Colossians 3:12-14 NIV
Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Apostle Paul charged the Colossae church what they must clothe themselves with as dearly Loved children of God (compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, Verse-12). After he charged them to apply these attributes in their lives, he reminded them to “Bear with each other and forgive one another.” Think about the sequence of Apostle Paul charge to the church! How can we bear and forgive each other if we don’t emulate these virtues in our lives? Jesus was the perfect example of all these virtues that I believe carried him through the crucifixion for a sinner like me (Romans 5:6-8).
What does it mean to bear with each other? According to Oxford dictionary, one of the definitions is to “Carry the weight of, support, or to “endure.” In Greek the word bear is “anechomai, pronunciation: an-ekh-om-ahee.” Is the ability to hold yourself up against or to put up with (The New Strong’s complete Dictionary of Bible Words). I have always been very open that there are some people, if it was not for Jesus, I would not put up with. And, I am certain others have felt the same way about me. Therefore, as a Christian, it is not an option whether we (I) show compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience toward our fellow Christians who are difficult to love. Is it easy to do? Lord Jesus knows it is not easy. As a matter of fact, I have been very forth coming about my weakness when it comes to tolerating those who profess to make Jesus Lord yet are still living in bondage under Satan’s authority by blatantly disobeying God’s commands. Yes, we all fall short of the glory of God (3:23), nonetheless as Paul referenced in Hebrews 10:26-27, “If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remained no more sacrifice for sin.” I struggle very little when the larger society disregards God’s authority because I know they are blinded by the realm of darkness, and they are not pretending to walk with Jesus. My natural inclination is to express and show the attributes that Apostle Paul charged me to clothe myself with. Therefore, the attributes of Colossians 3:12 are much easier for me to implement toward non-Christian. Nonetheless, Jesus gave us a perfect example of what bearing with each other looks like even when those among us are not faithful or consistent in our walk with Jesus. Judas Iscariot was doomed to hear and obey Satan’s voice, yet he was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. Can you imagine walking, eating, serving and teaching the person whom you know is going to betray and cause you to be wrongfully murdered? If this is not bearing with one another despite the burden of truth and long suffering, then I don’t know what else God could have shown us as an example. Pray for me as I pray for you that we continue to grow in our commitment to clothe ourselves with Jesus using the virtues in Colossians 3:12-15. That way, we can strive to be the wheat amongst the weeds in hope that maybe our light can expose darkness and draw the weeds to surrender toward the light of Jesus to make their final destination into his kingdom ( Matthew 13:24-30).
