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These final verses in Colossians remind us that the Christian life is not meant to be lived in isolation. God gives us fellow believers to encourage us, strengthen our faith, and help us persevere in the work of the gospel. 

There’s literally no part of your life that the gospel doesn’t touch, no relationship that it doesn’t transform. Whether it’s with those inside the church or those outside the church, if you’re a Christian, that makes you a witness to the gospel’s transforming power in your life. We are all witnesses. God has saved you to be a faithful gospel witness to those around you.

What does it look like to live out our new identity in Christ? It looks like putting on the character of Christ and letting the peace of Christ rule our hearts. Because we've been loved by God, we are to put on love with one another in the local church, teaching one another the word of Christ through singing with gratitude to God. As those chosen by God, we are to put on our new life in Christ with thankful hearts. 

What does it look like to live like one who has been made new in Christ? It looks like putting to death our sinful desires and stripping off sinful speech. We are to put on the new man and put off the old man as we live out our new identity in Christ together as his church. 

In Colossians 3:1–4, Paul points us toward the hope of heaven and shows us how our union with Christ should shape the way we live today. Because we have been raised with Christ, are hidden with Christ in God, and will one day be glorified with Christ, we’re called to set our minds on things above. The Christian should live right now for heaven, where Christ is, because where Christ is, the Christian is, and one day you will be there with him forever.  

Where do we find true spiritual life? In Colossians 2:16–23, Paul exposes the danger of looking for spiritual growth in self-made religion and man-made rules. Instead, he calls us to hold fast to Christ, the only source of true spiritual life and growth. It’s only by tightening our grip on him that we grow with a growth that comes from God. 
In Colossians 2:6-15, Paul encourages the Colossians to keep their eyes on Jesus, warning them that everything else will just enslave them. We don’t need to look anywhere else to grow in Christ. If we already have Jesus, then we've got everything we could possibly need, because only Jesus can set us free from the power of death, sin, and the devil. Why would we ever turn our eyes off of him?
What is it that truly unites the church? In Colossians 1:24–2:5, Paul shows us that Christ’s people are called to labor—even suffer—to make Christ known, so that his church grows together in love and stands firm in the truth. As we fix our eyes on Christ, the one in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, we discover the hope of glory that binds us together. 
What does it mean to follow the real Jesus rather than a Jesus of our own making? In Colossians 1:15–23, Paul gives us a breathtaking portrait of the supremacy of Christ as the Lord over creation, the church, and our salvation. By beholding Christ’s supremacy over all things, we find all the motivation we need to hold onto Christ and to help us persevere to the very end. Why would you ever stop trusting in this Jesus? 

The Apostle Paul didn’t take God’s grace for granted. When he heard about the gospel bearing fruit in the lives of the Colossians, he was quick to thank God for it. They had a deep faith in Christ and a new love for all the saints that grew out of a hope God had secured for them in heaven. But the gospel didn’t stop with the Colossians. It spread throughout the whole world, bearing fruit and increasing wherever it went. This is the same gospel that continues to transform people today as we faithfully proclaim it to others. Thank God for his grace in the gospel! 

In these opening verses, the apostle Paul introduces himself to the Colossians. He asserts his authority as an apostle by the will of God and reminds the Colossians of their spiritual identity as saints and brothers and sisters in Christ. In doing so, he teaches us that it is the will of God that gathers the family of God around the grace of God. God’s grace to us in the gospel is the beginning, middle, and end of the Christian life.