“ Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering” Colossians 3:12 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which,” were at Colosse at the time of Paul’s writing to them, told them to “put on” the things that would help them in walking “worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God”, Colossians 1:10. Let us read our text, Colossians 3:12-17, and then comment on it in more detail. Colossians 3:12-17 “12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Paul said “to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Colossians 3:12-13 “Elect” means, “picked out, chosen” according to Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. “Bowels of mercies” means, in this context, “the seat of the tenderer affections, esp kindness, benevolent, compassion, ... hence, i.q. our heart”, according to Thayer’s. As the “elect of God” they were to put on the things connected with the tender emotions of the heart, hence, “kindness, “humbleness of mind”, which is “having a humble opinion of one’s self; a deep sense of one’s (moral) littleness; modesty, humility, lowliness of mind”, according to Thayer’s. They were to “put on” “meekness” which is, “gentleness, mildness”, according to Thayer’s. And “longsuffering”, which is “patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance; esp in bearing troubles and ills”, according to Thayer’s. Then having “put on” all of the above they were to be “forbearing” one to another, i.e., they were to “ to hold up’ ... signifying to bear with, endure’, according to Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. And they were to be forgiving, for “if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Then Paul gave them the “cement” that holds all things together, the bond which is “charity, i.e., love, God’s love. “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” What Paul described “to the saints and faithful brethren” at Colosse, are the very things that make us mature in Christ Jesus. They are foundational points that are to be the highlight of we live and interact with God and with one another. And we are to, “Let the word of Christ dwell in“ us “richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in” our “hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever” we “do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” In conclusion, let us do what Paul told the Christians at Colosse to do and that is, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Colossians 3:17 For, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” References: King James Version Bible Gateway - Thank you for Public access to Bible verses. By Public Domain Vine’s Complete Expository of Old and New Testament Words - Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers - Copyright 1985 - Thank you for the definition of the Biblical Greek word for “forbearance” and for identifying the Biblical words for “elect”, “bowels of mercies”, “humbleness of mind”, “meekness”, and “longsuffering”. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament - Hendrickson Publishers Inc. - Tenth Printing - February 2012 - Printed in the United States of America - Thank you for the definitions of the Biblical Greek words for elect”, “bowels of mercies”, “humbleness of mind”, “meekness”, and “longsuffering”.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 03:08:16 +0000
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