Colossians 3:13 (ASV)

Passage

forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye:

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:11 where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.

Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as God`s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering;

Colossians 3:13 forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye:

Colossians 3:14 and above all these things [put on] love, which is the bond of perfectness.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "forbearing", "another", "forgiving", "each", "complaint", "against", and "even". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "forbearing" and "another", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Put on therefore as God s elect..." into verse 14's "and above all these things put on...", so "forbearing" and "another" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "forbearing" and "another" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.