Colossians 3:11

What Does Colossians 3:11 Mean?

The Scythians Paul mentions were considered the wildest, most uncivilized people of the ancient world – yet Paul includes them in the family! This verse is saying that in God’s community, the most extreme divisions you can imagine simply don’t separate people anymore. What unites believers is bigger than any difference: Christ Himself is the center, and He fills every member. When Christ is “all and in all,” there’s no room for superiority or exclusion.

Hero Challenge

Think about a group of people your community sometimes looks down on or doesn’t fully include. Write a short prayer for that group this week, asking God to help you see them the way He does – as people in whom Christ can dwell fully, just like in you.

Did You Know?

The Scythians were nomadic warriors from the region north of the Black Sea – considered so fierce and unpredictable that even the Roman army was wary of them. By including Scythians in his list, Paul was making the boldest possible statement: there is no one too wild, too different, or too far outside the group to be included in Christ. No one is beyond His reach.

Ages 4-6: Little Hero Question

Can you think of someone who seems very different from you? Did you know that God loves them just as much as He loves you?

Ages 7-9: Growing Hero Question

Paul says “Christ is all, and in all.” What do you think it means for Christ to be “in” another person?

Ages 10-13: Champion Question

Paul’s list of divisions – Greek, Jew, slave, free – were the most serious divisions of his day. What divisions exist in your world today, and how does this verse speak to them?