God’s Special People
Colossians 3:12-14 says,
3:12 (NIV) Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
We are all accustomed to speaking of the Jewish people as God’s chosen people. It’s scriptural. But there’s something especially fascinating about what Paul says concerning the church here.
It’s hidden just under the surface: “ … God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.” All of those expressions are picked straight out of Deuteronomy 7:6-8, where they apply to Israel. The New Testament calls the church “the Israel of God.” (Gal. 6:16) Many of the things that applied to Israel as a chosen people – holy and loved by God – now apply to the church. Why? Because just as God wanted a people, a community, which was readily identified with him in the Old Testament days, so he wants a people, a community, which is readily identifiable with Him now. That new community is the church. Christians must understand that they are called to relate, not only to Christ, but to a community of believers. God doesn’t just want individuals running around the place; He wants a clearly distinguishable, distinctive people – dearly loved, set apart, chosen to be His people. That is why an individual Christian should always be identified with a specific community of believers. We are not only to model our Christianity individually; we are to model it corporately as a people of God. These people of God are to demonstrate unique behavior. Community behavior in the church is not like community behavior outside the church. Community behavior in the church is characterized by Christian graces. Paul says believers are to be “clothed” with them, which suggests the need to put out some effort. Notice the sorts of things Christians are to be clothed with: “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” These are nearly the same things listed in the “Fruit of the Spirit” passage in Galatians 5. Christian graces blossom in our lives as the Hoily Spirit works in and through us and as we make an effort to cooperate with Him. Am I characterized by compassion and kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience? By nature I know I’m not. Enough people have told me so. And yet the Spirit of God is working on the old man. Once in a while, do you get a glimmer of progress in this area? I really, really hope so. I hopw all of us can be honest and say, “Yes, I am lacking in compassion. I’m not very kind. I’m not very humble either. I thought I was. I got all humble and then I got proud of it.” Maybe we can look at ourselves and say, “This is what I am, but by the grace of GOD changes are taking place. I’m working on it. I’m troubled and concerned about it. I want to be part of a community characterized by these things. I know it’s going to take the work of the Spirit in my life and my cooperative effort with Him. What binds all these things together? What keeps them functioning as they ought? “Over all these virtues”, Paul writes, “put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity.” “Lord, thank you for giving me compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience to put on. Please help me to remember to clothe myself in them. Amen.”