Colossians 3:13 (KJV)

Passage

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Nearby Context

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

Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Colossians 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "forbearing", "another", "forgiving", "quarrel", "against", "even", and "christ". 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 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.