Putting on the New Self
Col 3:12-14
12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
The last few weeks we have examined the traits that the believer is to put to death or to put aside. The focus was upon those things that have no place in the life of believers. If you were to think of a parallel for such a change, you might picture someone who went from beggar to royalty. Don’t imagine that you presently have all the privileges of royalty. I’m not addressing that. Truth is that we won’t have all those things until we have our redeemed lives. Remember who we really are is still hidden in Christ and will be revealed when His glory is revealed. What I am attempting to describe is the change in behavior. Imagine someone who steals, lies, cheats, is immoral and is basically a poor example of what an evil mind can do if they put their mind to it. Then, in a moment, they are expected to change their behavior and begin to live as though they represent Someone much more important than their own individual desires. We went from trying to satisfy our own desires to trying to please the One who saved us from eternal death. Of course, we have been given the Holy Spirit to empower us to accomplish what is expected of us, but our goals and objectives in our lives have been radically altered.
We have been altered because we have been chosen. Stop thinking that you were living the right way, living above the crowd, being different than anyone else and that is why God reached out to you. When a person remembers that they have been chosen by God not because of merit but because of mercy it should create a humble attitude and not a prideful one. Let’s look at this next list of terms that were used throughout the OT when the prophets wrote about the nation of Israel. Now Paul uses these three different, single words to describe the believer:
- Chosen – also used “elect” – there are several things about election.
- First: It shows the believer that his salvation is all of God. God did everything. The complete program begins and ends with God and is not the results of personal qualifications. Other verses tell us that we were chosen before the foundation of the earth (Eph). The end of this understanding of election or being chosen by God is that God should be praised, not the one who is chosen. Election should be a source to cause the believer to worship.
- Second: it is a source of assurance for the salvation of every believer. You see the more that you understand the character of God and His choosing of you, the more you realize it that His choice of you was and is completely mercy and grace. You are justified by grace and God is not about to let you go after He has covered all your sins with the blood of His Son. Nothing can cut you off from God’s love in Christ (Rom 8:35-39). You can never be safer that you are right now because you are already as safe as you can possibly be. Nothing you can do or not do can loosen you from God’s hands.
- Third: The principle of being chosen should encourage the believer to conduct themselves in a manner that is appropriate for a child of God. This is where the change in behavior comes into view. In another words, the grace of God’s choice of us should prompt us to live like who we are, because we are the children of the King.
- Holy – this word has gotten some pretty bad press in the recent years. The reasons are vast and varied but there are not many people who think that being Holy is a good thing. But maybe the 20th Century believer has been some of the reason for this. Holy is not another word for “Very Very Serious about Everything.” There is usually a sense of separation for things that are Holy. It is the Holiness of God that requires that He maintain distant from sinful man unless man has been redeemed. For believers, holiness is also separation, but not from the sinners of the world but rather from participation in the sins. We are to refrain from doing the same things that others do because we are separated for a specific purpose, holy. There is a verse in 2 Timothy that is quite direct about finding your purpose. 2 Timothy 2:20-21 – 20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Holy is also a word for moral excellence, especially as it relates to God Himself. Since we are children of this God, we are to grow in our holiness too. We are to grow in our moral excellence.
- Dearly Loved — this seems to be a more personal word that relates to how Paul feels towards the church in Colossae. He loved them with the love of pastor who loves his church, but in those days there was a more powerful sense of community than we probably know today. Many of you might have never visited or lived in an area where there were very few people from your country. I remember when we lived in Belgium and how significant different members of the American-Christian community were to us. We spent holidays together, we tried to encourage each other and we cried on the shoulders of each other. We were the only family each other had. In the early days of the church I can imagine that the bonds of fellowship were much stronger than we know them to be today. So there was a stronger sense of love and family in the early church, among church leaders and believers, than we know here in America. None the less, Paul expressed a very deep concern and affection for the believers there in Colossae.
Next, Paul gives a rapid fire list of things we are to put on because we know the Grace of God. I think that all of us would hope that we demonstrate these traits, but Paul tells us that they need to come from within, from the new heart that has been created in us to do the will of the Father. These things are all relationship oriented. Funny how some people believe they can practice their Christianity all alone?
- Put on a heart – But this is the source for what is to follow.
- of compassion, this is pity and tenderness expressed toward the suffering and miserable.
- Kindness, — the ideas of goodness, kindliness and graciousness. Also defined as “sweetness of disposition”.
- Humility, — not always considered a virtue by the world, but this came to mean a humble disposition.
- Gentleness and — this is also not held in high esteem by the world, but this is the opposite of arrogance and self-assertiveness. It is the mark of a person who has a delicate consideration for the rights and feelings of others. Also defined as a willingness to make concessions.
- Patience; — this is the concept of self-restraint that enables one to bear injury and insult without resorting to hasty retaliation.
- Bearing with one another, and this one, and the next, seem to elaborate on the principle of living with patience with those around you.
- Forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
What do these things look like when they are in practice in the local church?
Then, for the final statement about these inter-personal relationships, Paul throws one final statement to the hearers of this letter: Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. The word for love in this verse is agape, which we are all familiar with. It is the kind of love that God shows towards believers. In fact, if you were asked what Christian love looks like, you could use the description that Paul has used above. The goal of the new person’s behavior is brought out in this verse; Love is the perfect bond of unity. God tells us how to stay unified and it is through believers living as mentioned here in Colossians.