Monthly Archive for October, 1996

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Colossians 3:13f

Published on October 22, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
 
"so you also must do"
 
God wants us to follow the pattern of forgiveness Christ set.
Principle:
Jesus Christ set God’s standard for forgiveness for us.
Application:
God wants us to forgive as Christ forgave us (Eph. 4:32). We may resist that idea and say, “I will not.” If we develop that attitude then God will by-pass us. God will not use us as long as we maintain that attitude. “But they are wrong; they are at fault.” That has nothing to do with it. Do you want God to by-pass you? “No.” Then forgive them.
We cannot afford unforgiveness. As long as we are “off limits” with God, God will not use us. God will stick us at the back of the line. An unforgiving spirit is a sour spirit. We can take something for a sour stomach but forgiveness is the medicine for a sour spirit.
There will always be those people with whom we cannot work out a problem. The Lord Jesus confronted the Pharisees. He did not forgive them for their distortions. He unmasked them. Therefore, there is a place for intolerance. Jesus was intolerant of their sin, sham and hypocrisy.
If Christ forgave what is keeping us from forgiving? Forgiveness means to forget the offense against us. We are not to bring it up to the offender, to constantly harass them with reminders of the hurt of the past is non forgiveness. Some of us not only get hysterical but we get historical! We go back over past injuries again and again. Rehashing the problem indicates there was no forgiveness in the first place.
“Well, I’ll forgive, but I’ll never forget.” Is that the way Christ forgave? How did Christ forgive us? He dismissed and forgot our sins. We must do the same. We must forgive freely, fully, finally. We forgive those who hurt us the same way — freely. Jesus will never taunt me with my sins; he will not bedevil me with them. God does not say that we are to pray about it; just do it. God does not want us to take it under advisement; just do it.
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Colossians 3:13e

Published on October 21, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
 
"even as Christ forgave you"
 
To forgive as Christ forgave does not mean that the Christian is to become a doormat. It does mean that when we have a complaint against someone, we approach the problem with a certain bearing — an attitude of forgiveness. Jesus Christ is the standard for non retaliation. As Christ forgave so we are to forgive. The phrase “even as” indicates the standard.
 
Jesus could have retaliated against the Scribes and Pharisees, the people who wronged him. He did not seek any form of retaliation against them. He would forget their rejection and insults. He treated them on the basis of his character which was oriented to grace. Grace becomes overtly mercy. He did not attempt to ruin, hurt or destroy them. He did not try to penalize them in any way. He did, however, confront them.
Principle:
Jesus Christ is the standard for forgiveness.
Application:
God does not want us to wait until people who have hurt us come crawling. He wants us to forgive immediately. If we do not forgive immediately, we will end up very tight people. We will become bitter and upset. We may even become hysterical. We will eventually become vicious and vindictive. We will develop terrible behavior patterns. We may end up screaming and throwing tantrums.
There is no place in the Christian life for hysteria, whiners, cry babies, tantrum tillies or for any type of panic experience. That is why Jesus is the standard to show us how to treat obnoxious people.
We are to forgive as Christ forgave. Christ forgave immediately; he did not go into a tizzy; he did not whine or cry; he did not fall apart. He did not use abnormal behavior patterns seeking revenge to hurt and destroy.
This is the only way to keep from wearing out your transmission. When we get our transmission out of line, distortions will occur. We may end up with illnesses and psychosomatic illnesses. We will develop all sorts of problems. We may get ulcers or break out in rashes. The reason? We are out of kilter. God designed the body to go with the soul. The soul is the transmission of life. When the transmission strips its gears, then our lives do not go anywhere.
We cannot afford to harbor resentment against anyone, anytime for anything. If we forgive as Christ forgave, our mentality will be free from mental attitude sins. If we allow hatred, bitterness, antagonism, vindictiveness, implacability or jealousy to get hold of us, then our soul will become distorted. We are not like Christ in exercising forgiveness.
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Colossians 3:13d

Published on October 20, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
 
"if anyone has a complaint against another"
 
A complaint is a grievance against someone else. An occasion of complaint implies blame. The complaint may be justified. A “complaint” is an idiom meaning to accept an allegation against someone for a legal review. It is to bring an accusation against someone. It is an idiom meaning “to accept in accordance with a charge, to accept a complaint in court, to admit a complaint to judgment.”
 
Principle:
Forgiveness is the freedom from attitudinal sins against others.
Application:
Can you let a complaint you have against someone drop? Can you forgive fault against you? Do you hold grudges? If Christ forgave faults against him, so should we.
Complaint includes complaint about imaginary wrong. It does not mean to complain until forgiveness is asked. Once we are satisfied with their admission of failure, then we will condescend to forgive them. That is the way many operate.
A mature believer is not bitter toward those who wrong him. He is not hostile, implacable. His mind is completely free and relaxed toward other people. He does not retaliate through gossip and maligning. He does not use revenge tactics. Forgiveness means to forget it and therefore not retaliate.
When we forbear, we hold everything back; when we forgive, we hold nothing against. Forbearance refuses to demand what is deserving. Forgiveness gives more than what is deserving. What beautiful balance of attitude!
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Colossians 3:13c

Published on October 19, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
 
The second characteristic that demonstrates social virtue is “forgiving one another.”
This is the seventh garment with which the Christian is to clothe himself.
"and forgiving"
 
Forgiveness means to bestow favor unconditionally (divine forgiveness–Eph. 4:32; Col 2:13; 3:13; human forgiveness–Lk. 7:42,43 (debt); II Cor 2:7,10;12:13; Eph. 4:32. “Forgive” means to give graciously, unconditionally, without strings. To forgive is to show grace to someone.
 
The mature believer forgives on the basis of his own forgiveness. God forgave us at the point of salvation and we are in the process of being forgiven. So when we forgive it is not forgiveness based on strain. “I am not going to hit this guy in the nose, I am not, I am not!” That is strain. There is no strain when we forgive on the basis of grace.
This is forgiveness on the basis of one’s gracious attitude toward an individual (2 Cor 12:13). It carries the idea of good will on the part of the giver — to give, grant or bestow generously (Gal. 3:18; Rom. 8:32).
"one another"
“One another” is a reciprocal pronoun. We perform this gracious act in the interest of another. This has to do with grace toward the household of faith.
Principle:
The ability to forgive is God-given.
Application:
One of the most difficult things a Christian is called upon to do is to forgive freely and unconditionally. The more we understand the grace God gave to us the better we will be able to forgive.
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Colossians 3:13b

Published on October 18, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
 
"Bearing with"
 
“Bearing with” means not to hate, hurt, gossip about, mind their business or malign anyone. God does not want us to live someone else’s life. God has not appointed us to straighten out other people. He has not elected us to bully.
 
"one another"
We need to learn to live with one another. “One another” means one another of the same kind. This refers to fellow Christians. We need to learn to live with fellow Christians.
Principle:
Forbearance gives latitude to the failings of other people.
Application:
Forbearance is tolerance. There is a good and a bad tolerance from the Christian point of view. Bad tolerance is to tolerate false doctrine within the body of Christ. It is sad to see this rampant among evangelicals today. It is the Christian duty to be intolerant against that which discounts Jesus or his work upon the cross.
However, the second tolerance is the tolerance of insult or injury against our person. No matter how totally obnoxious the person may be to us, God expects us to bear with them.
The normal tendency when we encounter a legalistic, immature believer is to squash them with truth. This reflex comes when they try to intrude into our space. There is an obvious difference in our spiritual condition. What should be the reaction of the mature believer when this rude, crude person sticks his nose in our business? Bear with him. The mature believer will not fall apart and use revenge tactics. He will not get upset.
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Colossians 3:13

Published on October 17, 1996 in Colossians. 2 Comments
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“Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
 
God adds two more characteristics to demonstrate the social virtues of verse 12 in action. First, “bearing with one another.” This is the sixth garment with which the Christian is to clothe himself.
"Bearing with"
 
God wants us to bear with others with the attitudes of verse 12. The words “bearing with” signify to hold up against a thing and so to bear with (Matt. 17:7; 1 Cor. 4:12; 2 Cor. 11:1, 4, 19, 20; Heb. 13:22, etc.). “Bearing with” means to be patient with, in the sense of enduring possible difficulty (Eph 4:2).God wants us to have enough character in an adverse situation to hold ourselves back from the temptation to let loose and fly at them. This is noble self-restraint.
 
“Bear with” means toput up with someone. Bear and forebear. God expects us to lovingly put up with one another. Love gives others latitude. That is how husbands and wives get along together.
Principle:
Forbearance gives latitude to the failings of other people.
Application:
For human beings to live together there must be latitude. What produces latitude? Love. We would not put up with such behavior with someone else but love enables us to bear with it. We lovingly forbear.
There is no forbearance when there is no love. Where people are rigid and do not give an inch, there is no love. God has not appointed us to remake others. They are not going to change. We must lovingly bear with their personalities or their lack of it. We lovingly put up with idiosyncrasies. They have a few queer quirks but so do we.
If we do not love them there will be nothing but friction. It is the principle that obtains between husbands and wives. They lovingly put up with one another. Certain things get on each other’s nerves but love provides the lubrication so that they are able to grant latitude. They overlook a great many things because there is love between them. If there is no love, friction will become so abrasive that the marriage will split apart.
We lovingly put up with peculiarities. We all have some quirks; all of us have our peculiarities. But we are so close to our own peculiarities that they do not seem peculiar. We despise in other people the same peculiarities that we have ourselves. We can recognize them in others, but we have a blind spot to them in ourselves. Love enables the wife to overlook the fact that her husband has two left feet.
Love will enable us to overlook the shortcomings of others. Some people want to oversee everyone; they want to supervise. We are to overlook their frailties and leave
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Colossians 3:12j

Published on October 16, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering“
 
The fifth garment of spirituality the believer is to “put on” is “longsuffering.”
 
"longsuffering"
Longsuffering is self-restraint. In the face of provocation we hold steady (1:11). Although we have the power to take revenge we do not exercise that power. Although we might resent someone for what they do to us, we choose not to become resentful.
Despair, bitterness or cynicism does not drive the longsuffering person. He does not succumb under duress. He holds self-restraint in the face of provocation. He withholds retaliation and is not prompt to punish others. Longsuffering is patience through long sequential stages of trial.
Longsuffering is associated with hope in I Thes 1:3; mercy in Romans 2:4; I Peter 3:20.
God is longsuffering with us Romans 2:4; ; 9:22). Why should not God ask the same of us (James 5:7-11)?
Longsuffering is patience for the long haul. Most of us can suffer for a short time. Few can endure monotony or trial for long. We need to have courage for the great trial and patience for the ongoing trial.
A believer who is longsuffering orients to pressure, adversity and suffering. God can only bless us by suffering in time. God cannot bless us by suffering in eternity because there will be no suffering in eternity.
” But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22,23).
“Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy” (Col. 1:11).
Principle:
Longsuffering is the capacity to suffer a long time without provocation.
Application:
One of the most difficult character traits to develop is the ability to suffer for a long time. That is one of the hardest things God calls upon us to do. Many of us can put up with provocation if it is not for very long. God wants us to suffer long both the mischief of men and the rebukes of God’s providential working.
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Colossians 3:12i

Published on October 15, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering”
 
The fourth garment of spiritual clothing we are to don is “meekness.”
 
"meekness"
Some people think that it is wrong to have good posture. A meek person stands round shouldered. He makes squeaking noises like a mouse. A meek person never uses strong language; he does not even raise his voice. It is as if he were a little mouse that makes little noises. Meekness is a term that is difficult to understand because of its usage in the English. The English has lost the essence of its meaning. It is more than gentleness. It carries the idea of strength. Both Moses and Jesus were called meek.
Meekness is inwrought grace. It demonstrates our dependence on God (Gal. 6:1; I Cor. 4:21; II Tim. 2:25; I Pet. 5:5f). Dependence on God spurs meekness in our relationship with fellow believers.
Meekness is a lowly attitude toward others; it is not weakness. Meekness is a tempered character where one realizes that what he has is from God. This person is not overbearing. Jesus is said to be meek in Matthew 11: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle (meek) and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light”
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22,23).
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” Gal. 6:1.
“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13).
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (I Peter 3:15).
Principle:
Meekness is inwrought grace.
Application:
A meek person is someone who understands that who and what they are is from God. Do you acknowledge that everything you are and have is from God?
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Colossians 3:12h

Published on October 14, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering”
 
The third article of spiritual clothing that God wants us to put on is “humility.”
 
"humility"
Humility is orientation to the grace of God. It is not self-effacement. We do not have to wear black and carry a solemn expression. We do not have to conform to tradition. We do not have to look like an undertaker to be humble!
This does not mean to eliminate thinking about yourself. We need to think about ourselves if we are going to operate properly as a human being. If I get up in the morning and come to work without a shower, a shave or combing my hair, am I spiritual? No, I am a nut! Obviously it is not wrong to brush your teeth!
Humility is not self depreciation. It rather acknowledges that what we have is from God (orientation to grace). We did not earn our salvation.
“Serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews” (Acts 20:19).
“But in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Phil. 2:3).
Humbleness of mind means that we have the right estimation or evaluation of ourselves. Most of us have an exaggerated estimation of our ability, capacity, worth and gift. No one shares such an exalted estimation of us as we ourselves. We overrate ourselves. No one else overrates us. We have a tendency to think more highly of ourselves than anyone else. “For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:21).
It is difficult for us to care about others when we do not have this garment of humbleness of mind. Pride is the last citadel to capitulate to King Jesus. The contrast to humility is self-sufficient arrogance. We estimate ourselves above other people.
The word means lowliness of mind. Jesus applied this term to himself in Matthew 11:29. Humility is the opposite of arrogance.
Principle:
Humility is orientation to grace.
Application:
There is a divine and a human side to humility. One the divine side, God wants us to accept that fact that we are a finite creature dependent upon God. On the human side, every Christian is of royal lineage, therefore, we should never express arrogance toward each other. In both, humility is a recognition of God’s provision of grace in our lives.
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Colossians 3:12g

Published on October 13, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering”
 
The second line of clothing which God wants us to don is “kindness.”
"kindness"
 
Is kindness letting the whole human race run over you, one at a time or by the dozens? No, kindness is generosity, goodness. It is the relaxed attitude when someone says something unkind about us in our presence or behind our back.
 
Do we become bitter, angry, upset, vindictive, implacable, or hostile when someone says something bad about us? If we have these attitude sins in our mind, we cannot execute kindness. Kindness is a relaxed mental attitude. Kindness does not mind other people’s business but stays loose and relaxed and does not hate anyone, seek retaliation, or use revenge tactics.
Kindness is a disposition of courtesy. God does not want to soften our minds but make them tender towards others. Are we considerate of other people who suffer? Do we enthusiastically lift up someone who has fallen low?
Kindness is also practical helpfulness. It is not the person who is overtly sweet. These people may think horrible things about others but they are “sweet!” They may think in terms of bitterness and jealousy and hatred but they imbue sweetness and are kind outwardly.
Kindness manifests compassion. This is action that comes out of empathy. It may take the form of a kind word, an invitation to lunch, an offer to help.
“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” (Rom. 12:10).
“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 5:32).
“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared” (Titus 3:4).
We seldom think of God as kind. We normally think of him as love, justice and truth.
Principle:
Kindness is the manifestation of compassion.
Application:
We may be righteous but we may be not kind, gracious or sympathetic. We might not do things wrong but we may be rigid and not compassionate. Are you kindly disposed toward other believers?
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