Colossians 3:13b - Christian Forgiveness (or, True Christian Mercy part 4)

Sunday school notes from 4/1/12

The following are the rather raw and unpolished notes used for teaching in my sunday school class.  If anyone is called upon to teach from Colossians and would like to use these notes as a resource, I would be happy to email the Word docs to you.  Hopefully you have access to several good commentaries, which will fare you far better than anything you find here. 

Blessings.

Colossians 3:12-13

¹² “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 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.”

IV.    Forgiving.  The last of the 4 words that Paul uses to describe the truly Merciful Christian is the word “forgiving.”  He says “and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” 

There are primarily 2 words used in the NT for “forgive.” 

The first word, the one used nearly 150 times, has to do with what we might call the “legal” or maybe “official” act of forgiveness.  It has the idea of a debt being cancelled or covered.  Imagine I owned a pharmacy and you are very sick and out of work and you come to get your prescription filled.  It is a very expensive medicine, but I give it to you and tell you that I’ll send you a bill at the end of the month.  The end of the month comes and you are still out of work, you have barely enough money to feed your family, and you come into me with the bill and say “Jason, I’m sorry, I don’t have the money yet – but once I get well I will be able to repay it.”  And I take the bill from your hand and I tear it up.  I tell you that bill no longer exists.  It has been erased from the record books.  That is the first word “forgiveness.”  It describes you right now if you are a Christian.  God has torn up your debt.   

Christian Meekness - from Colossians 3:12

Just playing with my audio recorder again.

The following are my teaching notes from our Sunday School class on Meekness from Colossians 3:12-13.

Colossians 3:12-13

¹² “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 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.”

Intro:  Last week we began to introduce the subject of Christian Mercy.  Just as a Christian is to put on a Compassionate Spirit (defined here by tenderness, kindness and humility) so also the Christian must put on a Merciful Spirit (defined here by the words meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another, forgiving one another).

We simply introduced the subject last week by pointing out, not that we need much reminding, that we all still carry about numerous short-comings and sins.  And that it is inevitable that within the local church our faults will at times cause injury to others.  And how we respond when we have been in any way wounded by a brother or sister in Christ is Paul’s focus now.  We are calling it a Merciful Spirit, and it is summarized by the 4 words or phrases in our text:  Meekness, Long-suffering, Bearing with one another, Forgiving one another. 

It is worth pointing out that Paul assumes Christians will be in such a close fellowship with one another that we are going to, at times, injure one another.  If there were no such close connection and fellowship, these instructions would seem rather silly.  You don’t tell virtual strangers going into a movie theater that to get the most out of this movie you will need to put on meekness and long-suffering with one another.  No.  They are strangers.  They don’t have to like one another or even know one another.  It is like when a young couple goes from dating to being married.  Now all of a sudden you have to love this man who can manage to put a dirty cup in the sink…but cannot seem to manage to move it ALL the way to the dishwasher.  As though they were miles apart.  And the strange thing is that his clothes seem to have the same problem with respect to the hamper. 

True Christian Compassion Part 2

True Christian Compassion Part II

True Christian Compassion Part 1

Playing with my Sunday School notes. Feel free to ignore.

True Christian Compassion Part I

Daily Encouragement

Daily Encouragement 

“…encourage one another daily” 

Hebrews 3:13

Mark Twain has been credited (or charged) with saying “It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”  If I look into my own heart, I have to admit that I too am sometimes bothered by what I do understand.  The simple plain teaching of Scripture so often contradicts my life that I find myself bothered and forced to make irrational excuses to justify my disobedience. 

Take the words at the top of this page for example.  Here the author of Hebrews is giving a command to the people of God.  In light of the challenges and trials associated with living the Christian life faithfully, he issues this order to help us along:  “encourage one another daily.”  It is neither complicated nor unreasonable. 

If we were to break it down, we would see that these 4 words contain:

1.         A clear command:  Encourage.  The word is neither foreign to our ears nor difficult to accomplish.  Almost any kind word would qualify.  He prescribes no set form or pattern to which this encouragement must comply.  Great liberty is apparently allowed as to the manner in which we carry out this duty.  Just encourage.  Lift someone up, cheer them.  Promote the welfare of another through some tangible medium of communication or activity.  Encourage.  Life is hard.  The Christian life, lived well, is even harder.  Therefore encourage.

2.         A clear audience.  The object of this command is very simple:  “one another.”  The author is telling Christians to encourage other Christians.  The assumption is that there are believers whom you have access to in one way or another.  This command was issued before modern communication technology was available.  How much less of an excuse do we have today, when the opportunities to encourage another believer in Christ are almost unlimited due to postal services, telephones, computers and email.  No doubt there is someone in your church who could use encouragement.  Some missionary that could use a letter.  A college student who wouldn’t mind some cookies.  A shut in that would appreciate a visit or a call.  A Pastor who might like to know you were actually listening.  Encourage another Christian.  Any Christian.  Take your pick.

3.         A clear frequency:  Daily.  The word is not complicated or obscure in the original.  First century Christians would not have understood this differently than we do.  It means every day.  Once every 24 hours.  Seven times a week.  The context is not poetical and the language is not figurative.  Encourage one another every single day.  The words that follow this text make the point even more emphatic:  “Encourage one another daily, while it is called Today.”  The command means that every day, from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep, I ought to encourage (at least) one other Christian. 

This command, therefore, really could not be made more clear:

·         Encourage. 

·         Encourage another Christian. 

·         Encourage another Christian every single day. 

Not rocket science.  Pretty simple really.  What’s not so simple is the answer to this question:  Why don’t I do it?  Why do I allow so many days to roll by without lifting my voice or directing my pen into the way of encouragement?  I cannot claim this verse is too hard to understand.  Like Mark Twain, maybe it is the very clarity of the command that bothers me so much.  I squirm under the crushing weight of a clear and reasonable expectation from the Lord.  How about you?  Maybe it is just me. 

I am making a plan to change this.  That is, ultimately, what repentance is all about: changing.  Repentance means making a plan to change some pattern of behavior from disobedience to obedience.    I know a few Christians.  I’m making a list.  Does that seem too artificial?  Too mechanical to qualify as obedience?  Maybe it is somewhat artificial and mechanical.  But I tend to think that mechanical obedience is safer than comfortable sin.  And maybe, just maybe, this is the way we change.