What to wear? There are many great virtues with which we may clothe ourselves, but how do we put them on? Hear from Dr. Marty Baker as he brings the words of the Apostle Paul to life as we continue in Colossians chapter three.
I think I’m pretty good at selecting the right color combinations for clothes; however, there are times when my wife, Liz, poses a simple question as I head out the door: “Are you going out dressed like that?” Men, if you are married, chances are good you’ve heard this question before. If you are not married yet, I’d say it’s wise to prepare for fashion analysis from your future wife. It is just how God has gifted them.
When you hear this probing question, an improper response is, “Yeah, I think I look great.” That will not fly with your wife, I’m sure. What she wants to hear is this, “Oh, honey, thanks for saving me this morning. What’s wrong with my clothing selection?” In a few seconds, she will have you in your master bedroom closet to get squared away, and if you are fortunate, she might even follow you to show you some better selections for the day.
This life drill reminds us of how Paul functioned toward believers in the NT churches spread throughout the Roman empire. Believers who wore the wrong spiritual clothing, clothing that didn’t honor God, heard from the Apostle quickly in his letters. Colossians chapters three and four are a case study in proper spiritual fashion. After explaining the lofty nature of Jesus Christ as the God-man and demonstrating the high price He paid to secure our new life in His family, Paul turns and tells believers that they need to regard their maturation as disciples of Christ as a daily concern regarding their spiritual clothing choices. It is a principle that transcends time, meaning it applies to us 2,000 years later.
Paul’s overall theme of this passage can be summarized in this statement:
Your Christian Life Should Always Be Moving From The Old Life To the New Life (Col. 3:5-4:6)
Take a look at your spiritual clothes. Do you have any that are sinful and need to go? Then take them off and grab those that honor God. To help you in this process, Paul communicates like a skilled attorney developing his case. The following chart illustrates the structured nature of his teaching:
Currently, we are in the last section titled.
The Identification of the Right Clothing (Col. 3:12-17)
Verse 12 introduces us to the two subpoints of this powerful, convicting section:
12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; (Col. 3).
Those sub-points surface here. We have a new command (Col. 3:12a), which is followed by a new clothing list (Col. 3:12b-17). In our last study, we explored the meaning of the five virtuous spiritual clothing items we need to wear to grow in the faith. How are you faring with these in your life? Did you make appreciable progress this week? Did you clean out your spiritual closet?
In the ensuing verses of this particular pericope, Paul adds several more pieces of spiritual clothing he wants us to wear.
Garment #6: Patience With Each Other (Col. 3:13a). The last clothing selection dealt with patience in general. This one, conversely, is focused specifically on believers. If they can be patient with each other in a church setting, then the church can know peace and unity, while also being a light to non-Christians. Here is how Paul introduces this particular clothing:
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. (Col. 3)
13 ἀνεχόμενοι ἀλλήλων καὶ χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς ἐάν τις πρός τινα ἔχῃ μομφήν· καθὼς καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐχαρίσατο ὑμῖν, οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς· (Col. 3)
The verb here (anechomenoi) is a present-tense participle denoting a call to a perpetual lifestyle. Put differently, believers must strive to exercise self-restraint with other saints who push their buttons. How does this happen? You are quiet, and they are talkative. You are heady, and they are emotional. You don’t want people to know much about your life, but they can’t wait to tell you everything that is going on in your life. You process things in your head, and they are verbal processors, and this drives you to the brink of sanity. You like things well-ordered and well-planned, and they get church projects done chaotically at the last minute. You are not a hugger, but they thrive on hugs. You don’t have much dysfunction, and they are laden with it and love to tell you about it. You are physically healthy, but they always seem to have a boatload of medical issues, and they unload them on you without much prompting. You are positive, and they are, well, negative. To them, the glass is always half empty, no matter what happens.
In light of this “command,” I must ask you another personal question: Is there anyone in our large body of believers you are not bearing with? Are you rude to them? Do you steer clear of them when you see them coming? Does their personality bug you and make you uncomfortable? What is Paul’s advice? Ask the Spirit for more grace with this person so you can treat them like Christ would.
And speaking of Christ, don’t you think He had to bear with the disciples? Of course, He did.
- Even after they had all seen mighty miracles, they freaked out when they thought their little ship was sinking in a storm while Jesus was fast asleep. So, what did they do? They surely didn’t say, “We will be okay because the Creator is with us” (Matt. 8:23). What did he say to them when they aroused him? “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” He then turned and rebuked the wind that caused the storm, and the lake became flat (Matt. 8:26).
- The disciples argued frequently about whom among them would be the greatest. “33 They came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’ 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest.35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.’” (Mk. 9). Jesus could have responded differently, “What is the problem with you men? Don’t you get it? Aren’t you paying attention? Can’t you connect the dots? After all you’ve seen and heard from me, how can you be arguing about who is the greatest among you? When are you going to see the light and realize you need to be servants?” Again, he bore with them, as you should with others. Will you, is the question.
Garment #7: Forgiveness (Col. 3:13b). Paul knew the value of forgiveness, especially in the growing church body. Without it, there is no peace, just chaos and fractured relationships . . . the same thing you see in the world. With it comes peace, unity, and a strong bond among broken people. Hence, he gives believers of all time another present tense participle denoting perpetual action, charizomenoi (χαριζόμενοι ):
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. (Col. 3)
The verbal “command” is built on the word for grace. What is grace? It is an unexpected favor. If your lender for your home contacted you this week and said, “Mr. Jones, our team was sitting around the table this week, and we decided that since you lost your job recently in budget cuts, we were going to forgive your loan,” that would be an act of complete grace.
Paul relates forgiveness in this verse to a situation involving a complaint. The complaint can be real or imagined; justified or unjustified; but either way, Paul says that saints should always strive to forgive. How should we forgive? Paul raises the bar high, saying that our forgiveness should always be on par with Christ’s model. Woa. How did Jesus forgive? No strings attached. No desire to make it conditional. No plan on hauling out your dirty laundry the next time you go off the spiritual reservation. Christ’s forgiveness of you at the moment of faith was bathed in love and a desire to forgive you of your many transgressions completely. So, the next time you say, “I can forgive many things, but I can’t forgive that, consider that Jesus forgave all your sins.
Paul’s argument, therefore, runs from the greater to the lesser. If this is how Jesus forgives, then how can we not forgive in the same way? We should. Permit me to put a finer point on this. Since Jesus has forgiven you of all your sins, how can you not forgive something as really insignificant as a complaint? Forgiveness, not anger or retaliation, should be your first response when wronged:
- Not everyone in my small group visited me in the hospital, and I’m miffed about that. Forgive.
- I can’t believe he frequently shows up late to a commitment. Forgive.
- Why do I have to work so hard while they sit back and enjoy the ministry without any effort? Forgive.
- I told them something in confidence, and the next thing I knew, several people knew about it. Forgive.
Trust me, in a church with a base of 3,000 people, many of whom desire to know and follow hard after Jesus, there will be times when you have a complaint, when your feelings get hurt, and someone does something against or to you. It just comes with the carnal turf because none of us are in heaven yet.
So, I must ask you another practical question: Is there anyone you need to forgive? Is there anyone in this body you have been withholding forgiveness from? I think you know what you need to do. Arrange a time to tell them you forgive them. Put your arm around them and tell them you love them anyway. Tell them you are all good and desire to move onward and upward.
Garment #8: Love (Col. 3:14). Paul steps back here and looks at the seven virtuous garments he has just presented for saints to wear, and then he draws this conclusion:
14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. (Col. 3)
BGT Colossians 3:14 ἐπὶ πᾶσιν δὲ τούτοις τὴν ἀγάπην, ὅ ἐστιν σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος. (Col. 3:14 BGT)
The command is implied by means of ellipsis, as you can see from the fact that the phrase “put on” (which is the command) is italicized in the English text. By using this grammatical construction, Paul makes the reading of the verse choppy to draw attention to the need for there always to be love, divine love, agape love, permeating all we do.
Paul says that love is “the perfect bond of unity.” The Greek for “bond” is thundesmos (σύνδεσμος). Ardnt’s Greek lexicon defines it well:
σύνδεσμος, ου, ὁ (συνδέω; Eur., Thu. et al.; LXX; Jos., Ant. 3, 120) and τὸ σύνδεσμον B 3:3 (the pl. σύνδεσμα is found occasionally beside σύνδεσμοι) prim. ‘that which binds together’.
① that which holds someth. together, fastener lit. (Appian, Bell. Civ. 4, 115 §483 οἱ σύνδεσμοι of the fastenings that hold the various ships together; Herm. Wr. 1, 18; EpArist 85=‘fastening’) ligaments of the body (Eur., Hipp. 199 al.; on Galen’s usage s. Lghtf., Col p. 199; Straub 33f) w. ἁφή Col 2:19 pl.
② that which brings various entities into a unified relationship, uniting bond fig. ext. of 1; σύνδ. τῆς εἰρήνης the bond of peace, i.e. that consists in peace (epexegetic gen.; Plut., Numa 63 [6, 4] σύνδεσμος εὐνοίας κ. φιλίας; W-S. §30, 9b) Eph 4:3. Love is σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος the bond that unites all the virtues (which otherwise have no unity) in perfect harmony or the bond of perfect unity for the church Col 3:14 (cp. Simplicius In Epict. p. 89, 15 Düb. οἱ Πυθαγόρειοι … τὴν φιλίαν … σύνδεσμον πασῶν τ. ἀρετῶν ἔλεγον; Pla., Polit. 310a.—S. also Pla., Leg. 21, 5, 921c of law: τῆς πόλεως σ.).—On σύνδεσμος as a philos. concept: WJaeger, Nemesios v. Emesa 1918, 96–137. KReinhardt, Kosmos u. Sympathie 1926; AFridrichsen, Serta Rudbergiana ’31, 26, SymbOsl 19, ’39, 41–45; GRudberg, ConNeot 3, ’39, 19–21.
③ a bond that confines/hinders, fetter only fig. σύνδεσμος ἀδικίας (Is 58:6) fetter that consists in unrighteousness Ac 8:23 (s. also 4 below); B 3:3, 5 (in the two last-named passages Is 58:6 and 9 are quoted in context).
④ entities that are held together by a bond, bundle (of cattle food O. Mich 240, 2 [III–IV a.d.]; 239, 2 [IV a.d.]); in imagery Ac 8:23 according to Mft., Goodsp. et al. (s. 3 above). By fig. ext. band, college (Herodian 4, 12, 6 ὁ σ. τῶν ἐπιστολῶν) σ. ἀποστόλων ITr 3:1.—DELG s.v. 1 δέω. M-M. TW. Sv.[1]
What cold vanilla ice cream is to hot apple pie is to “fine dining,” what a hub is to the spokes, what tendons are to muscles, is what agape love is as a spiritual garment. It is the main thing. It is the key thing. It is what makes the wardrobe. Love is what brings our spiritual lives to a point of unity. The Greek for “perfect,” teleiotes (τελειότης). In Hebrews 6:1, it is rightly translated “maturity.” What is the chief end of all disciples of Christ? That they would love each other at all times, for this is the ultimate sign of spiritual maturity.
- When Jesus was wronged, He loved.
- When His disciples acted selfishly, He loved.
- When His disciples deserted Him in His hour of need, He loved.
- When people called Him nasty names and made His ministry difficult, He loved.
- When seventy of His disciples deserted Him, He loved.
- When John the Baptist wavered in his faith before His execution, He loved.
Jesus constantly wore the garment called love. Do you? Will you?
What is biblical, divine love like, in case you need a refresher? There is no greater definition than what Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 13:
4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor. 13)
Does this kind of love describe you? If so, great. You are reflecting the character of Christ, and for that, He is well-pleased. If not, then it’s time to ask the Lord for help in trading garments.
Garment #9: Peace (Col. 3:15).
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. (Col. 3)
What does Paul mean in this opening clause? This is another instance where understanding a Greek word is helpful. The Greek for “rule,” brabeuo ( βραβεύω), is an athletic term. Ardnt’s lexicon is, once again, insightful:
βραβεύω (s. βραβεῖον) prim. ‘award prizes in contests’, then gener. be in control of someone’s activity by making a decision, be judge, decide, control, rule (Eur.+; Polyb. 2, 35, 3; Diod S 14, 65, 3; Plut., Lycurg. 58 [30, 2], Pomp. 649 [55, 6], Brut. 1002 [40, 8] al.; Herm. Wr. 18, 16; Michel 163, 11; SIG 685, 32 [139 b.c.]; UPZ 20, 22 [163 b.c.]; 110, 70; 161 [164 b.c.]; Wsd 10:12; Philo, Mos. 1, 163 al.; Jos., Bell. 5, 503; 6, 143 al.; Theoph. Ant. 3, 15 [p. 234, 19]) abs. ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Χ. βραβευέτω ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts (=be the decisive factor) Col 3:15.—DELG s.v. βραβεύς. M-M.[2]
This word, therefore, literally spoke of an umpire. In ancient Greek Olympic Games and Panhellenic festivals, where athletes competed against each other, judges enforced fairness, punished cheaters, and awarded the victors.
Applied to believers, here is what I think Paul is getting at. If the peace of Jesus Christ rules our hearts like an umpire, then this will set the pace for how we function, especially in a local body of believers. Hence, when we face a gnarly, complex problem with another believer, the umpire of Christ’s peace steps in and whispers in our ear: What would peace look like in this situation? What actions can you personally take to head toward peace? What do you need to do to establish a beachhead for peace? Yes, what would Jesus do? He would be for peace, so go and follow in his footsteps, or to use Paul’s analogy in this passage, wear the garment of peace. Be a peacemaker, not a warmaker.
Over the last few months, I’ve been going through my five lateral file cabinets and cleaning house. I haven’t done this in almost forty years, so I’ve been dumping a lot of paperwork, tests, class papers, articles, and so forth. I’ve also found things I forgot about. For instance, I found letters I kept from a man who used to write me scathing 8 to 10-page letters most Sundays. After service, he would slip them under my door to set me straight. Trust me. This man, who was like a Gnostic legalist and who thought he was spiritually superior to everyone, did not know the umpire of divine peace. He was too busy condemning, judging, analyzing, and critiquing everyone else, and blowing up now and then when people didn’t listen to him. It was freeing this week to send his letters to be shredded after 33 years. Please, don’t be like this fake spiritual saint who only sowed division and strife wherever he went. Be like a mature saint who lives by the calls of the peaceful umpire in his heart. Do that, and you will never hear Jesus tell you, as you head out the door on a given day, “Are you going out like that?” No. You will hear Him say, “I’m so glad you are wearing the garment of peace, and that you chose to live by the voice of the umpire of peace.”
Garment #10: Bible Focused (Col. 3:16).
16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col. 3)
The false teachers who had infiltrated the church in Colossae didn’t come with God’s Word. They came with their word and bits and pieces of God’s Word. Their teaching didn’t highlight Jesus; it diminished Him. Their teaching taught a false way to know the living God by means of following their man-made legalistic rules and traditions. Their words brought confusion, distrust, fear, and dissension.
Enter Paul, the spiritual fashionista. His counsel to the church couldn’t have been clearer. If they would make and keep the Word of God central to their lives and church, then they would be wise, not fools, who followed after false theology. . . like that of the Gnostics. And what is wisdom? It is the ability to use God’s revealed knowledge in the right way at the right time. Wisdom from above, then, would help them identify the false from the true so they wouldn’t be misled. Further, they would be able to properly admonish those who drifted from the faith because the Word of God serves as a laser-level truth.
Wisdom becomes a possibility when we are consumed with God’s Word. How so? The Word tells us what truth is, and then we have a choice to apply this truth in any given situation, be it in building a great marriage or spotting false teaching. So, I must ask you: Does the Bible dwell richly in you? How do you go about making this a reality in your life? Answer: Read it. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Study it. Talk about it. But most importantly, apply it to your life.
How can you know if the Word is dwelling within you? Answer: You see it in your private and public worship. A love of the Word creates a desire to sing and worship the Lord of the Word. Do you listen to Christian music in private? Do you play it on your instrument? Do choruses get stuck in your head? Do you sing during corporate worship? Do you arrive early so you are actually part of the musical aspect of our services, or do you stroll in late? Musical worship of the Lord is one of the best ways to determine if you are in the Word and Word is in you. That Word moves you to worship, by nature.
This week, I enjoyed playing an old hymn my mother loved and played when I was a child. Now that she is with Christ, it means a great deal to me. Virgil and Blanche Brock wrote this song in 1936 after they watched a beautiful sunset with a blind Christian friend. As the sun set, that friend said that he could “see beyond the sunset,” and, indeed, he could.
Verse 1
Beyond the sunset O blissful morning
When with our Savior heav’n is begun
Earth’s toiling ended O glorious dawning
Beyond the sunset when day is done
Verse 2
Beyond the sunset no clouds will gather
No storms will threaten no fears annoy
O day of gladness O day unending
Beyond the sunset eternal joy
Verse 3
Beyond the sunset O glad reunion
With our dear loved ones who’ve gone before
In that fair homeland we’ll know no parting
Beyond the sunset forevermore
The Word teaches me about the redemptive mission Christ took to save sinners like us. This song is a natural outcropping of that message because it helps me worship the Lord who has a home for us beyond this one.
Garment #11: All For Jesus (Col. 3:17)
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. (Col. 3)
Because Jesus is THE God-man, not some diminished angelic being in Gnostic teaching, it behooves us to make sure that our entire lives are all about Him. How could they not revolve around Him? He created us. He saved us. Living for Him is, then, what all of life should be about.
- If you’re a Brigadier General, you do it as if unto Christ.
- If you are an investment broker, you do it as unto Christ.
- If you are a college student, you study as unto Christ.
- If you are newlyweds, you make sure your marriage is built on Christ.
- If you are a soccer player on a travel team, you play hard as unto Christ.
- If you are a school teacher, you teach as unto Christ.
- If you are a nurse, you care for people as if your hands and feet are those of Christ.
- If you are an Uber driver, you drive as unto Christ.
Go out into the world dressed in these eleven garments, and the world will not be the same, for they will see something they are missing but would love to have to give their lives ultimate purpose and meaning.
[1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 966.
[2] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 183.
