The Perfection of the New Man (Col. 3:14)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/9/2017 4:36 PM

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  The Perfection of the New Man

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Colossians 3:14

            Message of the verse:  “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”

            I was not feeling well last night and so did not get my SD done and so will try and get two done this afternoon as both are rather short subjects.

            We have been talking about how Paul is writing about taking things off and putting thing on and he continues with this in verse fourteen telling his readers to put on love.  The following comes from my Online Bible Greek/English dictionary:

“1) (Singular) brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence {#Joh 15:13 Ro 13:10 1Jo 4:18 }

1a) Of the love of men to men; esp. Christians towards Christians which is enjoined and prompted by their religion, whether the love be viewed as in the soul or expressed {#Mt 14:12 1Co 13:1-4,8 14:1 2Co 2:4 Ga 5:6 Phm 5,7 1Ti 1:5 Heb 6:10 10:24 1Jo 4:7 Re 2:4,19 } etc.

1b) Of the love of men towards God {#Lu 11:42 Joh 5:42 1Jo 2:15 3:17 4:12 5:3 }

1c) Of the love of God towards man {#Ro 5:8 8:39 2Co 13:14 }

1d) Of the love of God towards Christ {#Joh 15:10 17:26 }

1e) Of the love of Christ towards men {#Joh 15:8-13 2Co 5:14 Ro 8:35 Eph 3:19 }

2) (Plural) love feasts expressing and fostering mutual love which used to be held by Christians before the celebration of the Lord’s supper, and at which the poorer Christians mingled with the wealthier and partook in common with the rest of the food provided at the expense of the wealthy. {#Jude 12 2Pe 2:13 Ac 2:42,46 1Co 11:17-34 }

 

Syn.: φιλία 5373 ἀγάπη, signifying properly (v. s. αγαραω 25) love which chooses its object, is taken from the LXX, where its connotation is more general, into the NT, and there used exclusively to express that spiritual bond of love between God and man and between man and man, in Christ which is characteristic of Christianity. It is thus distinct from φιλία, friendship (#Jas 4:4 only), στοργη, natural affection (in the NT only in its compounds, v. s. ἄστοργος 794) and ερως sexual love, which is not used in the NT, in its place being taken by επιηυμια 1939.”

            John MacArthur writes that “Love is the most important moral quality in the believer’s life, for it is the very glue that produces unity in the church.  Believers will never enjoy mutual fellowship through compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, or patience; they will not bear with each other or forgive each other unless they love one another.  In fact, the way to sum up the commands of 3:12-13 is to say, ‘Love one another.’”  Let us look at what is called the “love chapter” which is 1 Cor. 13 and look at the first three verses:  “1  If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” This shows us that nothing is acceptable to God if not motivated by love.”  Now if one tries to practice without love they will end up with legalism, and that is what the Pharisees were doing.  Where would we be without the love of God?  We would all be in hell, that is where we would be.

            “The Priorities of the New Man.”   Colossians 3:15-17 “15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

            John MacArthur writes “Paul concludes his look at the qualities that should mark the lifestyle of the new man by giving three priorities.  They are the outermost garments of the new man, those which cover all the others.  The new man is concerned with the peace of Christ, the word of Christ, and the name of Christ.”

            Those are the things we will be looking at beginning in our next SD.

5/9/2017 4:56 PM