The New Reality = Change: Old and New Contrasted in Colossians

Colossians Contrasts the Old and New in Christ

Easy Scripture Lookup at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search

Old (Before Christ)

New (Since Christ)

1:13  authority of darkness

1:13  kingdom of the Son–Love

1:21  estranged, hostile in mind,

doing evil deeds

1:22  reconciled, holy, blameless, irreproachable

1:23  living by faith

1:26  mystery hidden for ages and generations

1:26  the mystery now made open, manifest

 1:27 the mystery is Christ in you, the hope of glory

2:8  philosophy, empty deceit, human tradition, elemental spirits of the world

2:8  Christ

2:9 fulness of deity in a human body

2:10  fulness [of life (RSV)], completion (nothing missing)

2:11  [not circumcised] [living in the body of the flesh]

2:11  circumcised [in heart]; body of flesh put off

2:12  [dead] buried in baptism

2:12  raised from the dead

2:13 dead in trespasses and uncircumcision

2:13  alive with Christ, forgiven

2:14  a bond existed against us with legal demands

2:14  released from debt

2:15  [we lived defeated by] principalities and powers

2:15  principalities now disarmed; believers triumph over them

2:16-17 living in the shadows, where food, drink, festivals, new moon, and Sabbath observances judged essential

2:17 living in substance, which belongs to Christ

2:20 alive to the elemental spirits of the world and submission to regulations based on human commands and teachings

2:20 dead to those with Christ

3:1 not raised, subject to death

3:1 raised with Christ and seated at the right hand of God

3:2 minds set on things on earth

3:2 ability to set mind on things above

3:3 alive to self alone

3:3 dead to self and one’s life hidden with Christ in God

3:4 “with Christ” includes his future glory

3:5-9 walking and living in behaviors that require God’s wrath: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, lying

3:9, 12-23 have put off the old nature and put on the new; being renewed in knowledge after the image of God, practicing: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, love, peace, thanksgiving, and many more

3:11 divisions among classes of people

3:11 Christ all and in all—therefore, no classes and distinctions among people

3:25 living under the threat of punishment

3:24 living with knowledge of the future reward of inheritance

4:1-6 more new behaviors

Old vs New Scriptures

1. Given by Christ

shrunken cloth vs unshrunk: Mark 2:21

old wine/new wine: Mark 2:22

old wine/new wine: Matthew 9:17

taste of old wine/new wine: Luke 5:39

2. Given by Paul

law vs Spirit: Romans 7:6

leaven vs unleavened: 1 Corinthians 5:7

old vs new creation: 2 Corinthians 5:17

3. Given by the Writer to the Hebrews

old vs new covenants: Hebrews 8:6