Daily Bread 2011 - Colossians 3
Daily Bread 2011 – Colossians 3:12-17
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let 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. 17 And 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.
What Does This Mean?
Paul has laid out another excellent summary of just what the Christian life is all about and what it should look like. In the beginning of the chapter, Paul states that since we have been raised with Christ and we should set our hearts on things above and put to death the impulses of the sinful nature, which used to rule us. Paul says we should put “to death” all the things that belong to our old nature such as: “greed, lust, impurity etc…”, which are all basically idolatry (trusting in something other than God).
But the Christian life is not just about denial, but also about “putting on”, and as Paul says, clothing ourselves with the virtues we have been given through our access to Christ. Since we have been chosen by God, we can begin to reflect the virtues that He himself showed us through His Son. But the words “clothe yourselves” suggests that we are part of the process. Though we can’t earn our salvation or our sanctification (the process of being made holy which is what this passage is all about), we certainly partner with and offer ourselves to God in this process.
We see how that happens when Paul says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” and “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” and “as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude”. As we “let” Christ’s Word and Peace dwell in us, we begin to exhibit these virtues that set us apart in the world.
Finally, Paul gives a one sentence summary, which could easily be a life verse for anyone who needs one. Paul sums it up by saying, “And 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.” What a wonderful mantra for living our new life in Christ!
What Does This Mean For Us?
In terms of personal application, when Paul describes this new life in Christ, we see again it is not one lived in isolation. Almost all of the spiritual practices he advocates are to be done in small groups in the community of Christ followers. As we put on these new virtues, they are exercised in the context of the Christian community, as we “forgive each other”, “bear with one another”, and “teach one another” with all wisdom. Notice all the “one-anothers”! In our world that is incredibly busy and complex, it is a challenge to create this kind of community.
Jesus established this kind of community in a group of 12 men. Though corporate worship is an integral part of our relationship with God, where we hear God’s Word preached and taught, and receive the Sacrament reminding us of who we are in Christ, we will also need small groups in order to live out these “one anothers” together. It is in the context of these smaller groups, where we begin to really root out the vestiges of our old nature, which is always knocking at our door.
As put to death the habits of our past, it will be helpful to have others who are going through similar trials to encourage and pray for us. That is the type of community Jesus established with his disciples, Paul continued and we need today as much as ever to become the people of God we were created to be.
Jesus thank you for calling us into the community of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Bring others alongside of us who can help us to practice the things you practiced, as we learn to love one another and die to our old nature and live in the virtues you demonstrated while you were on this earth. Amen.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let 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. 17 And 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.
What Does This Mean?
Paul has laid out another excellent summary of just what the Christian life is all about and what it should look like. In the beginning of the chapter, Paul states that since we have been raised with Christ and we should set our hearts on things above and put to death the impulses of the sinful nature, which used to rule us. Paul says we should put “to death” all the things that belong to our old nature such as: “greed, lust, impurity etc…”, which are all basically idolatry (trusting in something other than God).
But the Christian life is not just about denial, but also about “putting on”, and as Paul says, clothing ourselves with the virtues we have been given through our access to Christ. Since we have been chosen by God, we can begin to reflect the virtues that He himself showed us through His Son. But the words “clothe yourselves” suggests that we are part of the process. Though we can’t earn our salvation or our sanctification (the process of being made holy which is what this passage is all about), we certainly partner with and offer ourselves to God in this process.
We see how that happens when Paul says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” and “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” and “as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude”. As we “let” Christ’s Word and Peace dwell in us, we begin to exhibit these virtues that set us apart in the world.
Finally, Paul gives a one sentence summary, which could easily be a life verse for anyone who needs one. Paul sums it up by saying, “And 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.” What a wonderful mantra for living our new life in Christ!
What Does This Mean For Us?
In terms of personal application, when Paul describes this new life in Christ, we see again it is not one lived in isolation. Almost all of the spiritual practices he advocates are to be done in small groups in the community of Christ followers. As we put on these new virtues, they are exercised in the context of the Christian community, as we “forgive each other”, “bear with one another”, and “teach one another” with all wisdom. Notice all the “one-anothers”! In our world that is incredibly busy and complex, it is a challenge to create this kind of community.
Jesus established this kind of community in a group of 12 men. Though corporate worship is an integral part of our relationship with God, where we hear God’s Word preached and taught, and receive the Sacrament reminding us of who we are in Christ, we will also need small groups in order to live out these “one anothers” together. It is in the context of these smaller groups, where we begin to really root out the vestiges of our old nature, which is always knocking at our door.
As put to death the habits of our past, it will be helpful to have others who are going through similar trials to encourage and pray for us. That is the type of community Jesus established with his disciples, Paul continued and we need today as much as ever to become the people of God we were created to be.
Jesus thank you for calling us into the community of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Bring others alongside of us who can help us to practice the things you practiced, as we learn to love one another and die to our old nature and live in the virtues you demonstrated while you were on this earth. Amen.
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