Bible Study from September 7, 2020 - Colossians 3:12-13

We begin this study with a reminder, again, of who we are as believers in Christ. Colossians 3:12 says that we are God’s chosen people, counted as holy, as saints, in the eyes of God, and dearly loved by God - and all of this comes to us through Jesus Christ, Who is all and in all of us (v.11).

Knowing God’s love for us then brings us to seek to put on in our lives qualities that help us live in love also with one another. This process is described in 1 John 4:13-21. We see and are brought to believe in Christ’s sacrificial love for us, coming from God, Who is love. As Jesus lives and works in us, our thoughts turn from fear to gratitude for what God has already done for us. We love because He first loved us; and we can show our love for God by loving our neighbor, too. (If you want more detail on this 1 John passage, I preached a sermon on it on June 14, which you can listen to here: https://lutheransermons.podbean.com/e/sermon-for-the-first-sunday-after-trinity-june-14-2020/

Jesus summarizes the 10 Commandments as love first for God (Commandments  1-3) and then love for our neighbor (Commandments 4-10). See Mark 12:28-34, for example. In his explanation of the Commandments, in the Catechism, Luther speaks not only of what we are forbidden to do, but also of what we can do in a positive way to love and care for our neighbor.

Notice the sharp contrast, then, in Colossians 3, between what we are to get rid of and put to death, in verses 5ff., and what we are to put on, in verses 12ff., to help us in showing love to others around us. The qualities of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience are qualities that can build relationships with others. I use a quotation from R.C.H. Lenski  to describe how Greek/Roman culture despised these qualities as qualities of weakness, where we will only be run over and taken advantage of by others. As Christians, though, we know our own sins and weaknesses. We cannot act toward others with superiority over them, but only, as Luther said, as fellow “beggars” who all need the mercy of God.

I then go into a description of what each of these qualities means and why there are variations in the translation of some of them. For example, see why the King James Version of the first has “bowels of mercy” where the ESV has “compassionate hearts." The KJV is actually more literal and accurate, but the ESV may make clearer sense for us today. I also use a quotation from Martin Franzmann about “meekness” or “gentleness." It really is trusting not in ourselves and our power, but in God and His care for us, even in very difficult situations in life. We do not have to be “macho” people, pushing others around. We trust God to take care of us, as Jesus did, when He went humbly to the cross, as a suffering servant, to save us. See Psalm 37 as an example of such meekness and Scriptures like Philippians 2:1-4, Matthew 11:29, Galatians 6:1, 2 TImothy 2:24-26, and Titus 3:2.

In Colossians 3:13, we are called to “bear with," to endure and put up with one another in troubled times, and to be ready to forgive, as the Lord first has forgiven us. No relationship can survive without repentance and forgiveness, as we are all such imperfect people. Christ’s willingness to forgive us is our example, always. See how Jesus answers Peter’s question in Matthew 18:21-22, and following. See also Matthew 6:12, Ephesians 4:32, and 2 Corinthians 2:3-11, etc. I also make some comments on how all this applies to relationships in the church and in families and marriage and in our current situation in our country.

None of this is easy. Only Jesus perfectly lived out these verses. Next week, we will see how Paul points out gifts of God, love and the peace of Christ and the Word of Christ, and God’s own continuing forgiveness for us, to help us.