12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
As we saw last week, when we come to faith in Christ, we undergo a fundamental and dramatic change. As Paul puts it in verse 1, we have been raised with Christ. It is only something that has died which can be raised, and this is a point Paul makes often in his letters to the churches in the New Testament. As we died with Christ, we are raised with Him, and our lives are now hidden in Him.
So a Christian is no ordinary person, and as we return to Colossians 3 today, we see again how Paul teaches that our attitudes and our behaviour - in fact, the way we live our lives in this foreign world, are to reflect the inner changes God has brought about.
We need to understand though, (and this where so many Christians become confused), we live these new lives not in order to gain God’s favour or to achieve our salvation. We do so because we have received God’s favour, and we are saved.
In verses 5 through 9 which we looked at last week, Paul gave us a list of some of the things we should not only put an end to in our lives, but should put to death.
And from verse 12, he gives us another list of things we should be doing and living out, because, as he says, we are “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.” This is such an important introduction to the things Paul lists in our text today.
Contrary to popular belief, the Bible does not give us a list of do’s and don’ts, which we had better conform to, or else.
Instead, as Paul reminds us, God has chosen and called us out of the world to Himself. He, by His grace has clothed us in the righteousness of His own Son. We are holy and beloved, so why would we want to live like there has been no inner change? We should be thrilled and delighted to live for Christ, rather than ourselves.
Once we get this principle into our hearts and minds, we will quickly learn that within the pages of the Bible we find not a restrictive set of rules designed to spoil our fun, but instead a call to live our lives as they are meant to be lived - for the glory of God. We’ve had the first question and answer of the Westminster Catechism on the screen many times over the years. “What is the chief and highest end of man? Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever.” We can only do these things when we live the way God intended, rather than following our own deceitful and wicked desires.
Just as certain thoughts and behaviour patterns are to be put to death, it is just as important that those who belong to Christ should develop new habits to replace the old ones we have left behind. We put off the old self, as we put on the new self. Remember, non-believers should be left thinking, there is something different about these people, because we are called to adopt a distinctively Christian lifestyle.
Paul begins by reminding us in verse 12 who we are: A people chosen by God.
It is God who chooses us. No one ever became a Christian solely by their own choice. Behind our decision to follow Jesus lies the will of a sovereign God. This Biblical doctrine of election is a stumbling block for so many, including many Christians, but the Bible makes it clear that no one seeks God. It is He who seeks us, and as Ephesians 1:4-6 tells us, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.”
Paul continues in Colossians 3:12 by reminding us that as Christians, we are holy. Something or someone who is holy is set apart for God. In the prayer of institution or consecration at Communion services, we pray that God would take the ordinary elements of bread and wine, and set them apart to this holy use and mystery.
In much the same way, when we submit to His Lordship over our lives, He sets us apart from our ordinary, secular lives, for His holy (and, at times, mysterious) purposes.
Paul then calls us not only holy, but beloved. We are God’s special treasure. What He said through the apostle Paul to Gentile Christians in the 1st century is very similar to what He said to ancient Israel through Moses in Deuteronomy 7:6-8. “You are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set His love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that He swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” What was once true of Israel as a nation now applies to the Bride of Christ - His church.
Paul continues in verse 12 by listing five Christian virtues which we are to “put on,” and we’ll look at each of these. Compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
The first quality is compassionate hearts, or tender mercies as some English versions put it. The KJV actually uses the phrase ‘bowels of mercies.’ This is a more literal translation of the original Greek. In ancient times it was believed that the stomach and intestines were the root of human emotion, much like we speak of the heart today.
So Paul was appealing for a deep, inner heart of mercy or a heart of compassion. He is not speaking about superficial emotions, something that sinful human beings are very good at portraying, but instead something that comes from deep within us.
In Ephesians 5:1 Paul calls us to be imitators of Christ, and in his opening greeting in 2 Corinthians he writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3) When we treat others with tender mercies or compassionate hearts, we are following the example of God Himself.
He has treated us with immeasurable mercy and compassion. How can we not treat others the same?
Secondly, kindness - another quality which belongs to God. Romans 2:4 says that God’s kindness leads us to repentance. According to Christian tradition, Titus was the pastor of a church on the island of Crete, and he faced a lot of opposition from ungodly men within his congregation, and Paul, in his pastoral letter to Titus, wrote to him, “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.” (Titus 3:1-6)
Not that different to what Paul wrote to the Colossian church, but notice that he emphasises the goodness and loving kindness of God, as he encourages Titus to treat those within his care with the same kindness.
Probably the best known example of Biblical kindness is that shown by the Good Samaritan in one of Jesus’ most popular, but most challenging parables. There is no doubt that the world would be a better place if everyone was much kinder, but the kindness of God should motivate Christians to imitate the kindness He has so graciously shown to us.
Thirdly, Paul calls us to show humility.
In the big, bad world, true humility is not regarded as a virtue, but a sign of weakness. Jesus Christ, the God-man who took on flesh to die in the place of sinners, is the ultimate example of humility and servanthood. We know the words of Philippians 2:8 so well, where Paul wrote that Jesus humbled Himself. This is always a favourite passage of Scripture when we refer to His atoning death for us, and so it should be, but when we take a step back and look at Philippians 2 in its wider context, it was not a Gospel presentation. The subject of the first part of this chapter is the same as Colossians 3: Christian living.
In fact, the sub heading for Philippians 2:1-8 in the ESV is “Christ’s Example of Humility.” Paul writes, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
We are to be of the same mind, having the same love, as we show true Christian humility to others.
Humility is a Christian trait. It is God’s will for us to be humble, as Micah wrote. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
As Christ humbled Himself in obedience to the Father’s will, so should we.
The fourth quality Paul writes about is meekness, or gentleness in many English translations. Gentleness is included in the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, and just like compassion, kindness and humility, our meekness or gentleness should be one of those characteristics which makes us stand out from the crowd.,
True Christian gentleness can only be found where the Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of God’s people. Now, of course, there are many non-Christians who are meek and gentle. We’re not denying that, but meekness and gentleness - in fact all of the character traits the Bible calls us to - when found in the lives of those who don’t know Christ, are the exception and not the rule. We know this, because all of these things do not come naturally to man in his fallen state.
But remember, we now have the mind of Christ, and this is what makes the difference. Peter reminds us to treat those outside of the faith with gentleness. “In your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)
And finally in verse 12, Paul adds patience, also called long-suffering in the Bible.
If God were not patient no one would be saved. 2 Peter 3:15 says, “Count the patience of our Lord as salvation.”
Four times in the book of Exodus, God called the Israelites a “stiff-necked people,” yet He still brought them into the Promised Land, and they remain His special people today. In Colossians 3:13, Paul says, “Bear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Anyone who has ever tried that will know just how much patience and long suffering that requires, but treating each other with patience is not an optional extra for Christians. It should be a natural part of who we are, and all because of Christ.
You may have noticed that all five of the qualities Paul mentions in verse 12 (compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience) have to do with personal relationships within the church, and he brings them all together in verse 14 when he writes, “Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
1 Corinthians 13, the so-called “love chapter” is so often quoted at weddings, but the context of this teaching of Christian love was in a very strongly worded letter to a divided church. The love Paul writes about in this chapter has nothing to do with romantic love. Instead, he is writing about Christian love among our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we learned to love each other as we ought, we will find ourselves showing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience almost as a second nature.
In verse 15, Paul goes on to say, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” The Greek word he used for peace here is the same word John used when the risen Christ said “Peace be with you” to His disciples.
That same Greek word eirene was used in secular language to describe a formal peace treaty that brought an end to hostilities between two warring cities or tribes.
This reminds us of what the cross of Christ has achieved for us, and how we are now to live at peace with one another. Because of Jesus, we are at peace with God. How then, can we not be at peace with one another?
Agreeing to disagree and changing the subject is not true Christian peace. The peace which Paul is writing about is supernatural in origin, and it is only possible for us to live at peace with one another because of what God has done in Christ. It is because of the atoning death of His own Son that we, who were once enemies of God, can now be reconciled to Him and be at peace with Him.
When someone becomes a Christian he quite literally lays down his arms and takes no further part in the war that we have waged against God since the Fall in the Garden of Eden. Paul reminds us of this in Ephesians 2:1-7. “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Will we ever fully grasp the enormity of what God has done for us?
The words of John 3:16 flow off the tongue very easily, because we have heard them so many times, but have a look at the depth and the beauty of Colossians 3:16. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” How much more effective would the church of Jesus Christ be; how much more effective would our church family be, if we took these words to heart and truly lived them out in obedience to God?
The words ‘dwell in you richly’ call us to become totally immersed in the Word of God.
We are to be people of and students of the Word. Christian doctrine matters, because the world is a confused and a confusing place. Whatever kind of weird and wonderful philosophy or worldview you want to adopt as your own, you will always find others who are quite happy to help you become more confused.
Satan’s goal is to fill our minds with his lies, and one of the most effective tools he uses is getting the church to question the authority of the Word of God. He said it to Eve all those years ago: “Did God really say?” And he continues to ask that same question today.
I believe it was Selwyn Hughes, the author of the Every Day with Jesus devotionals who wrote, “I can just imagine the angels going to Paul in heaven and saying, ‘Paul, you’ll never guess what they’re saying about what you wrote now?’”
Our best defence against the lies of the world, the flesh and the devil is a solid understanding of Christine doctrine as laid out for us in the pages of the Bible.
It’s bad enough that the world scoffs at and rejects the Bible, but what is it about so many Christians who feel they need to re-interpret the Word of God to suit their own twisted ideologies?
John MacArthur said to a group of seminary students many years ago, “Don’t tell them what you think it says. Tell them what it says.” (I have that quote laminated and stuck on our pulpit).
It is when we are mature in our understanding of the Word that we will be able to do what Paul teaches in verse 16, namely, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom. If we are going to take seriously the call to Christian discipleship, we need to be absolutely clear in our minds on the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.
The Bible teacher and apologist Darrell Harrison is quite active on Twitter, and he is happy to engage in debates with non-believers. As you can imagine, he receives a lot of criticism - some polite, and some not so polite. This is what he has pinned to the top of his Twitter feed: “Apparently, I must say this again for the sake of those to whom it is still unclear. I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. I believe what the Bible says - all of it. Consequently, my worldview, which you are not obligated to share, is informed by what the Bible teaches.”
Does the Bible shape our worldview? As God’s people, He not only teaches us through His Word, but we are to teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
This speaks of the importance of not only Christian fellowship, but corporate worship. A church family should gather together regularly for worship. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s hard being a Christian out there in the world which is hostile to the Gospel and hates Christ and all He stands for, which is why it is so important for us to gather regularly for prayer and worship. We need to encourage each other on our Christian journey, and we need each other. Someone once said that the freelance Christian, who would be a Christian but is too superior to belong to the visible church on Earth in one of its forms, is simply a contradiction in terms.
Paul concludes the section of Scripture we are looking at today by writing, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)
This is an all-encompassing exhortation which covers every aspect of the life of those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ. “Whatever you do.”
As Christians we believe that there is no part of our lives which is secular. It’s all sacred. We have been saved at immeasurable cost, and our lives are now hidden with Christ, because we have been raised with Him. The Christian way of life is not to be reserved for Sundays only. Christianity is not a hobby. It is our new life.
In Colossians 3 Paul teaches us to put on the things of Christ, as we leave the things of the world behind us. As the church we are to love each other and let the word of Christ dwell in our hearts and minds. And we are to do all these things “in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Homegroup Study Notes
Read Colossians 3:12-17
Discuss each of the 5 Christian values Paul teaches us to put on in verse 12.
Why do so many Christians (including ourselves!) struggle in these areas?
Paul begins by reminding us that we are chosen by God, holy and beloved. How does this truth change the way we understand Paul’s teaching in this verse?
How does verse 13 challenge you?
What is Christian love and peace as described in verses 14 and 15?
How do we let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly, and how should Christian doctrine guide us through this sinful world?
What role does corporate worship play in our Christian journey?
Close by discussing what Paul teaches us in verse 17.