Colossians 3:12 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Colossians 3:12

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Here is a list of things to challenge us. The first one is ‘bowels of mercies.’ The Greek word refers to the spleen or the intestines: bowels of mercies, deep internal feelings of mercy. We can emphasise for the moment, internal. The apostle Paul is not telling us to imitate the pagans when there is a death – the lamentations were so loud and dramatic. No doubt, for some it was on the inside also, but much of it was on the outside, the work perhaps of professional mourners. No, this term does not speak of something which is very demonstrative. You could be a person who keeps your feelings very much to yourself. The important thing is – do you feel them? Are you a feelingful person? Furthermore, are you a deeply feelingful person? ‘Put on therefore.’ Amazingly, as a Christian I can put this on, not in the sense of pretending, but in the sense of putting on clothing. I can adopt, put on, bowels of mercies, deep inner feeling. I can do this as a Christian because I am in Christ and the Lord is with me, and by his Spirit he will help me. If I sincerely wish to be a person of deep feeling about things, he will help me. It is a fault in us so often that we are not feelingful enough, that we are cold.Of course, to have deep feeling for people requires affection as a precursor. Without affection it is hard to feel deeply. We need to reflect. I am the recipient of deep feelings: the deep feelings of Christ, immeasurable by human measure, who set his love upon each sinner for whom he died and determined to save us, Christ who was said to look at a case and sigh deeply. I also was the recipient of the deep feelings of people perhaps unknown to me, who prayed for me when I was just a hopeless, arrogant, lost sinner, and there were people who prayed, who felt deeply about my salvation. And then ‘kindness’, a related grace. What is kindness? Oh, you say, it is doing kind things. Not as Paul refers to it – it is a state of heart. If there is kindness in the heart, we are bound to do kind things. If it is limited only to doing kind things, it will only happen now and then. Let us soften ourselves in the best sense of the expression by reflecting on all the kindness shown to us.Humbleness of mind is not valued today. Today, it is all about self-worth and self-esteem. The Bible is the opposite – lowliness of mind. Now in a sense, once we are Christians, we realise much more than the worldling how little we can do. Because we think spiritually and the most important things to us are things like the salvation of souls, we are well aware of our impotence and how little we can accomplish these things without the blessing and power of the Holy Spirit, so we have an advantage. Lowliness, humility, humbleness of mind.Meekness strictly speaking is a readiness to suffer wrong. Of course, it is in Christian usage more thought of as the servant spirit: the spirit of a servant, that is what we are all are, servants of the Lord, but strictly speaking it is a readiness to suffer wrong. It is one of the most noble strengths of all. The Christian is ready to suffer wrongfully for the Lord if necessary. Then the apostle moves on to longsuffering. Yes, but someone says, but you said this was about heavenly conduct. I will not need longsuffering in heaven because it is a place of wonder and glory and happiness. Of course not, but because we are going to the place of perfect glory, we can afford to be longsuffering here. We have the great compensation, the infinite reward lying ahead. So longsuffering is a grace which has in mind heaven all the time.

Application

Do we have feelings ourselves? We need to cultivate feelings for others. We need to put ourselves in the position of others. We need to intercede more for them and think of what he is bringing upon himself or herself. Be forward in every opportunity of helpfulness or assistance. Be a person who encourages others and cheers up others because you feel for them in their distress. By doing this, you will make a contribution to help, just as Christ behaved in this world. Just as the apostle who says he went through all kinds of things ‘for the elects’ sakes.’ He did not know the people to whom he would be preaching in the next town where he would no doubt suffer persecution, but he felt for them; they were the elect of God there and he loved them and went to be an instrument of God towards them. Practise at home, deep feelings for your wife, for your husband. Every day are there deep feelings? Be alarmed at your hardness. Why is there so little dedication today in the churches? Is it the absence of deep feeling? Is this the reason? Have you ever read church history? Have you read the great revival instruments? Have you not noticed the deep feelings exhibited by them?

Am I sometimes too important in my own imagination to help such-and-such a person? Let it never be. Do I let pride come in and spoil kindness? Assuming that the other person is ignorant and I am the one who knows. Or do I show humility and kindness together? Pray and intercede. If you intercede a lot for people, you are bound to become a kinder person.

In our present situation, it is disappointing to see here and there Christians, even churches, that are very resentful of lockdown. We are in charge of our own affairs, we are not under the state. We will not wear face masks; we will not desist from singing. Where is the meekness, the readiness to accept rule and order, even if you are critical of it? Instead, there is petulance, even from ministers.

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Colossians 3:12 Commentary and Bible Study