The Forgiving Community– Colossians 3:11-16
Everyone regardless of age, stage, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic background, etc. has experienced some sort of disappointment, disillusionment, or hurt from people in the church. In order to be the community Paul imagines, the Church of Christ, we must practice forgiveness.
Summary of Colossians
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives.
Pentecost Sunday is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of the church. It comes after Easter as it specifically celebrates and remembers Acts 2.
First, Paul says, the Church community should be rooted in Christ.
In John 1, Christ is described as the word or the logos.
“[W]ords spoken by Jesus, words spoken about Jesus, and Jesus himself dwell in you richly.” – Scot McKnight
Second, Paul says, the church community should hold one another accountable.
Paul here is emphasizing that Church is a responsibility shared by all who claim to be a part of that community.
Paul says Church holds one another accountable.
Thirdly, Paul says the Church community should sings songs of thankfulness.
“[P]art of a life of thankfulness that overflows into song.” – N.T. Wright
Similar to the early Christian community, as a church we gather week in and week out around simple songs, a psalter reading, and the doxology hymn.
And part of engaging in Church is showing up, singing songs, and thus rooting yourself in Christ.
And Paul says this is what the church should look like: a community rooted in Christ, in which we are held accountable to one another, and we sing songs of thankfulness.
In order to be in this type of community, with people that will inevitably hurt us, we have to practice an abundance of forgiveness.
“It is important to think about the Church not as “over there” but as a community of struggling, weak people of whom we are part and in whom we meet our Lord and Redeemer.” – Henri Nouwen
“if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” – Colossians 3:13
“A community has hope of holding together and growing together when the need for forgiveness is recognized on each side where the fault has been committed.” – James Dunn
“First, it is utterly inappropriate for one who knows the joy and release of being forgiven to refuse to share that blessing with another. Second, it is highly presumptuous to refuse to forgive one whom Christ himself has already forgiven.” –NT Wright
So Paul says, when the messy community of Christ hurts you, you must work towards forgiveness with one another because Christ forgave you.
“Forgiveness is a lovely idea until you have something [or someone to] forgive.” – C.S. Lewis
Paul, echoing the teachings of Jesus, instructs the Colossians to forgive.
Moving Toward Forgiveness
Dr. Everett Worthington is a Jesus-follower and psychologist who has spent 30+ years conducting the clinical science of what helps people forgive. Worthington believes true forgiveness can take place using the following research-based model in the form of the acronym REACH:
Recall the hurt
Empathize
Activate the Altruistic Gift of Forgiveness
Commit Publicly to forgive
Hold on to forgiveness
