Colossians 3

¹ Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand.

² Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth,

³ because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God.

⁴ But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.

⁵ That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god;

⁶ all this is the sort of behaviour that makes God angry.

⁷ And it is the way in which you used to live when you were surrounded by people doing the same thing,

⁸ but now you, of all people, must give all these things up: getting angry, being bad-tempered, spitefulness, abusive language and dirty talk;

⁹ and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self,

¹⁰ and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator;

¹¹ and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ. he is everything and he is in everything

¹² You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience.

¹³ Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same.

¹⁴ Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love.

¹⁵ And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful.

¹⁶ Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God;

¹⁷ and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

¹⁸ Wives, give way to your husbands, as you should in the Lord.

¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and treat them with gentleness.

²⁰ Children, be obedient to your parents always, because that is what will please the Lord.

²¹ Parents, never drive your children to resentment or you will make them feel frustrated.

²² Slaves, be obedient to the men who are called your masters in this world; not only when you are under their eye, as if you had only to please men, but wholeheartedly, out of respect for the Master.

²³ Whatever your work is, put your heart into it as if it were for the Lord and not for men,

²⁴ knowing that the Lord will repay you by making you his heirs. It is Christ the Lord that you are serving;

²⁵ anyone who does wrong will be repaid in kind and he does not favour one person more than another.