Put it On! – Colossians 3:10-14

Colossians verse by verse series – Lesson # 21. This message looks at the topic of the New Man.

1. Review of previous lesson: Putting off the old man (Vs. 8-9).
2. Key phrase: “Put on therefore…”
3. In these verses we see the principle of replacement. God not only asks us to put off unrighteousness, he also asks us to put on holiness.

The Position of the New Man (Vs. 10-11)

1. Divinely Created (past) (Vs. 10)
   1. ‘new’ –There is a distinct difference from the old life. II. Cor. 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
   2. ‘created’ – a Divine work
2. Progressively Perfected (present) (Vs. 10)
   1. The process: ‘renewed’ – means to make new again. Present tense signifies an ongoing process (progressive sanctification).
   2. The means: ‘knowledge’ (See 1:9)
   3. The goal: ‘image’ – 2. Cor. 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
3. Humbly Positioned (Vs. 11)
   1. In relation to fellow believers
      1. No Racial Distinction – “Greek nor Jew”
      2. No Religious Distinction – “circumcision nor uncircumcision”
      3. No Cultural Distinction – “Barbarian, Scythian”
      4. No Social Distinction – “bond nor free”
   2. In relation to Christ
      1. Christ is everything (See 3:4)
      2. Christ indwells all his people
      3. Illustration: The attitude of the Apostle Paul: Phil. 3:4-8 “Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”

The Practice of the New Man (Vs. 12-13)

The Nature of these virtues (Vs. 12a)

1. They are a consequence of our new position outlined in 10-11 – ‘therefore’
2. They are appropriate to our position as God’s children. Paul calls them by three titles:
   1. Elect
   2. Holy
   3. Beloved

The Definition of these virtues (7 virtues) (12b-13)

1. Mercy
   1. ‘bowels’ = the heart or internal organs. Figurative of the seat of the emotions. Symbolizes tenderness of feeling.
   2. ‘mercies’ = compassion, pity (plural = abundance)
   3. “The phrase denotes deep feelings of concern for the need of others.” (Gromacki)
   4. Illustration: God’s Attribute of Mercy – Ex. 34:6-7 “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, (7) Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”
   5. Illustration: Christ was moved with compassion (Matt. 9:36)
2. Kindness
   1. Translated elsewhere as ‘goodness’ and ‘gentleness’ It is the opposite of harshness and cruelty.
   2. Kindness is grace in action.
3. Humbleness
   1. Opposite to attitude of the false teachers (2:18)
   2. ‘mind’ = pride is conceived in the mind by having a wrong opinion of ourselves. The mind is the battlefield.
   3. “Having a humble opinion of one’s self, a deep sense of one’s (moral) littleness, modesty, lowliness of mind.” (Wuest)
   4. “The attitude of a soul which has lost its pride in the discovery of the mercy of its salvation.” (Moule)
   5. Phil. 2:3-8 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
   6. Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…”
4. Meekness
   1. a submissive spirit to God and His will.
5. Longsuffering
   1. Compound Greek word: makroqumivan = makrovs (long, far away, distant) + qumoV (anger, rage, wrath). Literally means, “wrath that is put far away” (Gromacki)
   2. “Longsuffering speaks of the man, who, having to do with injurious persons, does not suffer himself easily to be provoked by them, or to blaze up in anger.” (Wuest)
   3. A fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22, Col. 1:11)
6. Forbearance
   1. Means to put up with or endure
   2. Speaks of being possessed of a patient spirit towards those who irritate us
7. Forgiveness
   1. ‘forgiveness’ – comes from the root word grace.
   2. ‘quarrel’ – a cause of blame, a matter of complaint, grievances. Prov. 17:9 “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.”
   3. “even as” – Christ is the model/standard of forgiveness. Christ’s forgiveness was full, complete and undeserved.
   4. Note: This does not refer to having a tolerant attitude towards sin. We are to exercise this type of forbearance and forgiveness over quarrels (complaints).

The Priority of the New Man (Vs. 14)

1. “put on” = like a garment that covers the whole person
2. “above all these” = statement of priority. This is to be sharply in focus.
3. ‘charity’ = divine love of which God is the source (1 Jn. 4:16) “Love is that which seeks its joy in the good of another” (Leibnitz)
4. ‘bond’ = girdle, belt or sash.
5. This love binds the other virtues together like a girdle does clothes.
6. ‘perfectness’ – maturity, completeness. “The word used for ‘perfectness’ denotes the accomplishment of an end that God has in view – that of making us like Jesus.” (Phillips)
7. We could summarize this list of virtues in the phrase, “love one another!”

Conclusion

Are we dedicating time, energy and attention to the development of godly character?

Sermon 21 of 28 in Colossians Series

Sermon Audio Id: 1126162059509