May 23, 2021. Colossians 3:12-15

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THE FORBEARING FAITHFUL.  Colossians 3:12-15. 05/23/2021. #09.

Colossians 3:12-15 [New King James Version]

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

  1. From gruff to gracious
    1. Verse 11 states that not only males and females, free and enslaved can become new creations in Christ, but also Scythians and barbarians as well
    1. Scythians were nomads from the steppes east of the Caucasus (considered barbaric as raiders and pillagers)
    1. Barbarians = anyone who did not speak Greek (low life)
    1. The elect of God = chosen or selected by God from before the foundation of the world to be saved (Ephesians 1:4)
    1. Holy and beloved (John 3:16, I Peter 2:9)
      1. Holy = separated from world unto God
      1. Beloved = God chose to bestow his love upon us even when we were still sinners (Rm. 5:8)
    1. Put on tender mercies…
      1. Christian deportment is a choice, not sure result
      1. The flesh still resists the regenerated spirit in us
      1. Twenty-nine different Greek words translated “put”
        1. b1. Enduo is in the middle voice (something you have to put on yourself)
        1. b2. Put on the new man (Ephesians 4:17-24); put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17)
  2. The Christian graces
    1. Tender mercies (splagchva oktipmou) – lit., bowels of compassion (seat of emotions to Jews; Eng. = a “gut feeling”, “a feeling in the pit of my stomach”…)
    1. Kindness = goodness of heart; wholesome intentions
    1. Humility – lowly; to reduce one’s image and self-worth in the presence of God and others (to put others before self)
    1. Meekness – gentleness; a gentle nature; mild (not to be confused with weakness = Jesus was meek but not weak)
    1. Longsuffering (made up of 2 words: makro [big or long] + thumos [to heat up {anger}]) = literally, to take a long time to become angry (Jam. 1:19 slow to wrath) – related to patience and forbearing
    1. Bearing one another (forbearance) – literally, putting up with one another
    1. Forgiving (charizomenoi; English word, charity) one another (showing grace to one another, Eph. 4:32) = refusing to hold onto grudges for sins and offenses
      1. Not holding onto grievances (complaints)
      1. As Christ forgives us, we are to forgive others
  3. 3 The primacy of love
    1. Above all things love one another
      1. John 13:34 love (agape = charitable love) is the mark of discipleship
      1. I Corinthians 13 love excels even faith and hope
      1. Mark 12:30-31 loving God and our neighbor is the basis of all the other commandments
      1. James 2 love is called the Royal Commandment
    1. For a believer to charitably love is completion or maturity (telios = to come to the end; to finish; English: telephone,  telescope, television, telepathy…)
    1. Peace of God is to rule in our hearts
      1. Philippians 4:5-7 peace comes from a confidence in God that provides calm assurance
      1. I John 4:8-18 mature love casts out all fear
    1. Be thankful (eucharestis, good grace) = God is the granter of all things and should be continually praised
      1. Philippians 4:5-7 the ungrateful can even properly pray
      1. Philippians 2:14 the complainer and discontented is not in right relationship with the Lord (sinful)
    1. Galatians 5:22-23 the Christian graces are one package

Key verse:  Ephesians 4:17-24

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.