Colossians 3:13 (DRB)

Passage

Bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another. Even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also.

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:11 Where there is neither Gentile nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free. But Christ is all and in all.

Colossians 3:12 Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience:

Colossians 3:13 Bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another. Even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also.

Colossians 3:14 But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body: and be ye thankful.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Put ye on therefore as the elect..." into verse 14's "But above all these things have charity...", so "bearing" 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 "bearing" and "another" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.