EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Colossians 3:2
2So think about the good things that are there in heaven above. Do not think only about things that are on the earth.
Colossians 3:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
- New International Version (NIV)Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
Context of Colossians 3:2
1God has raised you with Christ to a new life. So you should want more and more the things that belong to heaven. That is where Christ is now. He sits there at God's right side. So think about the good things that are there in heaven above. Do not think only about things that are on the earth. 3Remember that your old nature has died. God is keeping your new life safe with Christ. 4You have that new life because you belong to Christ. One day, Christ will show himself clearly to everyone. Then everyone will see that you are with him. They will see that you also are great, like he is.
Read all of Colossians 3Colossians 3:2 word by word
τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖτε μὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Colossians 3:2
- Colossians 3:1God has raised you with Christ to a new life. So you should want more and more the things that belong to heaven. That is where Christ is now. He sits there at God's right side.
- 1 Chronicles 22:19So you must serve the Lord your God with all that you are. Start the work! Begin to build the Lord God's holy place. Then you can put the Lord's Covenant Box there, as well as the other holy things. You will put them in the temple that you have built to give honour to the Lord's name.’
- 1 Chronicles 29:3I want very much to build a beautiful temple for my God. So I have added my own gold and silver to help to build it. I have added that to the other things that I have provided for God's holy temple.
- Psalms 62:10Do not cheat people, or rob them to get money! That will not give you anything that you can trust to help you. Even if you become very rich, do not think it is important.
- Psalms 91:14The Lord says, ‘If someone loves me, I will keep him safe. Because he worships me, I will protect him.
- Psalms 119:36Help me to love your rules. That is better for me than riches.
- Proverbs 23:5Your money can disappear very quickly. It may seem to grow wings and then fly far away like an eagle.
- Ecclesiastes 7:14If your life is good, you should be happy. But if you have trouble, think about this: God causes both joy and trouble in our lives. We do not know what will happen next.
- Matthew 16:23Jesus turned round and said to Peter, ‘Satan, go away from me! I must obey God. But you are trying to stop me. Your thoughts do not come from God. Instead, you are thinking like men think.’
- Romans 8:4God did this so that we could become right with him. God's Law showed us how to be right with him. And now we can be right with God, if we live with God's Spirit as our guide. We do not do what our weak human thoughts want us to do.
- Philippians 1:23Both of them seem very good to me. I want to leave this world so that I can be with Christ. That is a much better thing.
- 1 John 2:15Do not live like people who do not know God. Do not love the wrong things that belong to this world. If anyone loves those things, it shows that they do not love God, their Father.
- Colossians 3:5Your old nature likes to do bad things that belong to this earth. But your old nature is dead, so do not do these bad things any more. Do not have sex with someone that you are not married to. Do not think bad, disgusting thoughts. Do not want to have sex in a wrong way. Do not want to do any kinds of bad things. Do not want to have many things for yourselves. That shows that you worship those things as your idol.
- Psalms 49:11Their graves will be their homes for ever. They had their own land, which was called by their name,
- Matthew 6:19Do not want to have many valuable things here in the world. Insects or water can destroy those kinds of things. Or people may come into your house and they can rob you of those things.
- Luke 12:15Then he said to all the people, ‘Be very careful! Do not want more things than you really need. A person's life is worth more than the things that he has, even if he is very rich.’
Commentaries on Colossians 3:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Set your affection on things above - · Love heavenly things; study them; let your hearts be entirely engrossed by them. Now, that ye are converted to God, act in reference to heavenly things as ye did formerly in reference to those of earth; and vice versa. This is a very good general rule: "Be as much in earnest for heavenly and eternal things, as ye formerly were for those that are earthly and perishing."Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Set your affection - Margin, “or mind.” Greek” think of” - ͂ phroneiteThe thoughts should be occupied about the things where Christ now dwells, where our final home is to be, where our great interests are. Since we are raised from the death of sin, and are made to live anew, the great object of our contemplation should be the heavenly world. Not on things on the earth - Wealth, honor, pleasure. Our affections should not be fixed on houses and lands; on…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-11Paul calls on the Colossians to adopt a new mindset that leads to a different way of living.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Translate, "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things," &c. (Col 2:20). Contrast "who mind earthly things" (Php 3:19). Whatever we make an idol of, will either be a cross to us if we be believers, or a curse to us if unbelievers.Read the comment
Topics related to Colossians 3:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Colossians 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
EasyEnglish Bible 2018 — Copyright © MissionAssist 2018
Commentaries