Put Off the Old Self and Put on the New Self! (4)

[Colossians 3:5-17]

Third, the new self we must put on is forgiveness and love.

Look at Colossians 3:13-14: “bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Eugene Peterson stated that an unforgiving heart not only distances and separates us from those who have hurt us, but it also distances us from God (Peterson). In other words, an unforgiving heart cannot have intimate fellowship with the Lord. Why do we often refuse to forgive those who have wounded us? The reason is that we fail to grasp and emulate the heart and love of God, who in His mercy forgives us of our many sins (Ref.: Mt. 18:23-35; Lk. 7:47). It is our natural instinct to repay evil with evil towards those who have harmed us, even those who have acted maliciously against us. But how can the Scriptures instruct us to pursue good towards such wicked individuals, even for our own sake (1 Thess. 5:15)?

In the Bible, Joseph not only sincerely forgave his brothers who hated him and even plotted to kill him (Gen. 50:21, 26), but he also comforted his fearful brothers with earnest words, looked after them and their children, and passed away at the age of 110. How was this possible? Joseph tasted the goodness of God (Ps. 34:8), enabling him to do good to those who intended harm against him (Eph. 2:10). In other words, although Joseph's brothers had intended harm against him, Joseph understood God's gracious plan to turn their actions into good, saving the lives of many people (Gen. 50:20). Therefore, he sincerely forgave his brothers, comforted them with earnest words, and cared for them and their children until his death. We too can perform acts of kindness, forgiving not only those who have harmed us but even those who have intended evil against us, comforting and caring for them in our hearts, only when God enables us to realize His gracious will through faith. We greatly admire this abundant grace of God. Jesus served us even unto death on the cross (Mt. 20:28; Phil. 2:8), praying for forgiveness for us until He died on the cross (Lk. 23:34). As disciples of Jesus, we should emulate Him by serving our families unto death, especially by praying for forgiveness for those whom we should forgive.

The apostle Paul, in Colossians 3:13, said, "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." When we apply this statement to our church, it's evident that within the church community, various grievances and complaints can arise, leading individuals to blame others. If this happens, it may not be easy for us to forgive or bear with the person we blame. The key to making this possible is the phrase "as the Lord forgave you" (v. 13). Those who truly understand and know that the Lord has forgiven a sinner like themselves will realize and experience love and grace from the Lord's forgiveness. Saints who comprehend and know the Lord's love and grace bestowed upon them will be able to forgive and bear with those they have grievances against, just as the Lord forgave and bore with them. Indeed, the word "forgive" in Colossians 3:13 is derived from the Greek word "charizomai," which shares its root with the word "charis" (grace), meaning to unconditionally extend grace. This implies that Christians should always treat offended individuals with grace (KJV Bible Commentary). Therefore, only those who receive God's grace, understand it, and know it can extend grace and forgive others. Then, what is the grace that we have received from God? It is stated in Colossians 1:14 - "In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, through his blood." We have obtained freedom from sin and received forgiveness of all our sins through God's grace (2:13). Furthermore, what other grace have we received from God? Looking at Colossians 3:12, it says, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved ...." Here, the grace we have received from God is that He has chosen both me and you. And the reason God chose us is not because we had any qualifications deserving of being chosen, but because God unconditionally chose us out of His love (Ref.: Eph. 1:4).

Though we are stubborn children of God who often do not listen well to our Heavenly Father's words, God the Father forgives our sins and wrongdoings and accepts us as His children. How thankful should we be for this? This is God's grace and His love (Ref.: Exod. 34:9). Therefore, as those who have unconditionally received this grace and love from God, we must bear with one another and forgive each other as stated in Colossians 3:13. Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

In this way, as new individuals, not only should we practice forgiveness, but the new character we should put on is love. Colossians 3:14 says, "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." The apostle Paul already knew through his letter to the saints in the Colossian church that they were believers in Christ Jesus who loved all the saints (Col. 1:4) and that they lived in love in the Spirit (v. 8). Furthermore, Paul said that God had already rescued the saints in the Colossian church from the power of darkness and transferred them into the kingdom of His beloved Son. Therefore, those who are in the kingdom of Jesus Christ, whom God loves, must be united in God's love (2:2). Ephesians 4:3 says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

Fourth, the new self we must put on is the peace of Christ and thankfulness.

Look at Colossians 3:15 – “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” The peacemaking Christian has a right relationship with God. They are reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20). They pursue intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, who is their peace (Eph. 2:14). The peace of Christ rules in their hearts (Col. 3:15). They do not worry about anything but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, they present their requests to God. As a result, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guards their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7). In Colossians 3:15, the Bible instructs us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. How can we allow the peace of Christ to rule our hearts? It is by continually receiving the peace that the Lord gives us. In John 14:27, Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." When we continually receive the peace that Jesus gives us, we have no need to be troubled or afraid in our hearts. Personally, when I think of the word "peace," I think of my father-in-law. About five years ago, before he passed away, my father-in-law was unable to eat orally for about nine years. Instead, my mother-in-law fed him through a tube inserted into his stomach five times a day, providing him with medication and nutrition. At that time, some brothers and sisters who loved my father-in-law and me mentioned quality of life. However, one Sunday during worship service, I had a new realization about quality of life while preaching. This new realization was that even though my father-in-law may have raised doubts about quality of life in the eyes of believers, true quality of life in the sight of God might not be a life without disease, pain, etc., but a life where one enjoys God's grace amidst such illnesses and suffering in intimate fellowship with God. Why did I have such thoughts? It's because my father-in-law, who may have been in unimaginable difficulties and pain (in fact, he reportedly told my wife that he had no pain), always enjoyed singing hymn 413 "It is well with my soul" with us. The refrain of the hymn says, "It is well with my soul ...." In other words, although my father-in-law may have experienced physical pain, spiritually, he lived a life with true quality because he enjoyed the soul's peace (shalom) that only God can give (which the world cannot provide). In this way, the Lord works in our hearts, afflicted by disease and suffering, giving us a peace that the world cannot provide, ultimately leading us to thanksgiving to God. How amazing is this work of God? It cannot be anything other than God's grace and love. We cannot help but give thanks to God. The reason is that this is the work of the Lord. Our Lord will continue to give us peace, both now and in the future.

Furthermore, in Colossians 3:15, the Bible says that as new individuals, we should clothe ourselves with thankfulness ["... and be thankful"].  The apostle Paul was a thankful person.  Colossians 1:3-4 says: "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people."  Additionally, Paul encouraged the saints in the Colossian church to give thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light (v. 12), and to continue to live our lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as we were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (2:7).  Personally, I have three special reasons to thank God: (1) I thank God because I believe that Jesus, who promised in Matthew 16:18 to establish and advance His victorious Church, the body of Christ, is fulfilling that promise as the Head of the Church.  (2) I thank God because I believe that the Lord of the household is advancing all things, even the physical household, to accomplish good.  (3) I thank God because I believe that He is fulfilling the promise of the abundant life given to me in the words of John 6:1-15, the story of the feeding of the five thousand.

We should become Christians who offer prayers of thanksgiving to God even in situations where we cannot be thankful. How can we pray thanks to God in a situation that seems impossible to be thankful for? By remembering the grace of God's past salvation bestowed upon us, we can offer prayers of thanks to God in faith. A great example of this is the prophet Jonah. The situation Jonah found himself in was certainly not conducive to offering prayers of thanksgiving to God. He spent three days and nights inside a large fish (Jon. 1:17). He was enduring distress (2:2). He was cast into the deep sea (v. 3). He was fleeing from the presence of the Lord (1:3). His life was slipping away (2:7). He was confined in the land of the dead (v. 6). Yet, even in this situation, Jonah offered prayers of thanksgiving to God (1:9). How was this possible? It was because Jonah remembered the grace of God's past salvation bestowed upon him. When Jonah was cast into the sea, God appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, allowing him to spend three days and nights inside the fish (v. 17). This was surely not the kind of salvation Jonah was praying and hoping for. Perhaps Jonah expected God to command the fish to spit him out onto dry land (2:10). However, the sovereign God's salvation was to have the great fish swallow Jonah (1:17). Nevertheless, despite all this, Jonah offered prayers of thanksgiving to God (2:1, 9).

Fifth and last, the new self we must put on is the word of Christ.

Look at Colossians 3:16 – “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.” What must we do to grow in our faith? According to Romans 10:17, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." Therefore, our faith grows as we diligently listen to the words of Jesus Christ. Christians who are actively proclaiming the words of Jesus Christ are likely enabling many people to hear His message (10:14, 17; Phil. 1:25; 2 Thess. 1:3).

In Colossians 3:16, the Apostle Paul desires for the saints of the Colossian church that "the word of Christ dwell in you richly." Here, the word "dwell" implies to "reside," "live," or "be at home," and "richly" can be understood to mean "abundantly or lavishly rich" (MacArthur). Believers, the words of Christ should permeate every area of life, controlling all thoughts, words, and actions (Ref.: Ps. 119:11; Mt. 13:9; Phil. 2:16; 2 Tim. 2:15) (MacArthur). Psalms 119:11 says, "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." The psalmist kept the Lord's words in their heart to avoid sinning against God. We too should dedicate ourselves to storing God's word in our hearts. A good way to do this is to earnestly seek God when facing hardships, suffering, or crises (prayer), and consistently meditate on God's word day and night. In doing so, the Lord, in response to our eager spirit, will give us His promises, allowing us to hold onto them and pray patiently, until He faithfully fulfills those promises in us. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit will inscribe those words on our hearts when the Lord faithfully fulfills His promise within us.

We are to put off the old self and its practices and put on the new self. The old self and its practices that we should put off include (1) immorality and idolatry (Col. 3:5) and (2) anger, malice, slander, filthy language (v. 8), and (3) lying (v. 9). And the new self that we should put on includes (1) new life and new knowledge (v. 10), (2) compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (v. 12), (3) forgiveness and love (vv. 13-14), (4) Christ's peace and thankfulness (v. 15), and (5) the word of Christ (v. 16).