Traditional Lens Commentary: Colossians 3:12-17

## Traditional Lens Reading of Colossians 3:12-17

### Tradition-Specific Interpretation

We read Colossians 3:12-17 as a call to live out the transformative power of the gospel in community. As those chosen by God, holy and beloved, we are to clothe ourselves with virtues that reflect the character of Christ, who is our life. This passage emphasizes the imperative of sanctification — the process by which we are made holy through the Holy Spirit — and the centrality of the peace and Word of Christ in ruling our hearts and minds. We understand this text as setting forth the communal aspects of the Christian life, grounded in the grace we have received through Jesus' substitutionary atonement.

### Key Language Decisions