The Love of All Loves
"Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection." Colossians 3:14 NHEBThis verse is so simple and often is just read as an "amen" type of statement to what has preceded it. But when we read verses 12-14, it is the end of the "put on" encouragements. It is the final piece of our "image" garments. The NIV says, "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
It is the cloak or covering that empowers all the other things listed previously; compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another. So the sense is that without love as the covering the other aspects are not effective. You see, it is love the human craves and it is love that Jesus brings. Everything other need is a part of that basic human need.
So we are encouraged to wrap ourselves in His love and then all the other aspects of His image in us will flow to others effectively. Human compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, perseverance - is like Mom's apple pie. It may comfort us initially, but is really not healthy for us and will not give us what is needed to live in a healthy way. So we as believers, are always challenged to learn to exchange our dependence upon the love of humans and begin to receive the love of Jesus through humans.
That may seen like a simple difference of semantics, but I assure you it is not. When we live dependent upon another person's own love for us, it will end up very empty in the long run. We become disappointed and crushed. When we spend our time giving and receiving His love, the humans we are loving and are being loved by become loved more deeply in the long run - for it is His love that will hold, even within my relationships.
I am reminded of another scripture: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love." Gal. 5:6 NKJV None of the "stuff" we do or do not do means anything, but what does mean something is faith, our trust in our Lord Jesus, working through love.
This is the journey of our life - receiving this love of all loves and allowing the Lord to love others with His nature through us.
Comments
It is interesting that Col. 3:14 is rendered "walk in love" and "put on love".
When I was a child, leather biker jackets were ‘cool’. I asked for and received a plastic one from my folks. I put it on and strutted around in it, but I had no intention of behaving like an outlaw biker.
I wonder if, like the ‘robe of righteousness’ with which we are clothed, we are clothed (a state of being) in these things (love, compassion, the new man). Since ‘putting on’ is an activity, maybe it means that we can act like we look.