A note from the desk of the Pastor:

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

Colossians 3:13

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

The Apostle Paul’s writing contains many lofty, big theological ideas, but he always reorients the disciple toward the community of believers. He has a way of relentlessly pulling our focus back to the real world — specifically to the person sitting in the pew next to us. The Apostle reminds us that discipleship is not done in isolation; it’s a life lived within the community of believers. Our study verse this week reminds us that our relationships with other disciples are the real-world testing ground for the grace God has given us. 

The power of this verse is rooted in its acknowledgement of reality. The Apostle indirectly admits that disciples will have conflicts within the community of believers. Individuals will have rough edges, challenging personalities, and differing views that don’t touch religious truths. Some disciples will naturally get along better with some people than with others. The truth that the community of believers will have friction points makes the lessons in this verse both necessary and realistic. 

The Apostle presents two actions necessary for disciples to maintain healthy relationships in the community of believers. The first is ‘forbearing one another.’ Forbearing pertains to the actions of others that do not rise to the level of offense or sin, but disturb the disciple. In other words, it is when the disciple needs to put up with the provocations, eccentricities, or sharp edges of another disciple. The second action is forgiving and involves giving grace to others. This action is necessary when one disciple offends or sins against another disciple. The two actions taken together allow disciples to maintain healthy relationships even when personalities conflict. 

The majority of the verse focuses on the concept of forgiveness. The Apostle tells disciples that the example to follow in forgiving is Christ himself. The example of Christ tells us that we forgive not because someone deserves forgiveness, but because of our own sins, which Christ has already forgiven. It is an acknowledgement of the grace Christ has shed in our lives. The grace we give is from the abundance of grace that we have from God.

This verse should serve as a reminder that the scriptures acknowledge that differences in personality and views will exist among believers. In the community of believers, we are called upon to have a unity of the spirit. There should not be differences in doctrine and practice of the church, but personalities will conflict at times. When they do, we should forbear or forgive as necessary. 

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah