Colossians 3:12-17

Giving thanks to God and the Father by him

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.  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.  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:12-17)

Paul mentioned in detail "the virtues that Christians should throw away and the virtues to keep." These ethical and moral problems were brought to the church at Colossae. Most churches at that time, not just the Colossians, were affected by the immorality of the Gentiles. At that time, the Roman civilization ruled. Roman civilization, although seemingly noble and refined, was fundamentally immoral and violent. Paul points out five vices in Colossians 3:5.『 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:.』

Paul referred to the "colossians who lived in the civilizations of the Gentiles before believing in Jesus" as old men, and after they believed in Jesus, they were called new men. If they become new people, they have to abandon the evils of foreign civilization and live like new people.

『Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 』

Five vices and five virtues are listed. It is mercy, mercy, humility, gentleness, and longsuffering. The sentence format is similar to verse 5. Evil virtues and virtues are likened to being worn by an old man. The new man must take off the clothes of evil and wear the clothes of virtue. The clothes are represented by the spirit body and the fresh body. In 1 Corinthians 15:43-44

 『It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 』 The body of the spirit is likened to the clothes of Christ. Galatians 3:26-27 『For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. "To be clothed with Jesus Christ" is to be united with Christ through the death of Jesus, just as Adam was wearing a leather garment from God. You must dress in Christ. God gives the gift of faith to those who wear the clothes of Christ. In this way, you must be born again with water and the Holy Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. Those who are born again have full unity with Jesus. They are united and become one like the vine and the branches attached to the tree.

In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul also mentioned the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: 『But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no. law. 』. This level of life, as Galatians or Colossians says, is almost impossible when wearing the clothes of an old man. However, when I wear new people's clothes, I do not do it, but the Holy Spirit leads me to do so. So a spiritual battle takes place. Inside and outside are fighting each other. The mind of the body and the mind of the spirit fight each other. In Romans 8:3-5

 『For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 』

The Apostle Paul is speaking to the Colossians, telling them a clear identity and fighting evil to win. The obvious identity is that those who have been regenerated into the spirit body are seated at the right hand of God, so they always realize their identity and do not go the way the flesh wants. Even though there is a physical body, as a person born again as a spirit body, it is to fight the desires of the flesh like God's people. So, after Paul listed the five virtues, in 3:14, 『And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 』. It means that love is the fundamental ability to make all those virtues possible. Love is the way God is. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that opens us to the mystery of life. Paul said that the life of a Christian who relies on this love is perfect.