Colossians 3:13 (DBY)

Passage

forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any should have a complaint against any; even as the Christ has forgiven you, so also [do] *ye*.

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:11 wherein there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ [is] everything, and in all.

Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as [the] elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering;

Colossians 3:13 forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any should have a complaint against any; even as the Christ has forgiven you, so also [do] *ye*.

Colossians 3:14 And to all these [add] love, which is the bond of perfectness.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "forbearing", "another", "forgiving", "should", "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 the elect of..." into verse 14's "And to all these add love which...", 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.