Colossians 3:10-17 [NLT]
January 30, 2013
Oak Park Baptist Church – Wed Bible Study Series
Colossians Bible Study
Paul’s continues to clarify his teaching on the proper attitude and action of those in the body of Christ:
Over the past few weeks we have been looking at how Paul was encouraging the believers in Colossae and how he had heard of the false teaching being taught…
Paul was extremely adamant that believers should NOT listen to the things these false teachers were saying but rather they should hold fast to the Gospel Paul had given them and to Christ who was ALL they needed!
Paul denounced their teaching and exalted Christ in ch1-2 BUT in the beginning of ch3 we find Paul begins to flesh out what the believer’s life should look like…”SINCE you have Christ, this is what your life should look like…”
Now when we looked at the first part of ch3 last week, we saw what Paul laid out as what should NOT be part of the believer’s life. Paul taught that things such as sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires or greed had no place in the life of a believer.
He also taught that the believer must make the effort (implied here is that this effort will only happen thru the power of the Holy Spirit) But the believer must make the effort to rid their lives of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, unwholesome speech and that they should NEVER lie to each other!
What Paul was teaching them was that these things were the things from their old sinful nature AND that they were incompatible with a life ‘In Christ’ so they must lay aside these things so that they can live a life that reflects Christ as their ‘new life’!
Paul said that these things served only one purpose and that was to satisfy our old sin nature! These things only lead to God’s wrath being poured out in our lives!
In other words, what Paul was saying is that these things he mentioned for believers to get out of their lives… these things serve ONLY ourselves and the end result is NOT good…So if this is the result of these things, why would you continue to allow these things to be a part of your life?
We also looked at how it MAY look from the surface that Paul was simply giving them HIS list of things to do or NOT do instead of the lists that these false teachers had laid out for these believers!
That is NOT the case. The difference is that these false teachers laid out things to do so the believers could achieve holiness before God! It was a works based philosophy, it sounded spiritual but it was NOT the plan of God!
On the other hand Paul’s ‘list’ was NOT a list for the purpose of achieving holiness. In fact, Paul knew that NOTHING these believers could do would help them achieve holiness! Holiness comes from God thru the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives! It does NOT come from things we do…
The list Paul lays out is a list of things that reflect what a life ALREADY FILLED with the holiness of God should look like!
The ‘evil’ things mentioned by Paul simply are not compatible with a life dedicated to serving Christ! The life of a believer should reflect Christ and HIS holiness and it cannot reflect the selfish desires of our sin nature!
So Paul had laid out what the believer’s life should NOT look like but here in v10 he begins to lay out what the believer’s life SHOULD look like so lets read what Paul has to say beginning in v10:
10Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
Here Paul clarifies his point as he stresses that in Christ each believer is being ‘renewed’ and that they must strive to live their life becoming more and more like Christ!
Paul continues to share that there were no boundaries to God’s work in changing people. All who came to Christ could and would be renewed if they submitted and surrendered to Christ! Paul re-emphasizes that Christ is ALL that matters!
It is NOT about ritual or ceremony! It is not about what you do or don’t eat! It is about Christ and Christ alone and Christ wants to see all come to Him!
12Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Here Paul begins to lay out what the believer must PUT ON in his life… God loves you, he chose you and you are a holy people… a ‘set aside’ people, set aside for HIS purpose and plan!
So because of this you must seek to ‘clothe’ yourself with the attributes that reflect Christ! Attributes such as:
tenderhearted mercy – is a combination of 2 Greek words - splangk-non which means bowels or refer to the inner parts of a person! This represented the ‘seat’ of emotional and spiritual response for the Jew…
We use the ‘heart’ as the seat for all our emotions. I love you with all my heart is an example, but the Jews would have said, “I love you with all my bowels” OR “I love you deep down in my inner most parts!”
This word splangk-non represented the deep seated emotional and visceral response Paul believed we should have as believers! We should serve from the very CORE of who we are…
The 2nd part of this is the Greek word oik-teir-moss which refers to residing and burning compassionate feel for or towards others in need. Basically what Paul is saying here is that as a believer we must show a heart that is truly compassionate toward others…
The implication here is others who are outside of Christ who are lost and going to hell without Christ, but it also refers to others who are less fortunate and in need.
Regardless of WHO we have compassion for or towards, the goal of the believer is to share Christ in all they do and say!
The compassion Paul is calling for here in this verse is a reflection of the compassion Christ had for us as the Creation of God. We are lost and helpless without Him, and He had compassion on us!
We are called to clothe ourselves with this compassion! Do you have this kind of compassion toward the lost?
We all have compassion toward those whom we can SEE are in need, especially children, but the question is do we have compassion for those who are LOST…
These people may have everything they need materially and look totally content on the outside, but spiritually they are dry, poor and starving! Our compassion must extend to those who are LOST and without Christ!
The 2nd attribute Paul calls us to put on is:
kindness – This is the Greek word khray-stot-ace which is defined as moral goodness… showing kindness. This implies a kindness that goes beyond simple kindness but a kindness that defies the world’s logic when it comes to being kind…
This is the kindness that loves its enemies and prays for those who oppose them and are spiteful toward them… this is the kindness Christ has called all His followers to!
The 3rd attribute Paul calls us to put on is:
Humility – is a Greek word FAR too long & complicated to pronounce, but it means being humble of heart and mind and understanding one’s place in God’s kingdom. This type of humility places others before one’s self… it is a spiritual modesty that seeks to point all attention to God!
The 4th attribute Paul calls us to put on is:
Gentleness – this is the Greek word prah-OO-tace which means meek or gentle of spirit. This does NOT mean weak; it dovetails with the humble spirit mentioned a moment ago.
Recognizing the power we have in Christ and thru Christ, but yet knowing our place and not abusing our position in Christ!
We have the power of Heaven at our disposal, but we are to use it for God’s glory! Meek or gentle does not mean weak or feeble… but it is a picture of power under great constraint and control!
We are called to be a force for the Gospel, but our spirit must remain under control and humble to the Christ we serve! To HIM be all the glory!
Finally Paul speaks about the attribute of:
Patience – is the Greek word mack-roth-oo-MEE-ah and it is defined as a steadfast perseverance in a matter. This ties in with the believer’s faith in God as they are able to wait on God because of their faith… patiently awaiting God to open doors of opportunity or close them as He sees fit! This sort of patience reflects a full trust of God and His plan for our lives!
How often do we simply NOT trust God to do what is best for us? How often are we impatient with God’s timing or choices? I know I am guilty!
We must all learn to trust in God and rely on His wisdom! This is going to take patience…this is because God does not move according to our time-table, but God moves in His time and in His way!
Paul lays out several attributes each believer should have in their lives… these attributes are attributes of Christ and we must strive to live them out in our lives.
Paul tells us that even though we are called to be holy and that we ARE considered holy according to God, that our actions should reflect the holiness of God, including toward those within the fellowship! Look at v.13 with me…
13Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
The next attribute Paul calls us to put on is forgiveness. This is something that does NOT come natural for the human experience!
The Greek word here used here by Paul is Kah-ridz-oh-men-oi which is forgiveness. However, it is this forgiveness is when linked with the previous thought of bearing with one another or making allowances for one another in their faults! This sort of forgiveness brings about a new perspective on the matter of forgiveness.
This ‘kind’ of forgiveness is forgives even when we see the same thing happen over and over again… it forgives even when those we are forgiving seem to NEVER stop what they are doing.
The human choice can be to forgive the first time and maybe a 2nd time, but usually forgiveness from a human perspective gives out when there is a repeat offender do things over and over again.
This term does NOT mean only to forgive, but it actually means to grant, to give or to bestow upon!
So the actually the power behind it is found in the root word of the Greek which is khah-riss which is the word Grace… and lets remember just what the word ‘grace’ actually means. Grace is unmerited favor… getting something we do NOT deserve!
So when we see this from Paul we can see that believers are called to have a forgiveness that is given or bestowed upon those who do NOT deserve forgiveness! Thus this particular translation from the NLT that says, “…make allowance for each other’s faults…”
We all have faults and we all fail, but as Paul says all believers must be willing to forgive as God forgives us… not because others deserve our forgiveness but because we are willing to grant it!
Another aspect of this attribute is that this type of forgiveness is not a shallow or hollow forgiveness, but a forgiveness for any and all who fall… and it covers all sins and any and all who sin… We cannot pick and choose whom we can forgive or not!
Knowing this about what Paul is saying makes this type of forgiveness something that many believers cannot bear! They just don’t understand how or why they must forgive when it is just going to happen over and over again! And because of this many of them avoid forgiveness altogether!
But we must understand that from God’s perspective we ALL fall into the category of failing over and over again and having the need of forgiveness for the same things over and over again! God is willing to forgive us, why can we NOT forgive others as He has forgiven us?
The point here from Paul is that forgiveness like this is a crucial and critical part of letting the world see the believer living out their Christian life… because if we cannot forgive, God is not going to forgive us!
Now to this point we find that Paul has instructed the believer to clothe themselves with 5 separate attributes of Christ:
Kindness
Humility
Patience
Gentleness
Forgiveness
But Paul understands that NONE of these things are valid unless covered and immersed by the final attribute he calls believers to live out in their lives!
Let’s look at v14 and see what that attribute is:
14Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Here Paul shares his teaching about serving in a Christlike manner. Our actions and words must be tempered by the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit and that NONE of these 5 attributes will work unless it is first coated with love!
Here in v14 Paul encourages ALL believers to CLOTHE THEMSELVES… in love. The term here for clothe yourself is a term that reveals an action taken by US, by the believer, it must be a willing and voluntary action! This action is a verb that begins at a time and place and then continues on indefinitely.
People clothing ourselves in love as Paul suggests here in v14 is a choice we are called to make! We have to focus on loving each other, it has to be made a priority in the lives of believers!
So these first 5 attributes are useless unless they are grounded in love by the believer! And then after we begin to clothe ourselves with these 5 attributes bathed in love Paul teaches us that God is going to give us peace:
15And 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.
God’s peace is promised to all who are obedient to his calling. Paul speaks of the peace from Christ ruling in your heart.
In the book of Phil Paul uses the same argument and gives the same premise. If we focus on Christ, his peace will overshadow our hearts and minds and guard them from evil!
Paul calls for unity in the body as Christ did, and Paul tells us that God is calling for unity in the body of Christ. Unity produces maturity and maturity produces growth and growth produces discipleship and discipleship produces new believers!
So Paul is excited to let these believers know that the message he had brought to them about Christ… was THE message they needed to embrace and follow!
Let go of the message that these false teachers had left, but embrace the and follow the message of Paul’s Holy Spirit inspired words!
In v16 Paul even says, Let God’s message fill your heart and then use that joyous message to teach and counsel with the godly wisdom He is willing to provide!
16Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
When we allow the message of Christ to rule and reign in our hearts, with ALL ITS RICHNESS as Paul says, we have to understand it is going to fill our lives!
So Paul calls on people to rejoice when they come to this point… rejoice by singing praises, hymns and other spiritual songs… rejoice by being thankful at all times!
Finally Paul sums up this particular area of teaching by saying:
17And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
This verse is fairly self-explanatory in nature, but I believe sometimes we need to hear it and realize its power before we gloss over it…
WHATEVER you do… do you realize what that covers?
WHATEVER we do… it is to be a representative of Jesus!
WHAT decisions we make…
WHAT direction we take…
WHAT words we use…
WHAT choices we make…
WHAT actions we take…ALL of these things are to be DONE to bring glory and honor to Jesus!
We are his AMBASSADORS! In other words when the world sees us THEY should be seeing Jesus! What kind of Jesus do they see? The TRUE Jesus OR a hypocritical version of Jesus that does NOT bring glory to God?
Our duty is to bring glory to God! Are you making the effort to CLOTHE yourself as Paul has instructed here? If not, I pray that you will begin to do so immediately!
