Colossians 3:12-17 (NIV) 12 Therefore, 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.
Colossians 3:12-15 (KJV) 12Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Put on a love that is compassionate. The King James Version calls compassion “the bowels of mercies.” I would call it love with conviction. It is a care and concern for others rooted in the awareness of God’s love. Let that love rule over you as you live in the covenant community to which you have been called to belong. This is sound, and good practical advice. And notice Paul, in these scripture passages, doesn’t simply say we should love one another, or we should let the peace of Christ rule over the community.
Put on love that is patient, forbearing, forgiving when we rub each other the wrong way. When we belong because we are called we focus on the call and not simply on what suits us, or what we like or dislike about the community. And the community that results is a covenant community that displays the life and love of Jesus. As God’s chosen, we are together because God has chosen to put us together as a people, as a family. And that is what is important, rather than the idiosyncrasies and annoying habits of the people God has put beside us.
We have been chosen, called to belong. We have been chosen to belong to a Christian community and to put on the kind of life that God wants us to have. That is the bedrock on which we build the Christian community, seeing and sensing our calling to be together. As God’s chosen ones, as a community called and chosen to receive the life of Christ and to express the life of Christ, put on love. Let the peace of Christ rule over your community.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope June 21, 1998
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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