Written by Pastor Jack Wellman“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
– Colossians 3:13
Putting Away the Old
Before we can put on Christ, we need to put off the old self, and that includes putting away “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth” (Col 3:8), and never “lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices” (Col 3:9). Believers know better.
Putting on the New Self
After we have begun to put away the old things, we must “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col 3:10). This renewal is continuous (Rom 12:1-2) and it is something we must participate in. It’s not about works, but a person who’s renewed will strive to rid themselves of the “old” (Col 3:8), even though this is done through Christ’s strength (Phil 4:13), but without Christ, we have absolutely no help (John 15:5).
Bearing Godly Fruit
If we are in Christ, we are new creations in Christ (2nd Cor 5:17), and so we ought to display “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Col 3:12b). Think about how much God has shown us compassion, kindness, and patience. Good or bad, a person’s fruit will reveal their root, and what that root is tapped into; either Christ or the flesh.
Forgiven and Forgiving
Since we have been forgiven so much more than anyone could ever sin against us, we should be “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Col 3:13). If someone has offended you, go to them in private (Matt 18:15). Don’t make it a prayer request before others, because then it becomes gossip. We are compelled to bear with one another, forgive one another, and not keep an account of past offenses. Have the funeral. Bury the past. We shouldn’t trip over what’s behind us and others.
Conclusion
In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matt 18:21-35), we read that those who cannot forgive others their minor offenses, don’t understand their own major offenses that are against God. If you had a set of scales and placed the sins which are committed against us and our sins committed against God, it would be like putting a microscopic piece of dust on one side (sins against us) and all matter in the universe on the other (ours sins). We owed more debt to God than we could’ve repaid in a billion lifetimes… so forgive one another.
