Chapter
1 2 3 4
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Colossians 3:15
ESV And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
NIV Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
NASB Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.
CSB And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful.
NLT And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
KJV And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
NKJV And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

What does Colossians 3:15 mean?

In verses 12 through 14, Paul has given eight positive traits which Christians are to emulate. Here, he adds two additional ideals for believers to pursue.

First, he calls believers to live in peace. Peace, part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), is noted in this letter as coming from God our Father (Colossians 1:2). We receive peace with God through the blood of the cross (Colossians 1:20). It is to "rule" in our hearts, meaning it should be in charge of how we live. Believers are not called to live in violence or squabbles among each other, but in peace.

It's important to remember the context of this statement. Paul is not referring to peace in the sense of "happy feelings." In prior verses, he was discussing the need for Christians to tolerate, love, and support each other. In this verse, after mentioning peace, Paul again speaks of the unity Christians have. With Christ as the head, we are all part of a spiritual "body," which is the church. Peace within the body requires peace between its parts. Every group of believers will experience internal conflict at times, but seeking peace will help us resolve issues in the context of Christian love.

The second trait Paul mentions in this verse is simple: an attitude of thanksgiving. Paul mentions thanks multiple times in this letter, showing the importance of gratitude in the Christian life (Colossians 1:3; 2:7; 3:16–17; 4:2).
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