Chapter Fifteen
Colossians 3:12-17 Put These On
3:12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Immediately after Paul called us to put to death sin in our lives, he said we are to put on the “new self,” one that is constantly being renewed in the image of Jesus (see verse 10). He comes back to the same phrase “put on,” (Greek ‘endyō’) just as we might “put on” a jacket. Since we are God’s chosen ones (see John 15:12-17; Ephesians 1:3-4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; the same Greek phrase is used in the Septuagint to refer to the Israelites), we are to “dress ourselves” accordingly. Paul gave us two lists of sins we should avoid (in a sense we are to “take off” those sins, remove them from our lives, see verses 5-11), he now offers us a list of appropriate attributes that we should not only consider, but understand that this list essentially defines what a Christian is.
The list begins with the fact that we are holy and beloved; the Bible clearly teaches that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us (see John 3:16). That victorious act of love made us holy, so no matter how you feel, God considers you holy, not because of anything you did, but what Jesus did for you. We are truly holy and beloved, nothing we can do can change that. So, what is our response to that? Paul tells us we are to begin with a compassionate heart. The word that is translated as ‘hearts’, is actually the Greek word for bowels or intestines. Before you say or think ‘Yuck!’ understand that Paul is properly using that word, since the ancient Hebrews believed that the source of our compassion was indeed our ‘guts’, or more precisely, our inner parts. Of course, we all know that the source of compassion is really our brain, but we refer to our ‘hearts’ as our emotional or caring body part, which will be referred to later in in this chapter (see verses 15, 16 and 22).
We are also to be kind; the Greek word carries the meaning of ‘moral greatness’ (see Luke 6:35-36; Romans 2:4; Ephesians 4:32). Kindness transcends any concern for ourselves. Perhaps the ultimate story of kindness is the parable of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10:25-37).
The next attribute Paul lists is humility, the Bible has a lot to say about humility. Prior to the New Testament being written, most of the ancient writings, especially those in the Greek language, elevated self-importance and pride, making humility an unacceptable or negative human attribute. We see today that the world still wants nothing to do with humility, nearly every advertisement or marketing campaign focuses on your needs, it is all about you and no one else. If life was recorded on a spreadsheet, Jesus moved humility out of the ‘loser’ column and placed it in the ‘winner’ column (see 1 Peter 5:5-7). Earlier Paul raised some issues regarding false humility, real humility permeates everything we do in life, self-importance has no place in serving Jesus (see Colossians 2:18, 23).
Paul continues his list of positive attributes with meekness. Unfortunately, this word is often misunderstood, even by Christians. The word does not mean ‘weakness’, it essentially means “power under control.” It can be demonstrated by allowing ourselves to be hurt or be willing to suffer instead of promoting suffering or inflict pain on someone else. It doesn’t mean you can’t get angry at the right time or place, it means that you are able to internally control your outward actions. Paul notes in his epistle to the Galatians, that meekness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-6:1), however, we should not get the fruits mixed up with the gifts of the Spirit, the fruits are those attributes that appear (visual evidence) in our lives because we are Christians, the “new self” is seen! Do you remember the song lyrics, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love?” We also see how meekness can help us in our evangelism efforts (see 2 Timothy 2:24-26; 1 Peter 3:15).
The next attribute is one that often requires some convincing and that is patience! The Greek word can also be translated as ‘endurance’ or ‘steadfastness’ (see 1 Timothy 1:15-16; 2 Peter 3:14-18). Patience in a fast-moving society can be viewed, like humility, as a negative attribute. Patience works in conjunction with the next attribute Paul lists and that is, “bearing with one another.” The Greek phrase implies that we are to endure each other. We need to begin by bearing one another at home and church. Paul reminds us that if one has a complaint against another we are to forgive, just as Jesus has forgiven us. We are to restore relationships, not create ways to separate. Jesus taught about the “Unforgiving Servant” in Matthew 18:21-35, if we have been forgiven a huge debt, how can we then turn and accuse another about something trivial in comparison?
3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
In Paul’s listing of the fruit of the Spirit, he begins with love (see Galatians 5:22) and in this list, he ends with love. Almost like we are putting on these attributes, much like putting on a jacket or a layer of clothes and the outer layer, that binds all of the other attributes together, is love. All in perfect harmony! Are you beginning to see a trend in this list of positive attributes? Every one of these point to the need for every Christian to be constantly thinking about other people! If we are going to be used in God’s Kingdom, we need to be compassionate, kind, humble, meek, patient, able to bear one another, able to forgive and be loving. Our mandate is clear, we are to helps others find Jesus. That is why we are called Christ’s ambassadors (see 2 Corinthians 5:20), simply put, that is why we are alive.
3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
We are to let the peace of Christ rule (the Greek word Paul used here is considered a sports term, referring to something we might call today to ‘umpire’) in our hearts, this is not an intellectual issue, the peace of Jesus simply works, there is no human explanation (see John 14:27; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:14-16; Philippians 4:7), to which we have been called in one body (see Ephesians 4:1-7) and as a result, we should always be thankful (see Ephesians 5:20; Philippians 4:4-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24; Hebrews 13:15).
3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Paul further instructs us to let the Word of Christ dwell in us abundantly. In order to have an abundance of the Word in us, we need to be continuously ingesting the Word! Paul then points out that we need to be teaching the Word (yes, that includes everyone, for example parents should be teaching the Word of God to their children, etc.) and admonish (same word found in Colossians 1:28 translated in the ESV as ‘warning’) those that have pulled away from God or are seen sinning. The phrase, “Word of Christ,” could be a synecdoche (a reference to the Word of God as a whole or to just the Words of Jesus), since the Words of Jesus are not only of great importance to all Christians, they are vital. First, we need to know the Word of God, then be willing to teach the Word when necessary and be prepared to point out errors and caution anyone who disobeys the Word. Admonishing is never easy, as most people are not willing to accept any criticism, but that is what we are told to do.
How do we do all these? Paul says we are to apply the wisdom we received from God in song and praise. Paul uses three terms: psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. The Greek word for ‘psalm’ means essentially to pluck a string, referring to a song that would have musical instrument accompaniment. The word translated as a hymn refers to a song of praise to a deity (the use of this term is not specific to which deity, however it is clear that Paul is referring to praising God, the only true God) and the phrase, “spiritual songs” refer to songs specifically belonging to God. Does that mean we are to always be singing to each other? No, Paul is summarizing his list of positive attributes by reminding us that we are to do everything with song and praise to God. Remembering that our worship to Jesus is through our obedience (see Romans 12:1-2), we need to also include singing and praise. Do not confuse worship (the continual obedience to God) with praise (a special offering that acknowledges who God is). Paul next says we are to do these things with ‘thankfulness’ in our hearts to God. The word here that is translated as thankfulness is not the normal word for ‘thanking’, it is the Greek word ‘charis’, which is usually translated as ‘grace’. Not only are all these attributes bound in love, with songs and praise, we are to be gracious and thankful in our hearts to God. We respond to God’s love for us by graciously serving as ambassadors for Jesus (Remember 2 Corinthians 5:20).
3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Paul further notes that whatever we do, be it speaking, or doing something (anything), we are to do it in the name of Jesus! Okay, before we just pass by this phrase because we have heard it so often, let me ask, what does Paul mean when he says, “in the name of Jesus?” Let me give you a hint by asking another question, what does it mean when a law-enforcement officer says something like, “stop in the name of the law?” They are stating that they have the authority to demand that you stop. Did the officer need to say that or did they already have the authority? The words themselves have no weight other than to notify someone that they do indeed have the authority. In the same way, Christians have the authority of Jesus, we represent Him here on earth. Paul says we are to do everything knowing we have authority. For example, when we pray in Jesus’ name do we need to say that? Do our prayers go into a different “in-basket” if we forget to say that? Of course not! As Christians, we have the authority to speak directly to God because of what Jesus did for us, regardless if we say those words or not (I still think it is a good idea since by saying, “in Jesus name” we are reminded that life is all about Jesus, but not because it is a requirement). Now Paul is saying we are to use that authority in everything we do, living for Jesus. We are to do everything with the instructions and authority of Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, our Creator!
Let this be our witness for Jesus, these attributes are who we are! No matter where we are or what we are doing, we should be doing it for the praise and glory of Jesus. The Apostle John might add, “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10, ESV)
If Paul were alive today and writing to this smart-phone savvy and computer-minded generation who are constantly aware of operating system and platform compatibilities for various apps and other software, he might have referred to the world’s way of thinking as the “devil’s operating system” and the Word of God as “God’s Holy Operating System of Thinking.” Even though we are still sinners, “G.H.O.S.T.” can still run and replace the old operating system, however, if we are not careful and for whatever reason and take our eyes off Jesus, the old operating system that is still “running in the background,” can easily influence and corrupt our relationship with Jesus. So, make sure your ‘anti-viral’ is up-to-date by reading and applying the Word of God every day. Okay, perhaps Paul wouldn’t have used those acronyms, but he undoubtedly would have reminded us that, “according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5b, KJV, see also 2 Corinthians 4:16; Ephesians 4:23-24; Colossians 3:10).