The Chosen People

Series on Colossians

II The Man in Christ

B Conduct

1 Fellowship

Text: 3:12-17

Introduction

In popular literature the Jewish people are often described as the “Chosen People.” Here the Colossian believers are called chosen people. This is a total shift from the Old Testament perspective. The chosen ones were only Israel, but now Jews and Gentiles together are in view. Many years ago Arthur Van Seters wrote an article for “His” magazine entitle, “Chosen, but not Choice.” It described Israel’s failure because they became isolated in their zeal to protect their identity, yet they were chosen for the sake of the world. Their failure is obvious in the New Testament and was, historically, the catalyst for the formation of a new people of God among all nations. Being chosen is an election not only unto salvation but definitely also unto service. It has as its final aim God’s glory, and is the work of his delight. in Ephesians 1:11-13 Paul reminds us of God’s purpose in choosing, In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. I Peter 1:2 agrees that we have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood. Understanding why we have been chosen as God’s people enables us to see His mandate and mission. Paul lists how we may fulfill that mission in four ways: attire ourselves, accept one another, admonish offenders, and ascribe oblation.

I Attire Ourselves

As we were bidden to put off the old man, and put to death our sinful natures, so now we are to clothe the new man in Christ. And as we cannot put to death unless we died with Christ, so we cannot clothe the new man apart from being raised to new life. My wife likes to watch a show on the learning channel called “What Not to Wear.” They take miserably clothed professionals and teach them the correct attire. The transformations are often tremendous, but they are nothing compared to this transformation. Paul describes the attire of the new man in Christ in verses 12 and 14, Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Compassion and kindness are very closely related and overlap. However the Greek here does not say merely compassion, it says a heart, or literally bowels or innards of compassion. It is two words and it emphasizes a profound and stirring reaction of mercy in the face of injury or needs. Kindness is a more general term and signifies Spirit-imparted goodness of heart, the very opposite of the malice or badness mentioned earlier in verse 8. According to II Corinthians 6:6 it is a quality needed for the servant of God to be commended to others. Before proceeding further in this list we should be sure we understand that these qualities are all found in God and are illustrated in the life and ministry of the Son of God. Humility means an honest appraisal of ourselves which enables us to serve others rather than lording ourselves over them. Even though we would assume that God has nothing to be humble about yet He teaches us differently. in Philippians 2:8 Paul reminds us that Jesus “being found in appearance as a man, humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” The Greeks actually honored proud men and thought humility to be a weakness. The same thing can be said of gentleness which is the translation of a Greek word that means mild and friendly. We would probably call somebody with this attribute “nice.” It is used of animals that are tame and will not bite. Patience is closely allied with all of these and is a word often translated long suffering in the Old Testament. God is long suffering with His people and does not rush to judgment. All these are tied together with love which is the queen of the virtues because God is love in that He gives Himself to us while we are enemies. Love sacrifices and pays the cost for another. All of these are divine attributes that the Spirit of God reproduces in His people and dresses us in divine righteousness.

II Accept One Another

The result of these virtues is made clear in our text in verses 13 and 15. They enable us to accept one another and get along, Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you…Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. Getting along in the body of Christ does not necessitate sinless perfection or an environment in which their are no insults, affronts, or rudeness. These are inevitable because we live in a broken fallen world and we are still part of it. It does require, however, a willingness to forgive, and that, as Christ has forgiven. This means forgiving without strings attached. it means the same for us as it did for Him, that is, putting those offenses as far from us as the east is from the west and burying them in the depths of the sea. More harm is done in the body of Christ and in marriages and families as well by holding grudges than any other way. The result is no peace and a constant state of conflict. Many people have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize who did very little to advance the cause of peace in the world let alone among their own friends. Real peace is the gift of God. Jesus said in John 14:27, 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. Through Jesus we have peace with God, but this morphs into peace with one another when we follow Him. His great lesson on forgiveness is enshrined in a parable in Matthew 18:21-35, Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

III Admonish Offenders

Living in peace and love does not mean that we ignore sin. We are all offenders, but we can be encouraged by the love and acceptance and nurturing of others. Thus the Apostle tells us in verses 15 and 16, And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. It is a strange commentary that the ministry of music had generated far more war and conflict in the Church of our time than it warrants. It is mostly due to bad attitudes. Music is not neutral, of course. It does matter what you sing and how you sing it, but for it to become a bone of contention in the church is exactly the opposite of what God intended. The purpose is to edify and build up, not to destroy and tear down. Obviously Paul is concerned about the lyrics here. We cannot teach and admonish one another with human ideas and philosophies. We do it by the Word of God. The New Testament is written in Greek and 250 years before Christ was born the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek. The three words translated here “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” are often misunderstood. If you look at the Greek translation of the book of Psalms you discover that some psalms are called psalms in the superscriptions and others are called hymns, and others spiritual songs. By spiritual songs Paul means that the lyrics are inspired by the Holy Spirit. He is talking about music that is the Word of God and nothing but the Word. Such music will build up and not tear down. It will encourage saints and convict sinners. And don’t forget that by such music we are expressing our thanks to God. Our gratitude comes not from familiarity with catchy tunes, but from divine instruction and comfort and encouragement by the Holy Spirit. Joy is never in the tune, but always in the message.

IV Ascribe Oblation

Paul’s final point tells us that we are to make our lives an offering to God in verse 17, And 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. We make this oblation, this sacrificial offering with grateful hearts. It is not a stingy parting with our time and talents and treasures. In all of them we ascribe glory to God. He gave you everything, can you give Him less? The missionary martyred in Ecuador in the 1950’s, Jim Eliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” This is how we fulfill our mission. This what the chosen people do.