And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.
3 sermons cite this verse
… Is this painful enough yet? Let's do one more, Colossians 3.14. And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. See, maybe you're a little bit more influenced by Babylon than you think you are. And by the way, I know Taylor just got engaged. So congratulations to see. Okay. I'm not trying to pick on her, but I don't think that qualifies Taylor to give you more instruction about marriage than Jesus. Okay. Amen. In 10 years, she may or may not still be married, but this will still be the word of God. So the question is who shapes, who shapes your view of life and how distinguishable are you really from the world? In his book, The City of God, St. Augustine said that Christians, citizens of the kingdom of God, should be most distinguishable from the world around them in three primary ways. Called them his big three. Money, power, sex. If you want to know if somebody's really distinct from Babylon, those are the three areas to look at. Not the length of their hair or how many tattoos they have. The city of man, Augustine says, sees money as a tool for acquisition and self-promotion. Get all you can, keep all you can, spend all you can, give a little bit so you look good, get some tax breaks, but otherwise it's for you. The Christian, by contrast, believes money, all of it, not 10% of it, but all of it is a stewardship from God given to bless …
… because I just didn't give the office the proper notice, is let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. It comes at the very end of all this sweeping chapter on how to change, on a changed heart. And there's a parallel to it in Philippians 4. And in Philippians 4, Paul says, the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. For I have learned the secret of being content, whatever the circumstances, whether well-fed or hungry, whether in plenty or in want. Now, what's the principle here? Let me use one more illustration from Pride and Prejudice. My illustrations tend to come in clusters, if you notice. And there's a place near the end of the book where the central character, Lizzie Bennett, one of her sisters is engaged to be married. I wish you could find a man and be as happy as me. Well, now, Lizzie's response is interesting because on the one hand, it's not the traditional response. …
(1.) Examine yourselves, whether you do not live in some way which is contrary to that love which is due to those who belong to the same family. Love, implying a hearty good will, and a behaviour agreeable to it, is a duty which we owe to all mankind. We owe it to our neighbours, to whom we are no otherwise related than as they are our neighbours; yea, we owe it to those who stand in no relation to us, except that they are of mankind, are reasonable creatures, the sons and daughters of Adam. It is a duty that we owe to our enemies; how much more then do we owe it to those who stand in so near a relation to us as a husband or wife, parents or children, brethren or sisters! There are the same obligations on us to love such relatives as to love the rest of mankind. We are to love them as men; we are to love them as our neighbours; we are to love them as belonging to the same Christian church; and not only so, but here is an additional obligation, arising from that near relation in which they stand to us. This is over and above the other. The nearer the relation, the greater is the obligation to love. To live in hatred, or in a way that is contrary to love, towards any man, is very displeasing to God; but how much more towards one of the same family! Love is the uniting band of all societies, Col. iii. 14. “And above all these things, put on charity which is the bond of perfectness.” …