Colossians 3:13 tells Christians to put up with one another and to forgive anyone who has a grievance against them, because Christ has already forgiven them. The verse is an instruction for daily life inside the church, grounded in what Jesus has done. It was written by the apostle Paul, traditionally regarded as the author of this letter, to the believers in Colossae, a city in what is now western Turkey.
Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
Colossians 3:13 (WEB)
What Colossians 3:13 Means
The verse begins with “bearing with one another,” a phrase that describes patient endurance. Paul is picturing people who live closely together and who will, from time to time, irritate, disappoint or hurt each other. Bearing with someone means choosing not to walk away from them each time they fail, and not to make every flaw a reason to withdraw.
The next phrase, “forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any,” is practical. Paul assumes that complaints will arise. He does not pretend that Christian community is free of friction. The instruction is to forgive when there is a real grievance, so forgiveness here is not a denial that someone was wronged. It is a decision to release the debt rather than hold it over the other person.
The verse closes with “even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.” This is the reason behind the command. Believers are not asked to forgive out of their own reserves of goodness. They are asked to pass on what they have already received. The verse does not promise that forgiveness will be easy, quick or immediately trusted, and it does not say that every wrong must be treated as harmless. It describes the posture the believer is to take.
The Context of Colossians 3:13
Colossians is a short letter addressed to a church that Paul had not personally founded, and it deals with false teaching and with the need for the believers to live out their new identity in Christ. Chapter 3 moves from the theme of having been raised with Christ to the question of how that new life looks in ordinary relationships, in the home, the workplace and the congregation.
Just before verse 13, Paul lists qualities that belong to God’s chosen people: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Verse 13 applies those qualities to the friction of community life. Just after it, Paul says that love is the bond that holds everything together and that the peace of Christ should rule in their hearts. Read this way, forgiveness is one of the ways love becomes concrete in a body of people who are still imperfect.
Key Phrases in Colossians 3:13
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
(WEB)
This verse repeats the pattern of forgiving because God has forgiven, linking kindness and tender-heartedness to the forgiveness that believers have received in Christ. Reading it alongside Colossians 3:13 shows that the command is not an isolated idea but a consistent theme in Paul’s teaching.
Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.
(WEB)
Here Peter asks how many times he must forgive, and Jesus answers with a number that signals limitless forgiveness. This passage shows that the forgiveness described in Colossians 3:13 is not meant to be rationed. It is a way of life that keeps going, shaped by the mercy that believers have received.
A Short Prayer From Colossians 3:13
Lord, you have forgiven me more than I can repay, and I thank you for patience that has not given up on me. Teach me to bear with the people around me, especially when they disappoint or hurt me. Where I am holding a grievance, loosen my grip and help me release it into your hands. Let the forgiveness I have received from Christ shape the way I speak and act toward others today. Amen.
