Putting on the New

BY RAY C. STEDMAN

Colossians 3:12-17
There was a popular song some 50 years ago that went like this: "You've got to accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative, Latch on to the affirmative, And don't mess with Mr. In-between."

Those lyrics reflect well our text from Colossians 3 for this study. Listen to these affirmative words as it begins:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (vv. 12,13).
Stated there are the positive qualities of Christian living. Note that the apostle Paul speaks of them as something we clothe ourselves with, something we ought to put on every day.

On the surface, this passage sounds much like what the advocates of "positive thinking" or "possibility thinking" are preaching. They say, "Think positively. Believe you can do it and you can face the day with courage and confidence." The problem is, you cannot put on these Christian virtues unless, as Paul says earlier in verse 9, you first take off "your old self with its practices".

As chosen individuals

And that is something we cannot do ourselves. That's why Paul starts this passage by saying, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved"

There it is. We did not make ourselves God's people. Jesus said once to his disciples, "You have not chosen me but I chose you." We are believers because God had chosen us to be so.

As a result, we are not only dearly loved by Him, we are "holy". To be holy means to be separate and distinct. We are intended by God to be different. Our lifestyle should reflect distinct Christian qualities, including these seven:

Compassion. Compassion is what we would call a heart of pity, a sense of sympathy, or a sense of empathy with someone else. We are all sinners, we are all far from being perfect. And yet, Jesus died to save us because He has compassion for us. Remembering that, we should be able to look at others with a compassionate heart despite all their shortcomings. We know that they have their trials and problems, as well as their human faults. When we approach others that way, we will realize that love does cover over a multitude of sins.

Kindness. Kindness is action that reveals compassion, action that arises out of a sense of sympathy. It can take many different formsa smile, a kind word, a pat on the shoulder, an invitation to lunch, an offer of help.

Although they may not show it, most people are hurting inside. Many, for instance, live a lonesome life. Even a little act of kindness can brighten their day much more than you realize.

Humility. The chief Christian virtue, I believe, is humility because it is the exact opposite of the worst of sinspride. Thus, we are to put on humility, to think humbly of ourselves.

As Paul puts it in Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." A modern proverb puts it well: All of us are made in the same mold, only some are moldier than others!

Gentleness. Gentleness is a familiar word that is oftentimes translated "meekness". Meekness is "strength under control". It is strength that need not show how strong it is.

This is what our Lord beautifully displays. Though He is Almighty God, Jesus nevertheless describes Himself as "meek and lowly in heart" when He invites those who are weary and burdened to rest in Him, to take His yoke upon them and to learn of Him.

Patience. Patience literally is longsuffering, the enduring of another's exasperating conduct. It is a negative term. It is holding back, restraining yourself from becoming upset or speaking sharply or shrilly to some whose conduct you find difficult and agitating.

Forbearance. Linked with patience is the sixth quality, forbearance. "Bear with one another." This is similar to longsuffering, but it is the positive side. Literally it is "to uphold and support" someone. Not only to restrain yourself but to support others, encourage them. It is a great Christian quality.

Forgiveness. The last quality in this passage is the ability to forgive. The apostle emphasizes its importance by saying it twice: "Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

What a beautiful thing it is to find forgiveness in a Christian's heart! It does not mean that we have to repress any grievance that we may have. Jesus says, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you" (Matt. 18:15). After you have done that, though, forgive.

Forgiveness involves three things: First, we are not to bring up again to that person what we have forgiven. Second, we do not tell anybody else about the matter. Finally, we do not remind ourselves of what has been forgiven! We may not be able to erase it from memory, but we are not to dwell on it.

Binding force. Having told us to put on these seven beautiful qualities, Paul says in verse 14:

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Love ties everything together like a belt or a girdle. This is that quality of acceptance of others because you are a new person yourself. You have put aside the old person you once were.

As members of Christ's body

Next, the apostle shows us how we, as a new man, are to behave as a member of the church (vv. 15,16):
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and counsel one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Peace. What should it be like when we come together as members of the body of Christ? As the apostle points out, it begins with peace: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts." Churches are to live at peace.

The word "rule" here is interesting. It means to be an umpire. Baseball fans know that the man in the black suit who stands behind the catcher rules on the plays and makes the calls. Managers curse and kick dirt at him, fans boo him and throw pop bottles at him. Yet, he remains unruffled. That is the idea here. Let the calmness of Christ rule among the hearts of all church members.

Praise. The second thing is to be thankful. We find this exhortation everywhere in Scripture. Why? Because we know we do not deserve anything. Right from birth, we are self-centered, and opposed to others. God, in perfect justice, could have wiped out this entire race. But instead, He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. What a gift!

But that's not all. Everything else comes with it: "He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Does that not awaken gratitude in your heart? So be thankful, says the apostle. Let thankfulness characterize your church meetings.

Precepts. Then the third thing: instruct one another by means of the word. "Let the word of Christ dwell among you richly." The word of God is to be well known among us. It is to reside in the hearts of all Christians, because it is the only divine guide on how we are to live and function together as members of one body.

Indeed, the whole body is to be involved in this. We are to teach and counsel one another. Jesus said, "He that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life." The Bible is alive, vital, refreshing and illuminating! It dispels doubts, fears and difficulties. We are to center our lives around the word of God.

Psalms and songs. Paul also recognizes the powerful ministry of music in the church. We are to "sing psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs." Psalms, of course, are the inspired utterances of the Book of Psalms; they are found also in various other books of the Bible.

"Hymns" are literally praise songs, responses that humans have composed to react with thanksgiving to what God has done. With this is linked "spiritual songs", testimony songs that reflect, again, how God has led us. If you look through any hymn book you will find these three types of songs all included.

As we sing, we are ministering to each other, encouraging one another. You may have gone to church depressed and discouraged, but as the congregation sang one of these great hymns, you began to be lifted up by it. You began to rejoice again in spirit because the music and the words reminded you of the greatness of God. So, we are to sing the truth as well as study it, with gratitude in our hearts for all that God has done.

As part of the society

Verse 17 moves from the church to the arena of society and the world:
Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
"Whatever you do"that means the whole of life is to be related to the Lordship of Jesus. Everything in life, every contact you have with others in the world, every activity in school, at workas well as at home or in the churchcan become an act of worship or a demonstration of Christ living in you. Even routine things we do can be offered to Christ, done in the name of the Lord, and motivated by our relationship to him.

What a difference of motivation this makes to a Christian! You do even things you do not like because you offer them willingly to the Lord as a sweet sacrifice to him. You are laboring, not for the world or its benefits, but for Christ.

So, beloved, as you take off your old self, put on the new self. Clothe yourselves with Christ. o

The late Rev. Ray C. Stedman was pastor of Peninsula Bible Church, 3505 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306.

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