Col. 3:9-15: Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 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. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Vs.9: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices…”
We have been called to be HONEST with each other. This means even when it may hurt. As the truth often does. Maybe there is something you need to confess. Or maybe there is an offense that needs to be addressed. We must be real with each other. It was in our fallen nature to lie to one another and be agreeable even in the face of wrong doing simply to pacify each other or keep a profitable relationship free of offense. This is NOT the way of Christ however. As followers of Jesus we owe it to each other to tell the truth in the hopes that our brother or sister may grow in their faith and obedience to Christ. We should also hold dearly those who do the same for us. The most dangerous friend to have is the one who won’t be honest with you when you are wrong. That person is actually your enemy.
Is there anyone you need to be honest with?
What is holding you back?
Do you love them?
Pray for the strength to tell them the truth.
Vs. 10: …”and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
Our identity and its mentality is being transformed by the Spirit of God. It is a process for sure. But it is an inescapable one for those who have truly received the Gospel. The end result is that we will bear the image of Jesus in all aspects of our lives. In order to PUT OPN the NEW, we must PUT OFF the OLD. This is done through obedience to God’s word and intimately walking with God as disciples of Jesus Christ. We will be unable to have honest fellowship with others unless we die to the OLD SELF. Only by God’s spirit can we fellowship together as we should.
What traces of the “OLD MAN” do you still see ion your life?
What are you doing to put them off?
What evidence of the NEW SELF do you see emerging in your life?
How is it effecting the way you treat others?
Vs. 11: Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
This verse makes it crystal clear that those of us who have placed our faith are all ONE according to Him. He has brought us all together and the dividing lines that once were used by the flesh to separate us, whether blood line, ethnic race, nationality, social or economic class, or ALL done away with and we are now ONE BODY with JESUS as our head. It is because of this fact that allowing these things to divide us is considered evidence that those who do so are not truly in the faith. Because those who have the true spirit of God will love those born of that same spirit.
Do you view fellow believers as your FAMILY?
Does faith in Jesus define who you consider family? Or are you still caught up in the issues of the flesh that Christ has done away with?
How does viewing ALL believers, no matter how different from you they may be, as your family help you to be able to fellowship with the Body of Christ?
How does this truth challenge you?
Vs. 12-13: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 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.”
We now see clearly the character traits and attributes we must strive for if we are going to be able to treat each other as we should. Notice we are commanded to PUT ON these attributes… not just simply pray they will naturally develop. There is a work that we are expected to do in order to develop these characteristics. Simply laying back and hoping God does all the work is not the proper position to take as followers of Christ. We have been called to participate in the development of Christ’s character in our hearts and minds. The Spirit does the work and we work for the Spirit. Notice that forgiveness is also involved. It is very important that we not let bitterness and unforgiveness enter into our fellowships. True fellowship is like a house of cards with Love as its foundation. If we allow unforgiveness in, it will strike the very foundation of the house and all other attributes will crumble. We must forgive others as God has forgiven us. That is our 1st line of defense against the cancer of offense.
Do you see any character trates that you know you are lacking in?
Which ones?
Are you holding onto unforgiveness in any way?
If so, what must YOU DO to let it go?
Remember this, if we are unwilling to forgive others… God will be unwilling to forgive us. We will be condemned to eternal death for our own guilt before God for being unwilling to release others from their guilt before us.
Vs. 14: “And above all these, put-on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Notice that we are told to make LOVE our highest priority. The reason is that all the other attributes that are necessary for Godly fellowship rely on LOVE in order to be done in correct balance. Love is the perfect counter weight for the imbalance that fear, selfishness, greed, and all other manners of evil that our fleshliness produces. LOVE conquers them ALL. Without it we will not be able to endure or execute the proper measure of any of the things mentioned in Vs.12-13.
How often do you pursue a better LOVE walk?
What do you do to develop it?
What changes do you need to make in order to Love others better?
Vs. 15: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
One thing I’ve noticed about myself is that when I have no inner peace, my ability to love others as I should plummets. The reason we are commanded to put on the “PEACE OF CHRIST” is that it never fails. Jesus is the only constant. We are unable to truly find peace in anything else because all else fails and fades. Jesus is God and therefore unchanging and unmovable. When we focus on the eternal hope we have in Him rather than our situation, we will have a peace this world cannot take from us. This will enable us to live selfless and be able to truly love and serve others as we should. Being THANKFUL allows us to ward off anxiety and anger, fear and bitterness. Having an attitude of thanksgiving puts God above ALL and helps us walk in Love with pure motives and a pure heart.
What is your faith in?
What gives you peace?
Do you trust God?
How can you demonstrate your trust for God better in your day to day life?
What are you thankful for?
How do you show it?
Reflection:
What has this study taught you?
How will you apply it moving forward?
