking about Christ which immediately bears us up into heaven, so that we may adore Him there, and that our minds may dwell with Him.

Regarding the right hand of God, it is not confined to heaven but fills the whole world. Paul has mentioned it here to intimate that Christ encompasses us by His power, so that we may not think that distance of place is a cause of separation between us and Him, and that, at the same time, His majesty may inspire us to revere Him completely.

Not the things that are on earth. He does not mean, as he does a little afterwards, depraved appetites, which reign in earthly people, nor even riches, or fields, or houses, nor any other things of the present life, which we must use, as though we did not use them (1 Corinthians 7:30–31).

Instead, he is still continuing his discussion concerning ceremonies, which he describes as entanglements that constrain us to crawl on the ground. “Christ,” he says, “calls us upward to Himself, while these draw us downward.”

For this is the conclusion and explanation of what he had previously mentioned concerning the abolition of ceremonies through the death of Christ. “The ceremonies are dead to you through the death of Christ, and you to them, so that, being raised up to heaven with Christ, you may think only of those things that are above. Therefore, leave earthly things behind.”

I will not contend with others who hold a different view; but certainly, the Apostle appears to me to proceed step by step. Initially, he places traditions concerning trivial matters in contrast with meditation on the heavenly life, and afterwards, as we will see, he goes a step further.

For you are dead. No one can rise again with Christ if he has not first died with him. Therefore, he draws an argument from rising again to dying, as from a consequent to an antecedent, meaning that we must be dead to the world so that we may live to Christ.

Why has he taught that we must seek those things that are above? It is because the life of the pious is above. Why does he now teach that the things on earth are to be forsaken? Because they are dead to the world. “Death goes before that resurrection of which I have spoken. Therefore, both of them must be seen in you.”

It is worth observing that our life is said to be hid, so that we may not murmur or complain if our life, being buried under the ignominy of the cross and under various distresses, is no different from death, but may patiently wait for the day of revelation. And so that our waiting may not be painful, let us observe those expressions, in God and with Christ, which indicate that our life is secure, although it does not appear.

For, in the first place, God is faithful and therefore will not deny what has been committed to him (2 Timothy 1:12), nor deceive in the guardianship which he has undertaken; and, secondly, the fellowship of Christ brings still greater security. For what is more to be desired by us than this—that our life remain with the very fountain of life? Therefore, there is no reason why we should be alarmed if, on looking around on every side, we nowhere see life.

For we are saved by hope. But those things which are already seen with our eyes are not hoped for (Romans 8:24).

Nor does he teach that our life is hidden merely in the world's view, but even from our own perspective. This is because the true and necessary trial of our hope is that, being as if surrounded by death, we may seek life somewhere other than in the world.

But when Christ, our life, shall appear. Here we have an excellent consolation—that the coming of Christ will be the manifestation of our life. And, at the same time, he admonishes us how unreasonable the disposition of anyone would be who refuses to persevere until that day. For if our life is hidden in Christ, it must be hid, until he shall appear.

Mortify therefore. Until now he has been speaking of contempt of the world. He now proceeds further, and enters upon a higher philosophy, concerning the mortification of the flesh. So that this may be better understood, let us note that there is a twofold mortification. The former relates to those things that are around us.

He has discussed this until now. The other is inward — that of the understanding and will, and of the whole of our corrupt nature. He mentions certain vices which he calls, not with strict accuracy, but at the same time elegantly, members. For he conceives of our nature as being, as it were, a mass made up of different vices.

They are, therefore, our members, since they in a manner stick close to us. He also calls them earthly, alluding to what he had said — not the things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2), but in a different sense. I have admonished you that earthly things are to be disregarded; you must, however, make it your aim to mortify those vices which detain you on the earth. He intimates, however, that we are earthly as long as the vices of our flesh are vigorous in us, and that we are made heavenly by the renewing of the Spirit.

After fornication he adds uncleanness, by which term he expresses all kinds of wantonness, by which lascivious persons pollute themselves. To these is added πάθος, that is, lust, which includes all the allurements of unhallowed desire. This term, it is true, denotes mental perturbations of other kinds, and disorderly motions contrary to reason; but lust is not an unsuitable rendering of this passage. As to the reason why covetousness is here spoken of as a worshipping of images, consult the Epistle to the Ephesians, that I may not say the same thing twice.