Vice or Virtue (Part 2)
Colossians 3:12-17
12Therefore, as God¡¦s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
II Virtues of the New Life to be Cultivated (12-17)
Verse: 12Therefore, as God¡¦s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
A Virtues of Grace and Love (Clothed)
Verse: 12Therefore, as God¡¦s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Word: clothe (enduo) to put on clothes.
Idea: To put on clothes which represent a changed life in Christ.
1 Compassion
Word: compassion (oiktirmos) a benevolent attitude that cares for others because of a loving graciousness. To be tenderhearted and merciful.
2 Kindness
Word: kindness (chrēstotēta) an expressed attitude and activity that is friendly and helpful, always seeking to meet the needs of others through acts of mercy and grace.
3 Humility
Word: humility (tapeinophrosune) lowliness of thinking; To think of oneself accurately in the light of the holiness and righteousness of God that one might possess a proper assessment of self.
Verse: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you. Rm. 12:3
4 Gentleness
Word: gentleness (prautes) meekness; power under contrl.
Idea: Of a horse that has been broken ¡V possessing a perfect balance of power and control.
5 Patience
Word: patience (makrothumia) longsuffering;
Note: It is the long holding out of the mind before it gives room to an action or reaction bearing injustice and unpleasant circumstances w/out seeking revenge or retaliation. Patience always seeks a better way.
6 Bear with each other
Word: bear with (nechomenoi allēlōn) to endure; to hold out in spite of persecution, threat, indifference, or complaint w/out retaliation. To refrain from inflicting injury though just in your cause.
7 Forgive
Word: forgiving (charizomenoi) to be gracious;
8 Love
Word: love (agape) unconditional Christ-like charity
B Virtues of Peace and Harmony (Enthroned)
Verse: 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
1 Peace
Word: peace (eirene) Includes the concept of an agreement, pact, or treaty with an attitude of rest and security.
Word: rule (barbeuo) an athletic term used of an umpire making a decision on the outcome of a contest.
Idea: The peace of God should be the determining judge of a decision to be made. A believer should ask does it promote peace and unity between God and man, between man and man, and between man and the body of Christ. Secondly, do I have a deep and abiding peace in my heart that God is in this decision.
2 Thankfulness
Word: thankful (eucharistoi ginesthe) a natural and continual response of gratitude and appreciation.
Note: Indicates the obligation of being thankful to someone for a favor done. We ought to be grateful beyond reason b/c Christ died for our sins and b/c we have ben redeemed. And this thankful spirit should be noticeable in our lives to everyone we meet.
C Virtues of Truth and Faith (Indwelling)
Verse: 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another w/ all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs w/ gratitude in your hearts to God.
1 The Word of God
Word: Word of Christ ¡V the revelation He brought into the world including the Scripture.
Note: All Christian virtue ¡V faith, hope, peace, and love flow from a mind that is founded in Scripture and controlled by the Spirit of God.
a The Indwelling Word
Word: dwell (enoikeo) to live in or to be at home.
Word: richly (plousios) abundantly or extravagantly rich.
Idea: Paul challenges believers to allow the Word of God to take up residence and be at home in their lives. The Word of God should dwell in the believer as relaxed and as naturally as a person living in their own home. Furthermore, the Word should govern every thought, action, and desire in a believers life.
Note: How does the Word dwell within a believer?
„« When we hear it. (Mt. 13:9)
„« When we handle it. (2 Tm. 2:15)
„« When we hide it. (Ps. 119:11)
„« When we hold it fast. (Ph. 2:16)
Note: The Word will never dwell within an individual unless the person reads it, studies it, and applies it.
b The Impact-ful Word
Word: wisdom teaching - the instruction of truth so as to guide and influence (positive).
Word: admonishing ¡V the warning of truth so as to detour and assist (negative).
Trans: Having the Word of God within us produces not only information , but also emotion ¡V which leads to practice and privilege of worship.
2 The Worship of God
Note: The art of worship is most often associated with music and the personal expression of self. While worship is obviously includes a greater variety of activity including prayer, bible study, and giving, music is certainly a primary vehicle for influencing people in their pursuit of the Holy.
Word: psalms ¡V Songs taken from the Old Testament Psalter put to music to tell of the nature and faithfulness of God. These were old songs of the faith equivalent to our traditional hymns.
Word: hymn ¡V an expression of praise to God similar to modern day choruses. The ¡§hymns¡¨ of the New Testament church were songs about Jesus written during the first century for the purpose of personal and intimate expression. In other words, they were the new songs (contemporary songs) of that day.
Word: spiritual songs ¡V songs of testimony and decree.
Note: According to Scripture, we are to sing not only the old songs of the faith, but we are to continually sing the new songs of faith as well (See also Ps. 33:3, 40:3, 96:1, 144:9, Is. 42:10, Rev. 5:9, Rev. 14:3). The key is that when we sing, we sing with fervor unto the Lord.
Word: thankfulness (chariti) thankfulness and grace. To sing out of thankfulness for God¡¦s amazing grace.
Note: When Paul tells believers to sing ¡§in your hearts¡¨, he does not mean not to sing with your voice, but to sing to God with a heart that is in agreement with the mouth.
Note: Singing is to be directed to God as an offering of praise and worship in to bring pleasure and glory to Him.
Quote: Worship is giving all that I am to all that He is to bring pleasure to Him in a spirit of celebration.
D The Virtue of Honor and Obedience
Verse: 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Note: The simplest and most basic element of Christian living is that in whatever I am thinking, saying, or doing, I am always doing it in the name and honor of Jesus.
Idea: In everything I am acting consistent with who He is and what he wants and has done. I do not one thing that Jesus himself would not do ¡V WWJD.
Note: Notice though, in everything I do, a I am doing it with an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness to God.
Quote: Believers should so clothe themselves with Jesus Christ that when people look at them, they only see Jesus.
Exegesis
Therefore, as people who are under the rule of God because they have received Christ by the grace through faith and have been chosen to live a life that honors God, and who have been set apart unto God, apart from sin in a position of holiness and because you are dearly and unconditionally loved exchange your filthy rags for garments of righteousness putting on clothes that willingly care for others in a spirit of compassion of a kind and friendly attitude of helpfulness that seeks to meet the needs of others through acts of grace, of a lowliness of thinking that considers ones standing in the eyes of God in a spirit of humility, of a gentle and meek spirit that reveals a power that is under control and of a long suffering spirit that patiently holds out of the mind giving no room of an action or reaction that bears injustice or revenge. Constantly bearing in spite of persecution, threat and indifference and showing graciousness by forgiving others just as God has forgiven you and over and beyond all these virtuous characteristics put on an unconditional Christ like charity which serves as a sash to bind them all together in perfect unison. Let the peace of Christ serve as an agreement or treaties that possesses an attitude of rest and security that serves as an umpire in your life by gauging the condition of your heart, since as members and participants of the single body of Christ you were called to experience this peace. And also, be naturally and continually grateful and appreciative with a thankful heart. Furthermore, establish as a foundation of your life the Word of God and constantly allow the Word of Christ to live in and be at home by abundantly dwelling within you as you provide positive guidance and influence by teaching the truth and as you provide assistance by warning others of untruth with all wisdom. As you worship God sing songs that tell of the nature and faithfulness of God sing contemporary songs that are expressions of your love for God and sing spiritual songs which testify of your faith and declare to all that you are grateful to God for his abundant grace to you and in whatever you do, whether in what you say, or in how you act or in how you think, always ask the question, would what I am doing bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ or would Jesus do this himself, so that your life would bear out a lifestyle that is grateful and thankful to God the Father because of all that Jesus has done.
