(Anno
Domini, abbreviated AD or A.D.
expressly complies with Isaiah 61:2 & Luke 4:19, i.e. “To proclaim the
acceptable year of the LORD.” (Isaiah 61:2)
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, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ
forgave you, so also do ye. 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. (Col
3:12-17)
We are ask, in many places of Holy Scripture, to “put on” some intangible thing
such as the Mind of Christ, the whole armor of God, or, as here given, to put
on kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, etc. What does Paul
mean by this term, “put on?” A soldier is not a soldier unless he “puts on” a
uniform – otherwise, he is accounted an insurgent or partisan without the
protection of the laws of land warfare. General George Patton believed that a
soldier must dress and look like a soldier or he will become a sluggard. We
always feel more suited to the purpose if our dress is appropriate to it. If we
dress reverently when we enter the sanctuary of the church, we will be more
disposed to act with reverence. If we dress as a street bum, then we will be
inclined to act as we dress.
Paul is speaking here of the “ELECT” of God. What does this term (elect) mean?
It means “called and chosen.” If we are called of God, we must
make our election sure through the way in which the Holy Ghost inspires us to
live a life that reflects salvation. Do we give mere lip service to God’s Word,
or do we study diligently to see if all these things be true. If we love
the LOVE LETTER (Holy Bible) that God has given us, will we not first love its
Author? Are we not saved by Grace through Faith so that none of our cunning
works are anything worth? “ Even so then at this present time also there
is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then is
it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works,
then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. 7 What then? Israel hath not
obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the
rest were blinded
.” (Romans 11:5-7)
Here is an explanation given by H.A. Ironsides: “Election
has been has been pictured in this way. Here is a vast host of people hurrying
down the broad road with their minds fixed upon their sins, and one stands
calling attention to yonder door, the entrance into the narrow way that leads
to life eternal. On it is plainly depicted the text, "Whosoever will,
let him come." Every man is invited; no one need hesitate. Some may
say, "Well, I may not be of the elect, and so it would be useless for me
to endeavor to come, for the door will not open for me." But God's
invitation is absolutely sincere; it is addressed to every man, "Whosoever
will, let him take of the water of life freely" (Rev.
22: 17). If men
refuse to come, if they pursue their own godless way down to the pit, whom can
they blame but themselves for their eternal judgment? The messenger addressed
himself to all, the call came to all, the door could be entered by all, but
many refused to come and perished in their sins. Such men can never blame God for
their eternal destruction. The door was open, the invitation was given, they
refused, and He says to them sorrowfully, "Ye will not come unto Me,
that ye might have life." ... [But some will say], "I am
going inside: I will accept the invitation; I will enter that door," and
he presses his way in and it shuts behind him. As he turns about he finds
written on the inside of the door the words, "Chosen in Christ
before the foundation of the world.” Charles Spurgeon gave a
similar illustration of election years earlier.
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.” IF
you are the elect of God, you will put on the virtues described in this verse.
“Bowels of mercy include the heart, intestines, lungs, stomach, etc. These are
the vital organs of the person that harbor the life of his being. We must, in
the very depths of our being, wear (and possess):
1. Mercy, because God has granted
the same to us;
2. Kindness, for God has
demonstrated the extreme limits of the same to us;
3. Humbleness of mind, for Christ
demonstrated the essence of humility in allowing Himself to be abased and
abused for us;
4. Meekness, for Christ, too, was
meek and lowly;
5. Longsuffering, for Christ
suffered the greatest for the least of us.
“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a
quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
Simple enough, isn’t it? Yes, very easily said, but the doing is the crux[1]
of the matter. This is what Paul referred to as “I die daily.” (1
Cor 15:31) How can
that be? Paul means that he subordinates HIS wants to those others around him
for their benefit. He is continually giving up self for others. That sound so
simple, and it is; however, few are able to achieve that level of holiness. How
are we to forgive one another? Are we to go about, willy-nilly, forgiving men
who are reprobate sinners (rapists, murderers, men-stealers, perverts)? No, if
we lived life in that manner, there would never be a moral force against sin.
How did God forgive YOUR sins? That is the way we are to forgive others. God
does not forgive the sins of those who do not confess and repent, and neither
do we. God does not expect more of us than he demands of Himself. Of course, if
we argue, and are wrong, we should ask forgiveness of our friend. But why do
you suppose we should forgive someone for arguing points of blasphemy against
God? God gave us brains capable of logic. Let us use them!
You may forget about the points raised in the first two verses if you are in
compliance with the next, for it is the catalyst of obedience, kindness, mercy,
humility, meekness, and long suffering. “And above all these things
put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness.”
Love perfects all other weaknesses. It covers ALL sins. “Hatred stirreth
up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” (Prov
10:12) Love is a
commandment of Christ – the ONLY new commandment that He gave: “A new
commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you,
that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my
disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John
13:34-35) This is
actually a re-codification of an ancient commandment. “And thou shalt
love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy might.” (Deut 6:5) and “. . thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.” (Lev
19:18)
I have heard antinomian theologians claim these two
latter commandments negate the obedience required of the Moral Law (Ten
Commandments) but it certainly does not. Christ cleared the matter up
completely when He answered the lawyers who challenged Him: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first
and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matt
22:37-40) Obedience
to the Moral Law requires, first and foremost, obedience to the Law of Love!
Now, how much has Christ forgiven YOU? Fine, that is the
extent to which you must forgive other offenders. But love is the force that
enables us to obey God. If our love is immense, our sins will be few. We love
God ONLY because He first loved us. We belong to God because He CHOSE us. So
His love must find an echo in our own souls.
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the
which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” You are a Christian, right? Do
you still, at times, slip and fall? Do you still tell lies – even
subconsciously? Do you still get angry without cause? I am guessing that you
do! Does God immediately bring down the hammer of retribution against you when
you do these things? The peace of God rules in our hearts even though we fall
short of his righteousness. He gives us that sweet peace to love and to
forgive. We, too, are one body. How can the body hate its own hands, or feet,
or lungs, etc? Without our lungs, we perish. We need all of the organs our Lord
gave us at birth. All of the cells and tissue of the body represent the members
of the Church of God each of which serve a vital purpose to the life of the
Body. Christ is the Head of this One Body. The head controls all aspects of the
operation of the body – both voluntary and autonomic. The Body (Church) cannot
live without the Head, which is Christ. Without Christ, the church is nothing.
“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.” I love this verse! It makes
the statement I have been trying to make with a profusion of words in my hymn
devotions! Christ cannot exist in a heart that has no joy. It is because, where
Christ is, there is joy. But please observe the rest of this verse: “. . teaching
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” How simple and profound!
Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are intended to remind us of how far we fall
when we are not in the grace of God. They also teach us, and those who hear our
singing, the strong and immutable doctrines of the Church. Do you need to be
reminded of Grace? How about John Newton’s Amazing Grace? Are you
lonely? How about the Good Samaritan of Port Hope, Joseph Scriven’s “What
a Friend we Have in Jesus?” Do you need light to lead you? How about
John Henry Newman’s “Lead Kindly Light?” Do you need assurance?
How about Miss Fanny Crosby’s “Blessed Assurance?” etc, etc.
Hymns are portable Bibles we can carry in our hearts. They teach and convict.
The blaring and inharmonious racket that passes for worship music today simply
lead astray, or into the Hell from which they spring.
“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.”
It is vitally important for us to know that we have from our Lord a “Power of Attorney”
to act in His Name; but that does not give license to act outside His will in
His Name. If we have put on the Mind that was in Jesus Christ, all that we do,
all that we think, and all that we pray for will be in accordance with His
will. An ambassador to a foreign power does not have authority to negotiate
treaties that are not consistent with the will of the appointing sovereign. But
when our lives are ordered by the Mind of Christ, our lives will glorify Him.
Our prayers, too, will be granted for we do not ask amiss (James
4:3), or with
iniquity in our hearts (Psalms 66:18), but out of a will surrendered
to Christ. He is pleased to grant all things that are truly asked in His Name.
