Colossians 3:23 in Context
Colossians 3:23 read in its full chapter context. See the verses before and after, plus historical setting and flow of thought.
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;"
— Colossians 3:23 (KJV)
Where This Verse Sits
Colossians 3:23 appears in Colossians chapter 3, verse 23. Paul wrote Colossians around AD 60-62 from Roman imprisonment. Colossae was a small city in the Lycus Valley of Asia Minor. Many early Christians were slaves—Paul's instruction to work 'as to the Lord' elevated slave labor from degradation to divine service, a revolutionary concept in the ancient world where slaves had no status.
The Verse Itself
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;"
— Colossians 3:23 (KJV)
Flow of the Passage
To grasp Colossians 3:23 fully, read it inside the surrounding paragraph. The verses before set up the argument, and the verses after show its outworking. Colossians 3 as a whole carries forward the theme of work, and this single verse is one beat in that larger movement.
Paul instructs believers to work wholeheartedly, viewing their labor as service to Christ rather than merely pleasing human employers. This transforms ordinary work into worship.
Cross-References
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