3:11 This verse was probably written with an eye to the exclusiveness of the Colossian false teachers. However, the cross-cultural unity of all those who belong to Christ is an idea that comes readily enough to Paul’s mind (Gal. 3:28; 1 Cor. 7:17–24).

barbarian. Those who did not speak Greek were considered uncivilized by Greeks.

Scythian. By reputation, an uncultured slave class drawn from tribes around the Black Sea. Scythians were lampooned in Greek comedy because of their uncouth ways and speech, and Josephus called them “little better than wild beasts.”

slave, free. In the body of Christ, distinctions of social position are irrelevant (1 Cor. 7:17–24). Simultaneously, as Paul’s separate instructions to slaves and slaveholders in 3:22–4:1 make clear, unity in Christ does not imply or mandate a uniformity of function or capacity. What is important is to recognize that “Christ is all, and in all.” In the Pauline churches, diverse social positions continued to exist and were not subject to a uniform leveling process. Rather, they become opportunities for expressing Christ’s love across traditional social boundaries.