Colossians 3:12-17
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (v. 14) It sounds simple enough and it is certainly good instruction for those of us who call ourselves Christians. But almost every time that I find a “love one another” verse, I am drawn back to 2003 and the Episcopal convention that affirmed the gay bishop from New Hampshire. I was a member of the Diocesan leadership team and first alternate to the convention, so I was party to all those discussions that formed our Diocesan response to this “gay bishop” issue. And so often, when the issue of the “right or wrong” of homosexuality, with our personal and corporate response to the issue of homosexuality in our midst, the one item that I kept hearing was that “Jesus said, ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ ” (John 15:12) And it’s true, I affirm that. But Jesus also affirmed marriage – one man, one woman – and gave no hint that other marital relationships were acceptable.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts … [and] … Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… (vv. 15, 16) These two imperatives have direct bearing on the paragraph above. Everyone’s marital relationship needs to stand on these two admonitions. Your relationship must accord with Scripture – all of Scripture, not just a few select passages. And you need to be at peace in your marital relationship – before and during your marriage.
Slava Bohu!
Thanks, Fred. I was drawn to v. 12, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Easy words, hard stuff.
Jesus told us to love one another, not to “luv” one another. There is a huge difference between the love demonstrated by the Cross, which calls us to repentance, and the “luv” that the world promotes, which shuns repentance. Let’s not be confused by the world’s manipulation of language.