DRESSING THE NEW MAN
Part 3
Col. 3:12-14
Morning Meditation 5/2/2015
Verse 12-14 says, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”
The last of the garments is love. If there is a degree of importance in the eight garments (the number of the new birth) listed, it would be this one. Love is so misunderstood today. The fact that this word is used so much indicates its importance. However, it is misused a lot also. I hope through a careful examination of its meaning and use that I will understand it better and my readers will as I share this truth with you.
The words “And above all these things” stresses the importance of “charity.” 1 Cor. 13:13 says, “Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” Love is above all the others and without love the others will not function correctly.
The word “charity” translates “agape” and means, “brotherly love, affection, good will, benevolence.” This is one word where the lexicons leave you helplessly frustrated. If anything the definition just given (Strongs) diminishes love more than defines it. Kittel says this: “In his demand for love Jesus took up previous sayings: Love God; love neighbor, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But he did so in a startlingly exclusive and unconditional way. The Love of God means total commitment and total trust (Matt. 5:29-30; 6:24). In particular, it involves a renunciation of mammon and of vainglory (Matt. 6:24b, 30). It also calls for resistance to persecution, which is a fiery test of the loyalty of love (Matt. 10:17; 5:10). “
“Charity” in the Bible is not what we use that word to describe today. I just went through a check line in a grocery store a few minutes ago. The young lady at the check out stand ask me if I wanted to give to the community food chest. I asked her if she was required to ask all customers this question when they came through the line? She said, “Yes sir.” It did not seem to bother her at all that I said no. Then I looked down and there was another sign in a obvious place asking for a charitable gift. The whole point is that it has become a business to collect as well as an uncaring act of giving.
The word “Charity” describes love that gives. I used to say that it was an unemotional love. I have decided that that is incorrect. Charity is a love that gives, is calculated, committed and stirred emotionally because of the need of another. Emotion is not all that is involved. In fact it is probably not even the main point of love. But you cannot exclude emotion from the definition.
Now let’s let Paul tell us what love is. Paul tells what this kind of love (agape translated Charity) is and does in 1 Corinthians 13. He says, “Charity suffereth long.” The words “suffereth long” translates the same Greek word as is used in our Colossian passage to describe a garment to be put on. There is no Christian life without suffering. Even if you are in the best of health, and live in an affluent society such as ours, as a Christian you enter into the sufferings of Christ for others who stand in great need of salvation. Our souls must constantly weep in suffering compassion for those who are moving in total darkness toward the abyss. So we are to put on as a garment, a love that is evident to others, as we suffer with them in whatever pain or plight they are in.
Paul says, “Charity (I’m going to stay with the KJV on the word) is kind.” This translates “chresteuomai” and means, “to show one's self mild, to be kind.” It is a present indicative verb. The present tense means that kindness flows constantly out of the person. This is the kind of person that is kind every time you get around him. He is a person that you would like to be like. You say, “I am not a kind person.” But Jesus is. And He wants to incarnate Himself into your life so that He is seen instead of you. We are to put on “charity” and charity is kind. So kindness is one of the seen qualities of love.
Paul says, “Charity envieth not.” The word envy translates “zeloo” and means, “to burn with zeal, hatred or bitterness.” A person who loves does not hate or will not tolerate bitterness in his life toward another. I have heard on more than one occasion a Christian get in the pulpit of a church and in a patriotic spirit say some very cutting remarks about the Japanese in World War 2, when a humble and godly Japanese Christian was sitting in the audience. This probably wasn’t even known to the speaker. The love of our passage does not make racial distinctions and does not boil with bitterness toward former enemies.
Paul says, “Charity vaunteth not itself.” The words “vaunteth not” translate “perpereuomai” and means, “it does not boast or make a self display, it does not employ rhetorical embellishments in extolling one's self excessively.” Love takes the low place and exalts the other. Love is not a politician who is constantly boasting of his qualifications. Love that does not make a self display is to be worn as a garment.
I will not go through the whole list in this meditation, but I have given enough to challenge you to continue to examine Paul’s definition of love.
Paul says, “Put on charity which is the bond of perfectness.” The word “bond” translates “sundesmos” and means, “that which binds together, a band, bond. It is used of ligaments by which the members of the human body are united together.” The word “perfectness” translates “teleiotes” and means according to Kittel, “achievement, fulfillment, success, goal, maturity..” It is like saying love is the end to which the Lord is moving us. To have the seven articles of clothing listed in this passage, and then add charity as the eighth, is to reach the goal, to finally arrive at maturity..
A Summary of the Doctrine of Love
1.Love is an attribute of God; 1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
2.Love is the motive for God giving His Son to die to save man; John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
3.Jesus loved us enough the lay down His life for us; John 15:13 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
4.Brotherly love is the mark of a Christian; John 13:35 says, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
5.Brotherly love is evidence that one is saved; 1 John 3:14 says, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
6.Jesus instructed His disciples to continue in His love; John 15:9 says, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.”
7.Obedience is a sign that one has real love for the Lord; John 15:10 says, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.”
8.The love of God is shed abroad in the heart of every true believer; Romans 5:5 says, “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
9.Nothing can separate the true Christian from the love of God; Romans 8:35-39 says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
10. The love of God constrains the believer to evangelize others; 2 Corinthians 5:14 says, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:”
The believer is to “put on,” as the elect of God, the eight garments listed here. These garments are provisions that God has made for us. The garments are there. We do not have to create them ourselves. These are garments that the Lord has provided for us. But we have to make a choice to wear them. And even though they fit, they are not always easy to wear. They make us look different from the world. We should decide once for all for the glory of God to wear the garments that identify us with Christ Jesus our Lord.
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
