PUTTING ON OUR ROYAL WARDROBE – Colossians 3:12-15

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on April 24, 2013 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group; April 24, 2013

Colossians 3:12-15

Theme: Our renewal in Christ sets us free to “put on” Christ-like behaviors toward one another.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

God has made some “wardrobe selections” for us as His children—not of clothing, but of certain attitudes and behaviors and practices toward others. These are things that ‘look good’ on His children. Just as the old wardrobe of the old man needs to be taken off (see Colossians 3:5-11), the new wardrobe of the new man in Christ needs to be put on. This is because we ourselves are actually “new”. This new “us” is one that conforms to the image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ; and so, new attitudes and behaviors must be put on that truly suit the new “us”.

This morning’s passage describes some of the elements of this new, royal wardrobe.

I. A GRACIOUS ATTITUDE TOWARD ONE ANOTHER (v. 12).

A. Paul wrote, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering . . .” In verses 8-9, Paul commanded his readers to “put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another . . .” (vv. 8-9). These characteristics are behavioral ‘layers’ of hardness, arrogance, impatience. They are designed to prevent people from getting close to us. But the Bible tells us that—as the elect of God—all those things are to now be put aside as behaviors that are inappropriate to who we truly are in Christ. We are instead to put other things on:

1. “Tender mercies”. We’re to be of such a frame of mind that we can “feel” for one another, and are willing to be “tender” and “sensitive” in the area of our deep feelings for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

2. “Kindness”; which, in the Greek, is related to the word for “usefulness”. This describes an attitude of readiness to be whatever each other needs—a readiness to be of use to one another in whatever way we can.

3. “Humility”; which means being of a lowly mind toward one another—preferring one another above ourselves.

4. “Meekness”—not to be confused with ‘weakness’. This speaks of someone who is capable of an intimidating display of strength and an exhibition of power; but that refrains from doing so because of the harm it would cause to another

5. “Longsuffering”; which simply means that we have a long fuse. We’re to be slow to get angry with one another; not so quick to take offense.

B. Putting on these attitudes and behaviors would make us gracious, delightful people to be around. They would peal away the layers of defense we use to keep people away. They would help us to welcome one another into our lives. They were the characteristics of Jesus when He walked upon this earth; and they explain why even hardened sinners felt loved and welcomed in His holy presence, and why little children loved to play in the lap of the mighty King of kings. They help us act like what we are in Him.

II. A READINESS TO FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER (v. 13).

A. Paul says that we’re to be “bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Two verbs stand out. The first one—translated “bearing with” one another—means to regard one another with tolerance; to be ready and willing to put up with little failures and faults in one another. The other is one translated “forgive”—a word that particularly highlights the grace that has been shown to us. And we’re to be ready to display these qualities for any offense in any relationship. He says to forgive, “if anyone has a complaint (or “quarrel”) against another.”

B. Paul gives us an example. He says, “even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Jesus Himself has forgiven and personally paid the debt for every single one of our sins—which is a far greater debt than anything anyone could ever owe to us. His free, unmerited, unconditional forgiveness of our sins clearly obligates us to forgive the offenses committed against us. If anyone should ever say, “Why should I be the one that has to be so ‘forgiving’?”, Jesus’ example to us gives us the answer. We’re to be ready to do this ‘seventy-times-seven times” (Matthew 18:22-35).

III. A BOND OF LOVE TOWARD ONE ANOTHER (v. 14).

A. Paul says, “But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” The word Paul uses refers to a very high kind of love. It’s not love in a mere “friendly” or “affectionate” sense. Rather, it’s love in a self-sacrificing, self-giving sense. It’s a love that seeks the best and highest good of the one being loved. Paul says that, above all the other things he has mentioned—that is, taking the place of preeminence over all these other things that we’re called to put on toward one another—is this love that is willing to give of one’s self in order to bring about the highest good and blessing of one being loved.

B. Notice the reason why. It’s because this kind of love is “the bond of perfection”. The great theme of this whole letter is that we have been made “complete” or “perfect” in Christ. He is everything that we need; and when we’re in Him, we have it all. He is “all and in all” (3:11). And our great longing for one another, and our great labor toward one another, is to see that each one of us is presented “perfect in Christ Jesus” (1:28). A great way to objectify “love”, then, is to think of it as the willingness to do whatever we can to see each other become all that God has saved us to be in Christ. Our mutual sense of completeness in Christ, and our mutual goal of seeing each other enter into the full experience of that completeness, is the “bond” that binds our hearts to one another in a deeper way than any other earthly thing that could bind people together (see Ephesians 4:15-16). It covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8; see also Proverbs 10:12). Jesus Himself so loved us, and so desired to perfect us, that He sacrificed His life for us; and He commands us to love each other as He has loved us (John 15:12).

IV. A COMMITMENT TOWARD PEACE WITH ONE ANOTHER (v. 15a).

A. Paul then says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body . . .” Paul is not speaking here of an inner sense of “peace” about a decision we’re going to make (as this verse is so often misunderstood to be saying). Rather, it deals with the matter of how we manage our relationships toward one another in the body of Christ. Paul is saying that, when there’s an issue of controversy among us and a decision must be made about what to do when all things seem equal, the ruling factor is the answer to this question: “What will most advance the cause of peace between us?” We’re to let the peace that God is seeking to establish between us “rule” in the decision (See Romans 14:14-19).

B. The pursuit of “peace” is to be something more than simply a willingness to “give in” so that the fighting would stop. It’s not something to be done bitterly and begrudgingly. Rather, it’s to be the expression of a desire deep within us to pursue what edifies our brother or sister, and builds him or her up in Christ and in our union together in Him. It’s to be a peace of God that rules us “in our hearts”. We’re to genuinely desire and seek this peace between us because it’s something God Himself wants and longs to see between us; “to which also you were called in one body . . .” And so, we’re to “put on” a willingness to give up our own rights, and forgo our own privileges, if it will help advance the cause of peace between our brother or sister and ourselves.

V. A GENUINE GRATITUDE FOR ONE ANOTHER (v. 15b).

A. Finally, Paul adds, “And be thankful . . .” And in the context of all that he has said, we can take his words to mean a genuine thankfulness for one another. On the one hand, it may be that we’re being called to give genuine thanks to one another for the things that we do in one another’s life. And on the other hand, it may be that we’re being called to give thanks directly to God for one another. In either case, we’re to put on a genuine spirit of thankfulness for and toward one another.

B. Our gratitude toward God for one another, and our genuine expression of thanks to one another for the blessings we receive, is one of the greatest ways to prevent a spirit of bitterness and resentment from spoiling our fellowship with one another. How can we be grouchy toward our brother, and thankful for him at the same time? This is yet another of the new attitudes and behaviors God calls us to put on in Christ.

* * * * * * * * * *

Note that this passage isn’t really commanding that we “feel” anything. We shouldn’t wait around for the feelings to come before we obey. We don’t have to “put on” feelings. The things in this passage have more to do with actions and ways of thinking toward other people in the body of Christ. The feelings will come later.

And second, note that this passage isn’t really asking you to behave like something you’re not. If the Bible were telling you to act like something you’re really not, then it would be commanding you to be hypocritical. But the situation here is quite the opposite. God is here commanding us to behave like what, in fact, we truly are—the elect of God, holy and beloved.

Let’s get into the habit then of putting on the “royal wardrobe” of men and women who have been made new in Christ.