Colossian Church
As we continue our series on The Church, this morning we’re going to focus in on a specific one: The church in Colossae. So let’s turn now to Colossians 3. We’ll be looking at verses 12-14 this morning.
In this book, the apostle Paul is writing to the church due to some sort of false teaching going on in the church. He spends most of the book clearing up confusion about some of the trouble this has caused, and now, in the part of his letter we’re going to read this morning, we find him giving instruction and reminding the Colossians how they are to live their lives – and by extension, how we are to live as well. So, let’s read together:
Read Colossians 3:12-14.
As I read this passage, in preparing for today, I wanted to better understand what the immediate context was. I described a moment ago what the occasion was for his writing, but I think it also helps us to put this passage in context within the chapter, too.
With that in mind, I would draw your attention to the verses directly prior to today’s passage, which are telling Christians how not to live. Or, to use his language, what to “take off” or “put to death”. In this list he indicates that we should remove from ourselves “earthly things” such as sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, anger, obscene talk, and the like. Paul is telling the Colossians that these things are ungodly and do not reflect the image of God, which they are meant to mirror in and to this world. These are part of the “old self” and must be discarded.
But before he transitions to telling us what now we are to wear, he says something that I think we would do well to keep in mind, especially right now. In verse 11 he says, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, salve, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” Through this verse, we are reminded that the “dividing wall of hostility”, as Ephesians 2:14 calls it, has been torn down for those who are in Christ. It remains no more. There are no more separate camps that Christians can claim above that of being a follower of Christ.
If Paul was writing this today, one could imagine him saying something like: “there is no more black and white, Republican and Democrat, rich and poor, or even Arminian and Calvinist”. For, while these are labels which we recognize and understand, and between which there are even important differences, we also cling to none of these titles before clinging to the title of “Christian”. And when we meet together in the church, that is what we are: united by the most important thing we have in common: salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. And thus, like the Colossians, we are to set aside everything else that we would use to primarily identify ourselves, in order to identify ourselves as Sons and Daughters of the King.
What Do we Put On? How do we maintain this unity?
So that we may maintain this unity in Christ, like the Colossians, we must not only denounce those things that are wicked, or cause anger, and we must not only reject that which is divisive and builds walls between us, but we must also seek after that which is good! We must put on our “new clothing”. And that leads us back to verse 12.
At the beginning of this verse, and the beginning of the passage in view today, Paul roots our putting on of this new clothing in our election, along with describing the Colossians in some terms that would have sounded familiar, especially to the Jews in the audience. For reference, let’s look back at Exodus 19:5–6:
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” (ESV)
And also, Deuteronomy 10:15
“Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.” (ESV)
Do you hear the similarities between these verses and to Colossians 3:12? “Put on then, as God’s Chosen ones, holy and beloved…” That’s the language used in the New Testament. What’s the point I am making here? That here we see the church identified in similar, if not the same terms used for God’s people in the Old Testament. And as He does in the Old Testament, God tells us through His divine authorship of scripture – and in this case through Paul, specifically – that we are to take the fact that we – if we are Christians – are chosen, holy, and beloved – and to do something with it. Specifically, we are to clothe ourselves with the following virtues. What are these virtues?
Compassionate Hearts
First, we are to have compassionate hearts. In other words, we are to care for and sympathize with those who are struggling. We are to have hearts that are not cold or ambivalent to the woes of other people. We are not to be stoic and unfeeling, but we are to be people that care about the plight of our fellow man – and even more so for those within the church.
We saw this compassion expressed by Jesus in John 11, in the story of his friend Lazarus. Word had reached Jesus that Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, were asking for Him to come help their brother, who was very ill. When Jesus arrives, Lazarus had already died. And though the scriptures tell us that Jesus knew the whole purpose of the event was to show God’s power over death, and that soon Lazarus would be with them again, alive and well, He did not go about joyfully while Mary, Martha, and their servants wept. Nor did He dismiss their pain and sorrow, because He knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. No, instead of ignoring or refusing to enter into their pain, we see Jesus enter into that sorrow with them. He cried with them, he joined them in their sadness, and sympathized with his hurting friends, caring about their agony and grief.
That is what it means to have a compassionate heart. To enter into the pain of others, whether we can empathize or not simply because we are for them. To be willing to feel emotion about someone outside of ourselves.
Now, I want to be clear, there is no litmus test for this. Some of us will feel emotion to a greater degree than others. God has simply wired some people to be more emotional, and others to be less so. So, just because someone is not physically crying, doesn’t mean they don’t care about someone else’s situation. But if we find that, when we hear of tragedy and difficulty, especially in the lives of those we know and love, and particularly for those within our local church body, if we feel nothing, we should stop and ask ourselves whether we truly are living with a compassionate heart.
Kindness
Similar to compassion, we are told to put on kindness. Certainly, we could draw many parallels between these first two virtues, but let’s try and take kindness on its own. What does it mean to be kind? William Barclay says in his commentary on Colossians that (QUOTE) “the ancient writers defined chres-to-tes [the Greek word for kindness] as: the virtue of the man whose neighbor’s good is as dear to him as his own. [repeat] (END QUOTE)
I really like this definition of kindness, because I think it takes us beyond an outer façade of simply being nice or saying nice things. It is more than that – it is an attitude, a mindset, a state of being which doesn’t worry about “me”, but about you. It means I want what’s good for you as I want what’s good for myself. Kindness is greeting someone new in church, even though it’s less comfortable than greeting those you already know (and not being upset about it!). Being kind leads to taking time out of your day to check back in on someone who entrusted you with a prayer request earlier in the week, and seeing if there is anything they need.
I think what I am trying to emphasize here is that kindness is a mentality, an attitude – that often works itself out in actions, but it is not simply actions in themselves. And it means setting aside our “rights”, our “needs”, our “desires” in deference to those of someone else.
Humility
Next we come to humility. The Bible Dictionary I have gives the following, short definition for humility, which I think sums it up well, that QUOTE “the central thought is: freedom from pride.” END QUOTE. Humility says, in an argument, “They might be right, and I, wrong.” To have humility means we stop viewing everything from our own standpoint or believing that our point of view is necessarily the superior one. It is accepting that, despite all the knowledge one may have, there is still much one doesn’t know –about the people, things, and circumstances of this world, and about God – how and why He does the things He does.
To the Greek-speakers, reading this would have been challenging, as their society did not consider humility to be a virtue. To them it would have been a sign that you were weak. So, they may have had a hard time accepting this call. But as we all know, no matter what culture we are raised in, the call of Christ is a call to be something different than the world expects or desires of us. The call to follow Jesus is a call to put on these “new clothes” or virtues, and not to rejoice in our selves, our works, or our knowledge, but in that of The Lord.
I’ll be honest with you – I tend to struggle with this one. Perhaps because I felt rather maligned and pushed around growing up, now in my adulthood, I sometimes find myself desiring to be looked at as if I “know it all.” I like to have knowledge because it puffs me up, and makes me feel useful and desirable and helpful – all things I struggled to feel as a child.
The primary recipient of my lack of humility is undoubtedly my wife. This plays itself out in many ways, but one that comes to mind is when we’re driving somewhere. When I am the one behind the wheel, sometimes Kali will yell out “look out!” or “careful!” when she sees people braking in front of me, and is not sure if I realize it. In that moment, my lack of humility – or my pride – comes to bear, as I feel the anger rise up and want to lash out with something rude like, “I saw it, Gosh!” or “Do want to drive?” Instead of admitting that perhaps I didn’t see, or even thanking her for helping to keep us safe, I lash out, because I don’t like to be thought of as an inept driver, or I want to be considered someone who doesn’t need anyone’s help. But the truth is, I need more humility in those moment. And humility would be, whether I saw the brake lights in front of me or not – believing that she is not commenting on my driving abilities, but, like I said before, simply trying to ensure the safety of our family and our car. Humility would be believing that she does not have bad motives for trying to assist me, but good motives – that she loves and wants to help me to be safe, along with our whole family!
Meekness
Next up is meekness, or as the NIV translates it, gentleness. The definition I like for this term is from Barclay once again, who captures the essence of meekness, when he says that one who is meek, is someone whose self-control finds its root in an understanding that he or she is really God-controlled, and so is everything around them [repeat]. And if everything is controlled by God, and all things happen because of God’s ordaining that they would, there is no reason to be harsh or angry in most situations.
Jesus is once again our prime example here. When faced with the slaps and insults of the pharisees, just prior to his execution, Jesus did not react by calling hellfire to reign down upon them – though He could have. Jesus did not spew hatred and insults back at them, though He undoubtedly could have come up with many examples of their hypocrisy and cruelty in that moment. No, instead, because He knew God was fully in control, and because He had resigned Himself to God’s plan, He endured the insults and pain, in a display of true meekness and gentleness.
Does this mean we are to take insults and pain inflicted by others? Let me let that question hang there for a minute? Does being meek and gentle mean we are to take the insults and pain inflicted on us by others? … … I think our American-style of rugged individualism would say “No! You’re not meant to take insults! Stand up for yourself! There’s nothing wrong with that!” But maybe we are meant to endure insults, at times. Maybe we are meant to face pain and persecution, at least in some forms, without retaliation, and in particular when it is for the sake of the Gospel. Why? Because it makes us better than others? Because people may admire us for our strength? No. Because we are rooted in the sovereignty of God, and we know that He is in control, whatever may come. So we can face harshness and insult; we can accept the pain that comes from others – not because we enjoy it, but because we have hope beyond the words and actions of those around us. And ultimately, we know we are all under his control and reign.
No, let me make one caveat here. If there is abuse in your life from your spouse, boyfriend, a relative, I am not saying “roll over and take it”. Absolutely not. If you are experiencing abuse, be it physical, emotional, sexual, or even spiritual – please come speak with me, or Pastor John, or a trusted friend, and to the authorities where necessary. What I am talking about primarily here is insult or injury being endured for the name and sake of Christ, and his Kingdom, and that does not include these forms of personal abuse.
Patience
The last of the five virtues we are told to wear is “Patience”. Because we are chosen, holy, beloved children of God, we are to put on patience. This is another of the virtues that I know I struggle with, because patience, like all of the virtues before, requires placing someone or something else ahead of our desires. And that’s difficult! Because when I’m ready for something to happen, I am ready for it to happen. “I prepared, I did my part, now I am here and I am ready to go! So what’s the hold up?”
And while it would be easy to blame our society for our impatience – and while I don’t deny that our world’s love of “instant-everything” (from same-day shipping on Amazon, to checking out at Sam’s club on your phone to skip the line) our society certainly hasn’t helped, but I think it’s always been a problem…because we’re sinful human beings. Why else would Paul have had to encourage the Colossians to be patient, if they already were a patient people naturally? And they didn’t have all of the time-saving gizmos and organization we have today…yet, still they struggled with patience. No, no matter what circumstances we live in, I think it is fair to say, we all struggle to have patience. Patience with each other, and patience with God.
What it comes down to, once more, is whether we trust God here. I’m not saying that your husband’s refusal to be ready on time to leave for church on Sunday morning means you just need to be more patient. But, capturing the essence of humility and kindness, perhaps we can put the needs and desires of others ahead of ourselves. Perhaps we can slow down a bit, and make sure we leave time in our schedules to be patient with one another. Instead of things always needing to according to schedule, perhaps we recognize that this world is fallen, and that things often do not go according to schedule, or when they do – it might be someone else’s schedule they fit into, and not ours. And when that happens, instead of getting upset and angry, we have grace and love for the other person.
As a quick aside: If you’d like some training in patience, I would encourage you to have children… or maybe borrow someone’s children for a couple of days. Children don’t really have much of a concept of time, and even less a “schedule”, and they definitely know how to test your patience! But they are also wonderful gifts from God, don’t get me wrong! I just think God uses wonderful gifts to also help us grow.
Bearing with One Another and Forgiveness
Coming back to the text, and moving into verse 13, Paul continues his exhortation by telling us to “bear with one another”. This is a phrase with a similar meaning to “patience” but might be better thought of as an elaboration of the term, encouraging us to endure in our patience, or to express tolerance with one another. And this endurance or tolerance is not meant to suggest that we should tolerate unbiblical theology or false teaching (as Paul clearly argues against that earlier in the letter), but rather to continue to put up with – even love – others in the church when they fail to act as may be expected.
In a way, perhaps we can liken this back to having kids. We have patience with them, not just for a few moments, or occasionally, but for the long term. And over time, as we bear with them and love them when they are less mature, we will hopefully have the opportunity to walk with them in greater maturity later in life. The same could be said of a Christian – we are all new or “baby” Christians at some point, and as babies, we make mistakes, and don’t understand things that we later will. But that’s totally alright! We all have to start somewhere, and as with anything we take on, we grow in our understanding over time! We all have others in the church that are bearing with us in one way or another, as we could continue to mature in our faith. Cause the reality is, none of us are “fully mature” until we are with Christ in heaven, so we’re all somewhere on this path of growth, until we see Him face to face.
But, that said, sometimes, even though we are seeking to bear with one another and to endure well with our brothers and sister in the church, we still get offended. Sometimes people even hurt us – unintentionally or on purpose. Sometimes Christians – and non-Christians – step on each other’s toes. So, what then?
Well, Paul anticipates this as well. His words here are: “if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; As the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive.” This sounds a lot like Matthew 6:14-15, where Jesus has just taught His disciples how to pray and then goes on to say that we should forgive others. But Jesus adds one additional, important note in John 6: that if we do not forgive the sins of others, that our Father will not forgive us (Matt 6:15). So, we should remember that the command to forgive is a crucial part of the Christian life. So much so, that if we are unwilling to forgive someone else of their sin against us, we should be concerned about whether or not we are truly forgiven.
Put another way, if I say that I am unwilling to forgive someone else, perhaps I don’t truly know the forgiveness of God through Jesus. Because I have caused great offense to God with my sin – offense that is deserving of death and the fires of Hell. Yet the perfect, holy God in heaven has offered me forgiveness. More than that, He has paid the penalty for my offense, and taken away my sin – removing it from me as far as the east is from the west, according to Psalm 103, verse 12. If a perfect, holy God can do that for me, and still bear to look at me in spite of all the wickedness in my life, then surely I can forgive my brothers and sisters who offend me here on earth.
But let’s be honest here – forgiveness can be hard. Some of us have deep wounds from people we thought loved us and were on our side. Some of us carry the scars to this day of people who callously used us or insulted us at a time when we were most vulnerable. Should we forgive those people? Can we forgive those people? The answer is: yes. You’ll notice that Paul does not focus in on the offender here, but the offended. Thus, we must begin by examining ourselves, and not simply pointing the finger at others. That’s not to say there aren’t real offenders out there, or that justice should be overlooked. But we need to look at our own hearts, and we are called to forgive those who have sinned against us, and not just those who ask for forgiveness. And God will use our willingness to forgive both for our spiritual good, and to show the world how He will forgive them.
Put on Love
Last, Paul tells us to put on love. He says, “Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” How important is love? What is the essence of this love? For that, let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 13:1–7…
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
So, as you can see, all of the virtues we are exhorted to put on – compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience – along with bearing with one another and forgiveness – are all bound up – are all united in this idea of “love.” If we love others – if we truly have love for other people – a love given to us by God, and understood properly through the lens of His love for us – we will have all of these virtues. We will have compassion, we will have kindness, we will have humility, and so forth. For all of these flow from love – love of God, and love of others ahead of ourselves. Love unites all of these virtues.
I like what John MacArthur says, he calls love “the adhesive of the church”. And as we think about loving one another, we are forced to consider our fellowship. For, we can only love others, if we have others around us to love. So, we must be in followship with others to express love, and the virtues flowing from love, because all of these virtues are focused on our relationships to each other. They are focused on our interaction with others; on our interpersonal relationships. And as Paul is writing to the church in Colossae, He is writing to a people: the church. John Stott says in his commentary QUOTE “True Christian love does not seek its own, least of all a more heavenly fellowship of the like-minded, but must give itself in humility to the very heterogenous fellowship of believers, of all shapes and sizes, whom Christ ha[s] called his own.” END QUOTE For there is love that we experience in the midst of the diversity of our church, which shows the world that love for Christ can unite people who they’d otherwise expect to be divided – like the list of folks we started with: black and white, democrat and republican, rich and poor, Arminian and Calvinist. Love for God, and by extension love for one another, unites us in unexpected and beautiful ways.
Let’s Pray.