🌟WEB · Colossians 3:10
What does Colossians 3:10 mean?
"and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator,"
— Colossians 3:10 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
You also once walked in those, when you lived in them;
but now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth.
Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings,
and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator,
where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;
bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
Explanation
Colossians 3:10 says that believers have "put on the new man"—a new self, a new identity—which is continually being renewed in knowledge according to the image of God, the one who created it. In plain language, this means that when someone becomes a follower of Christ, they exchange their old way of living and thinking for a new one, and this new self is not static but is in an ongoing process of transformation, growing in understanding and being reshaped to reflect the character of God.
This verse comes from Paul's letter to the Colossians, written to a church in the Lycus Valley of Asia Minor that Paul had not personally founded (it was likely established by Epaphras, Paul's coworker). Paul wrote to combat false teaching that was creeping into the church—ideas that blended Jewish legalism, mystical philosophy, and asceticism, threatening to diminish the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ. In chapter 3, Paul pivots from doctrine to practical living, urging believers to set their minds on things above and to actively put to death sinful practices (verses 5-9) because they have taken off the "old man" with its deeds. Verse 10 completes that thought: having discarded the old self, they have put on the new self.
Theologically, this verse teaches several important truths. First, becoming a Christian involves a definitive change of identity—the "old man" (the person defined by sin and separation from God) is put off, and a "new man" is put on. This echoes the language of baptism and conversion found elsewhere in Paul's letters (Romans 6, Ephesians 4). Second, this new
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.