"... 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." Colossians 3:13

In this verse from Colossians, the Apostle Paul is addressing the Church of Jesus Christ and what our relationships with one another should look like.

This is obvious from the passage before it. In Colossians 3:12, it says, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering..." And then it continues in vs. 13,

"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 Greek work for “put on” is enduo and means to “put on a garment” or “clothe yourself” or, very simply, “get dressed.”

Very few of us would dream of leaving the house without first getting dressed. Not only that, but we would dress for the occasion. If we were attending a wedding, we would dress in formal attire. If we were going to a

ballgame, jeans and a casual shirt would be fine. If we were performing in a play or a musical, we would wear the appropriate costume for the role.

Our “role” as a Christian is to “put on” Christ. This means that once we have confessed Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are new creations in Christ and our words and actions should reflect who we have become. Granted,

growing in Christ and becoming more Christlike in character is impossible to do on our own. That is why His Holy Spirit dwells within us. Not only is He willing to lead us and guide us if we will allow Him to, but He YEARNS for Christ to be formed in us. When we earnestly seek Him through His word, worship, prayer and fellowship with other Christians, our heavenly Father delights in revealing Himself more fully to us and enveloping us in His

presence that we may experience His perfect peace.

We all know that God desires that we walk in peace in our relationship with Him by depending upon Him and trusting Him for everything. But did you know that he not only wants, but expects us to pursue His peace in our relationships with one another as well? Yes, its true. The Apostle Paul was not just suggesting that we bear with one another and forgive one another just as Christ forgave us, but Paul says: so you also MUST DO.

This does not mean the absence of disagreements or conflicts amongst the body of Christ. This does not mean that we are going to be perfect in how we handle every situation. It does mean, however, that when we get “dressed,” with the Holy Spirit's help, we will remember how it felt when mercy, kindness, humility, longsuffering and forgiveness was extended to us by God in Christ Jesus, and also through other people, and we will go and do the same.

We will choose the appropriate “outfit” (or response) that fits the occasion.

We will choose kindness over offense, forgiveness over grudge, patience over rudeness, building strong, Christ-centered, Christ-honoring relationships that result in genuine peace between believers and also serves as a powerful testimony to unbelievers that the Kingdom of God is at hand.

After all, I've never seen a bitter and unforgiving spirit generate peace with God nor have I seen relationships with other Christians flourish in an atmosphere of hatred, unforgiveness and strife. Have you?

Written by Sandy White