Glory be to Jesus Christ!
🌞
The reading from the Apostle is preceded by the one I wrote about here:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/31102023.html
The immediate continuation of the reading from the Apostle is the one I wrote about here:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/01122023.html
Colossians III, 7 — 'ἐζῆτε ἐν τούτοις' - 'ezete en toutois' - 'lived in that'.
The apostle Paul twice lists the sinful passions as members on the earth, based on the earth
, as the literal translation sounds. For more on this understanding, see the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/21062023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/08072023.html
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/posts/
Colossians III, 10 — 'τὸν νέον τὸν ἀνακαινούμενον εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτόν' - 'ton neon ton anakinoumenon eis epignosin kat' eikona tou ktisantos auton' - 'new, renewing, changing into (as a destination of movement; also possible option - for) cognition according to the image of its Creator. The Apostle Paul speaks of the renewal of the human being in Christ. This is a very eloquent and profound image that is not paid much attention to. We need to remember that the Son of God is also called the Logos, the Hypostatic Wisdom of God, the Ratio, and is the Creator of the human being and the whole world together with the Father and the Spirit. Here, the proper, God-given state of the human being as a creation is the state of
coming to know, cognising. Let us recall, for example, that the book of Job ends with the Revelation of God, Job admits that
I have not known God before more intimately than now, i.e. he has
come to know God, the state of affairs, himself. This state of being is a godly state, intended by God for intelligent creatures. Similarly, the creation of the world through the Logos, the Hypostatic Wisdom, reveals God's design, and people should resemble the Creator in creating the world through wise creative life in accordance with God's will.
The image of the Creator refers to both God's intentions - the logoi of creation - and Christ Himself as
the image of the invisible God. The human being is not only called to become like Jesus Christ, but literally to
become the cognition of God through Christ. Since cognition is generally a phenomenon, a process, not a being, it is said to
put on the human, that is,
to become cognition in the image of the Creator (first of all, Jesus Christ, but also the Father and the Spirit - in a broader sense).
Paul goes on to emphasise that this design from God does not lead to division in humans, but to unity in Christ — not only within ourselves, but with other people, creatures and God.
For the readings from the Gospel, please refer to the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/10122023.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!