If we are in Christ and have become Christians we have experienced a change. We must kill our old man, all the bad habits and practices of our past. Because Jesus restored us and has given us new life. We are now made in His image.
In Colossians 3 verses 12-17 (NLT) we are given instructions on what the new person in Christ looks like.
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
We are told how to live this new life in Christ and what a restored life looks like. The change we have experienced is undeniable. The change is not something we have accomplished but something that Christ has done for us, in us and through us.
Because He chose us, we have God’s favor (v. 12a)
Paul reminds us that God chose us. This simply gives us a unique position and favor with God (Longman, 331). We are holy, which means set apart unto God and so we are set free from sin. We are God’s chose people to demonstrate who He is to this world. We are chosen to be different so others can see the work He has done in us and show off His power to all people. Phillips' translation says because you are "Picked representatives of the new humanity, purified and beloved of God Himself." We are not only holy but we are beloved, or loved by God. God loves us and wants the very best for us.
Deuteronomy 7:7-8a (HCSB) says: "The Lord was devoted to you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the Lord loved you . . ." Because God loves us, He shows us through His Word how to put off the old man, our sinful way of life and “put on” His clothes. In this instance, “put on” in the Greek is “Ἐνδύσασθ”. The verb is being used in the Aorist Imperative Middle in the second person plural (Interlinear). This Greek word for “put on” is also used in Romans 13:14 (NLT) and Ephesians 6:11 (NLT). In Ephesians, Paul is again telling us to “put on” the armor of God before we enter into spiritual warfare. In Colossians 3:12 (NLT), Paul is describing the characteristics of Christ which we are to put on, but in this case, he is telling us to prepare us for peace, not war. We are dressing for peace, not war. We are to clothe ourselves in the clothes of new life in Christ (Longman, 331). Those whose lives are changed by Christ are clothed in these clothes (Hawthorne, 61). Similarly, in Ephesians 6:11 (NLT), Paul is telling us to walk in the shoes of peace. Through these parallel verses about peace, we are not only to dress ourselves in the peace of Christ, but to also walk in the peace of Christ. Walking in the peace of Christ in our daily living where this is accomplished through the passage in Colossians 3:12 (NLT).
Because He changed us, we love the people of God (v. 12b-14)
Paul is talking about the unity in the church. Where we live in harmony as people who really love God and where the Holy Spirit is living within us. In verse 14 we see that love is above all other characteristics of the previous verses. God commands us to love one another to bind us in unity.
Heartfelt compassion is living with mercy or sympathy. We should not be cruel or harsh with each other (Longman, 332). We should maintain heartfelt compassion for each other as Christians (332). This is how God feels about us (332). We should put on kindness, which can also be translated as generosity or goodness. As a kind person, we have good things to say about others; we are kind and considerate of others. Our words are full of grace and tenderness. We show genuine caring for others. In humility, we are to submit ourselves to each other. We should put the other person’s needs above our own needs.
Pride can play a dangerous part in how we treat each other. We can inadvertently attack another person because of our pride. Christians should never exhibit this type of attitude. We should put on the garment of gentleness or meekness. We should be willing to suffer injury before inflicting it on another person. Jesus was meek, but we know that He was not weak. Meekness means to have strength under control. It takes greater strength to exhibit meekness than to barrel over others with anger and lose control.
We are told to clothe ourselves with patience. We cannot muster patience in our own strength (Longman, 332). Patience is not something this world teaches us to practice. We must give tolerance, or endurance, for each other through patience. We find this patience through forgiveness. We must forgive one another like Christ forgave us (Longman, 332). Even when there is clear cause for complaint, we must forgive.
Because He called us, we participate in God’s Peace (v. 15)
The meaning of the word “called” in this verse is to be summoned or appointed by name (Tenney, 186; Douglas, 161). In the Greek “ἐκλήθητε” is a verb Aorist Indicative Passive second person plural (Interlinear). This gives us the imagery that God is calling to us and bring us out from this world and into His eternal presence. In His presence, there is peace. There is no fighting in His presence. If we could live in His presence where we could see His holiness, power and glory, we would experience the unity and peace between us.
The peace of God in this verse is an external reality that helps us mediate peace between us (Longman, 333). Paul is encouraging believers to let the peace of God control our hearts. This peace controlling our hearts will direct the body and bring us to living as one.
Peace comes from developing the characteristics of Christ. If sin is left unchecked and compromised the truth allows the devil a way to affect the heart. We are to speak the truth in love, confronting the sin (not the sinner) and forgiving the sinner. We are “called” into His presence and allow His peace to direct all our dealings with each other (Longman, 333).
Because He counsels us, we build up the family of God (v. 16)
The Word of God offers us many things, promises, power, prophecies, principles and priorities. However, Paul says in verse 16 that the Word of God is our instruction. As we ingest it and meditate upon it, it is spiritual food that feeds our heart and the fruit we gain from following its instructions. The Word is so rich that we bear fruit from it.
The Word teaches us to teach, instruct and admonish one another. In teaching, we are to share insights, truths and wisdom to each other (Longman, 333). Admonition, however, can be the negative side of teaching. It is the means to warn and caution each other. When we love someone, we do both. We instruct them as to what to do and warn them as to what they should not do.
Because He cares for us, we cherish the Name of God (v. 17)
Paul implores the church to be grateful to God and to be concerned for one another as they look to honor God in all they do and say (Longman, 330). Our gratefulness causes us to be careful how we carry the name of Christ. We must be mindful of the fact that we are called Christians and our actions reflect to this world the reality of Christ (334). When we do anything, we do it in the name of Christ, on His behalf, under His authority and according to His will.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is a wonderful change we can experience in our life when we come to know Christ as our Savior. The darkness in our soul is brought into the light. We change how we behave toward other people. Forgiveness and love suddenly become more important than our own feelings. Life is restored in us.