Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; (13) bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (14) But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. (15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (17) And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

The letter to the Colossians was written by the apostle Paul in response to heretical attacks on the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. Philosophy, human wisdom, legalism, mysticism or asceticism by themselves or added to Him are useless in regard to salvation which is found in Christ alone. Our verses tell us to walk in our position as elect in God and live what we already are, in faith, in Christ. In the early days of the church, the gospel was revolutionary and the world was without faith, unable to fathom the gospel, skeptical and reluctant. There was a great need for effective witness from believers and Paul, in our verses, examines these attributes necessary for such witness – all spiritual gifts – bonded by love – and let the peace of God rule our hearts.

The believer is chosen by God, redeemed from sin in faith in Christ and is a child of God. The elect are those who owe everything to His will – they are set apart to Him to walk in love, obedient to His will. Behind divine election is divine love. There is no reason for God’s love for us and He initiates our salvation in mighty works of reconciliation and redemption of Christ. A consciousness of a believer’s relationship with Christ applies to everything; He is to be in all our thoughts – in every word and deed. We are to become what we already are in faith which will manifest itself in harmony and the peace of Christ in our hearts. Love is the supremely important Christian virtue..

Election and divine forgiveness in Christ manifest in the faithful a new birth – God sets His hand upon us when there was nothing in us that could please Him. This principle reminds me of something I heard of recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous: everyone who has a seat at the table has been touched by the hand of God.