Put On Compassion, Forbearance, and Love, the Bond of Perfection (Colossians 3:12–15)

Col. 3:12. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

“Clothe yourselves.” I have said: put away the shameful garment of passions. What then? Remain naked? No; to be naked is also shameful: “clothe yourselves.” “By this word he shows the ease of virtue; for he gives the thought that just as we easily put on clothes, so we can readily take on virtue. And he also conveys by this that virtue should be held continually and used as the greatest adornment: the one who does not have it is ashamed and deformed” (blessed Theophylact from holy Chrysostom). “As the naked one covers his shame with clothes, so the one denuded of virtue; wherefore one should always have virtue inseparable from oneself, as one has clothes” (Oecumenius). Let us add to this: as clothes, covering the body all over, warm it and protect it from external painful attacks, so virtue warms the soul with spiritual warmth and makes it firm and invulnerable to demonic temptations. Saint Anthony the Great called the union of virtues an army that defends and routs enemies.

“Therefore” conveys that the following teachings are drawn from what preceded; but before it was said that it is not fitting for the one who has stripped off the old and clothed himself with the new self to give in to passions. What then is fitting for him? To clothe himself in every virtue. In this is the chief motive—to be zealous for such clothing. New is he who, having received strength in regeneration, continuously then renews himself, cutting off passions and in their place establishing the opposite virtues, or clothing himself with them. But the Apostle did not limit himself to this; he added: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.” “Exhortation joined with praise; for from this it receives greater force” (holy Chrysostom). Praise urges one to display that for which one is praised, to hold it, and to bring it to greater and greater perfection. You are chosen, you are holy, you are beloved. What a fire of zeal is kindled if one receives such titles in feeling! You are chosen. Is there anyone but you among men? But from many God chose you, preferring you to others. He hopes that you will conduct yourselves worthily of Him who chose you. You are holy. God has sanctified you, forgiving your sins and giving you strength not to sin again, but rather to advance in all virtue. To this you are called: and be such. You are beloved. God does not hold you as strangers, but as His own, and loves you as His children. Show yourselves worthy of this love and establish within yourselves what God loves. God has loved you and chosen you; having chosen, He sanctified you; and as long as you remain holy, He will love you all the more. These titles obligate you to all virtue; but the Apostle by them urges you especially to be of good disposition toward your neighbors. Be merciful, as your heavenly Father, who chose you, sanctified you, and loved you, is merciful.

“Clothe yourselves with compassion.” “Compassion” is heartfelt mercy with suffering for every neighbor, as for one’s own kin. It is expressed by parental love toward children. As parents suffer for their children, so suffer you too for all brothers in Christ. “He did not say: you should have concern for one another, as brothers; but care for one another as fathers care for their children” (holy Chrysostom). “Clothe yourselves, he says, not simply with love (whatever kind), but with such love as naturally dwells in the hearts of parents toward their children” (Oecumenius).

“Kindness,” χρηστοτης, is benignity, readiness on every occasion to show in deed the suffering for the good of others that fills the soul, to do for others in deed all that they need and is beneficial.

“Humility.” Whoever is compassionate and benign forgets himself. The one without himself as his aim is naturally humble. A mother, suffering for her children and enduring all the difficult care for them, is humble; for her only concern is the children; she has forgotten herself. This humility is not acquired by reasoning, but naturally takes root in the heart. So too with the merciful one. Everything for others, nothing for himself. He considers himself obligated to serve others and, having served, does not exalt himself, but considers himself only as having fulfilled his duty—which duty, however, does not end with the service rendered, but remains on him in full force. The non-humble one, by contrast, in doing something for another, feels he is placing him in his debt, and, having done one thing, thinks that he has already done all for this person, and through a few such services, for all. He will say, “See, everything for others, now I must think of myself”—and closes his fists, because selfness has closed his heart. In general, where there is selfness, active benevolence appears reluctantly, if it appears at all.

“Meekness.” A comprehensive virtue, disturbed by nothing contrary and disturbing no one by anything. It is not hard-heartedness and indifference, but a strong heart, which more wisely than any wisdom sees and understands that disturbance, whether in oneself or in others, achieves no good, but only increases and grows evil. It is the direct daughter of humility, always accompanying it and strong through it—so that, if it departs even slightly from it, it immediately weakens and vanishes.

“Patience” means constant and unchanging endurance of unpleasantness, false accusations, attacks, insults, oppression, persecution, beatings, and slayings that come from men, at the instigation of the enemy. This is the external side, or visible manifestation of meekness. As compassion—inward—manifests itself outwardly through kindness, so meekness, implanted in the heart, is visibly manifested in patience.

The blessed Theophylact derives all these good dispositions one from another, placing “compassion” at the head. “Whoever is clothed,” he says, “with compassion, in him all the other virtues manifest themselves of themselves. For what father does not show kindness toward his son and practice humility, providing him with all without dispute? What father does not show patience? And note what a beautiful order there is in all this! Kindness (produced by compassion) begets humility, for he who is kind is also humble. From humility comes meekness, for the proud man is also angry. From meekness comes patience, which is magnanimity.”

But one can also place all these five in this relationship: humility is the root of all. It cuts down and drives out selfness, which is the source of all passions; for from it spring on the one side the passions of lust, on the other the passions of anger. When selfness is struck at its head by humility, all its offspring are struck—that is, both the passions of lust and the passions of anger. When the passions of lust are struck, compassion and kindness come into force. Lust wants to live only for its own pleasure; wherefore when it ceases, there remains in the soul a disposition not to live for its own pleasure, or there returns to it its natural good-will, which until now was suppressed by selfness. On the other hand, when anger is struck, the soul regains its natural peaceable disposition, which had been disturbed by the incoming anger. Good-will manifests itself in compassion and kindness, and the peaceable disposition in meekness and patience. Thus in a few words the Apostle has repelled and defeated an entire army of passions.

Col. 3:13. Bearing with one another and forgiving each other, if anyone has a quarrel against another: just as Christ forgave you, so also you do.

Since meekness and patience have great need of support, the Apostle adds for them both an indication of how to express them and the mightiest motive for doing so. It is as if the Apostle hears the question: living with one another, we continually have clashes that stir anger; teach us then how to conduct ourselves in meek patience. And he answers: bear with one another and forgive each other. Receive lovingly each one as he is, with all his weakness and shortcomings and with everything about him that displeases you in his words and undertakings. This is the same as bearing one another’s burdens. What displeases you in him, displeases him in you; endure one another. “Bearing, ανεχομενοι, means the same as carrying, βασταζοντες,—one another, you him and he you. Do not judge with keen strictness the faults and falls of one another; but, considering them trifles, pass over them without notice” (blessed Theophylact).

“Bear with” relates more to what displeases us in one another and troubles us, without relation to us. But “forgive” relates to what concerns us, what we can complain about, what is not only blameworthy in itself, but offensive and hurtful to us; which the Apostle expressed by the word μομφη—complaint. Now he has done something against which you rightly have a complaint; and tomorrow you may so act toward him. Meeting such occasions, forgive each other, χαπιζομενοι εαυτοις—give each other mutually such occasions as a gift, not starting disputes, quarrels, and discord because of them. To bear and endure one another is to bear more an external burden; but forgiveness has as its object what enters the heart; wherefore it manifests a merciful heart and gives to another what might have been held against him.

Simple as all this may seem in thought and word, in deed it is difficult to bear and forgive even a small thing, let alone something great. The Apostle strengthens his commandment with the mightiest motive—the forgiveness that each of us receives from the Lord. Why do they not forgive? A selfish movement comes to the heart: why should I forgive him? and forgiveness, often already ready, is driven away. This is the chief source of unforgiveness. The Apostle blocks it with a firm and heavy stone. As soon as selfness speaks in you: why should I forgive?—quickly bring to mind the all-forgiveness you have received from Christ the Lord, and selfness will be silent. For how dare it utter even the weakest voice when you consider how immeasurably great is the offense you have committed against the boundless God, how immeasurable a sacrifice was required for its satisfaction, and how His forgiveness is given to you, unworthy and despicable, for nothing at all? If you receive this in feeling—and how should you not?—then after this the thought in your soul will no longer be: why should I forgive this or that trifle?—but: let there be ever more for me that I might forgive.

The Apostle says: “just as the Lord has forgiven you.” He brings to mind the greater forgiveness in holy baptism. Consequently he assumes those to whom he writes have not sinned after baptism. To those who do sin after baptism, one should say: otherwise Christ God will not forgive you either. The Saviour presented clearly and with direct word, and in a parable, that the forgiveness of each one’s sins is entirely dependent on his forgiveness of his neighbor for what he holds against him. If you do not forgive, neither will you be forgiven. And here is the answer to selfness: why should I forgive? Because otherwise you yourself will not be forgiven. But if you are not forgiven, you will suffer something in comparison with which nothing of what you suffer from another and what requires your forgiveness can stand on even a hair.

Holy Chrysostom says: “And see how the holy Paul showed the insignificance of this (what one is required to forgive another), calling it a ‘complaint.’ Then he adds: ‘just as the Lord has forgiven you.’ A great example! Paul always does this—he persuades by the example of Christ. ‘Complaint,’ he says, by which he showed that this (what is suffered from others) is insignificant; but when he brought the example, he asserts that if we had even serious accusations, we ought to forgive. The words ‘just as the Lord’ mean this, and not only this, but also that one should forgive from the whole heart; and not only this, but also that one should love those who offend. For Christ, presented in example, teaches all of this and further that one should forgive wrongs even if they are great, even if we ourselves had not first wronged those who wronged us, even if we are great people and those who offended us are insignificant, even if they after forgiveness intend to offend us again, and finally—that one should lay down one’s soul for them. The word ‘just as’ requires this. It shows further that one should stand (for those who have wronged us) not only until death, but, if possible, even after death.”

Thus, “behold the loving-kindness of the Master—how many offenses has He forgiven you! Therefore imitate the Master, and let each one forgive the offenses committed against him by a brother” (blessed Theodoret).

cc) The final limit of moral perfection (Col. 3:14, 15)

This limit is love and peace. Through the rejection of self, having struck down selfness, one proceeds on the one hand by the path of compassion and kindness, on the other by the path of meekness and patience. By the former path one reaches love, by the latter—the peace of God. Comparing them with the passions, we see that love is established in place of all the passions of lust, while peace is in place of all the passions of anger. It is remembered that in this way somewhere Saint Maximus the Confessor distributes what occurs within us.

Col. 3:14. And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

“Put on” is not in the Greek; it simply stands: “above all these in love”; it is understood: “clothe yourselves.” Those were undergarments, and this is the outer garment, making up all the beauty. Over everything, he says, put on love. This is the uniform dress of Christians, by which they should be distinguished from non-Christians. If a general does not put on his uniform, no one will think he is a general. So too in us—whoever does not have love, no one with discernment will recognize him as a Christian: neither God, nor the Angels, nor the saints. Men may indeed call him so, but it will not be true. “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another,” said the Lord (Jn. 13:35).

But how, you might ask, is love “above all”? Before he already mentioned compassion and kindness. Is that not love? And what more does love have beyond this? Love is a certain divine attribute; while generosity and kindness are human dispositions implanted in our nature, only suppressed by selfness. Therefore, to display them means to show oneself a man; but to breathe love means to manifest God in oneself. For God is “love” (1 Jn. 4:16). Generosity and kindness, although they display the goodness of the heart, have their force more on the active side, while love embraces the very depth of the heart, from which is the source of life, and gives life to those very good dispositions, as well as to all good that is in us. True love is a gift of God. “Love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God” (1 Jn. 4:7). Only the one who has it understands it; but hardly can even he explain it in words. Therefore it is a subject worthy of seeking for all, and more than all else.

The holy Paul places love above all because it is the bond of perfection. Whoever has acquired love already has everything; he needs to seek nothing more, for, having love, he has God. How it is the bond of perfection, the holy Paul has set forth in the Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 13). Read it and you will understand. From what is said there it is evident that love casts out all passions from the heart and, on the contrary, dwells there with all good things. Holy Chrysostom explains it thus: “‘Above all these put on love,’ says the Apostle. Do you see what he says? Because the one who forgives and shows kindness may nevertheless not love, he says: no, and you must love, showing in this the way to true kindness and forgiveness. One may be good, and meek, and humble, and patient; but not breathe love. Therefore he said: ‘Above all these put on love.’ What does he want to say? This: from those virtues there is no benefit (while they alone exist); for all of them fall apart if love is not present. She binds them all tightly together. And whatever good you might name, in the absence of love it is nothing—scatters and vanishes. As in a ship, be the component parts ever so great, but if their fastenings are not strong, there is no benefit from them, just as in a house (there is no benefit from thick logs) if there are no reliable crossbeams and connections, and in the body there is no benefit from great bones if there are no ligaments: so whatever virtues one might have, they are all unstable if love is not present. The Apostle did not say she is the top, but, what is far more important: she is the ‘bond.’ This is more necessary than that. For the apex is the limit of perfection; but the ‘bond’ is the uniting and holding of everything that constitutes perfection, as it were a root.”

Col. 3:15. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body, and be thankful.

“The peace of God” is either the peace given by God and established in the heart, or divine peace, like that in which God has peace within Himself. As God has peace within Himself, so too have peace within yourselves. Both should be combined. This peace is truly God-like; but such peace cannot come from anywhere except from God, or it is God-like precisely because it is from God, as the preceding love is.

Love, according to the flow of discourse, is established in place of all the passions of lust; but in such a way that it is the fruit of overcoming all the passions of anger as well. Peace is established in place of the passions of anger; but in such a way that it is the fruit of overcoming all the passions of lust as well. Both love and peace are established in the heart after the overcoming and expulsion of all passions. While they are not expelled, expect no rest and peace, for every passion brings turmoil to the soul; such is the nature of passions that they everywhere bring turmoil.

The scope of the peace finally established in the heart is all-embracing: it is peace with God—not merely in the feeling of all-forgiveness, but more so in the feeling of communion with God; and peace within oneself, in conscience and in all movements and actions, peacefully begun and ended, unfolding peacefully as a flower and fruit unfold peacefully on a tree; and peace with brothers, in the feeling and requirement of a living and heartfelt unity with them, permitting no discord. Yet in essence it is single—rest in God, absorbing all that could bring turmoil to the heart. Although in the present passage, apparently, one should understand more the peace with brothers, as the words show: “to which indeed you were called in the one body”; but as this peace is not firm without the other kinds or aspects of peace, and as it is here called God’s, it will not be foreign to the Apostle’s thought to understand here peace as rest in God, bringing peace to all within the hearts and bringing complete harmony and peace into the whole body of the Church.

“Let … rule,” βραβευετω. Βραβευειν means to award prizes to the winners on the racecourse. The holy Paul personifies peace, presenting it as a person within us awarding us for victory over the passions, especially anger, and awarding with itself, that is, with peace. You overcome anger, you receive peace as a reward; if you do not overcome, you do not get it, but remain with your anger that violates peace, losing peace more and more. But although the Apostle spoke thus, representing peace as established within and ruling, nevertheless his thought is the same here as regarding love. As there, having said: “put on love,” he called for our own efforts to establish love in the heart; so here, saying: “let the peace of God rule,” he calls for such efforts to acquire and preserve peace. “If anyone experiences something sorrowful from someone, let him hold peace in his heart, which both determines and awards prizes for labors and brings about that which pleases God, unanimity” (blessed Theodoret).

Holy Chrysostom says: “The peace of God is peace deeply rooted and firm. If you have peace for man’s sake, it will soon be broken. But if you have it for God’s sake, never. But why the Apostle, having spoken of love (which embraces peace as well [see: blessed Theophylact]), again comes to the same thing? For there is love without measure—namely, when someone out of great love unnecessarily reproves, disputes, and causes divisions. No, he says, this is not what I want; but as God made peace with us, so you make it. And how did He make it? By His own will, having received nothing from us. What does βραβευετω mean? When two thoughts contend in you, do not put anger or vengeance in charge of the reward, but peace. For example, suppose someone is unjustly wronged. From this wrong two thoughts are born in him, one commanding revenge and the other commanding endurance, and they fight one another. If in you the peace of God stands as the distributor of rewards, then it will give the reward to the thought commanding endurance and shame the other (the thought commanding revenge). How? By persuading you that God is peace, that He has been reconciled with us. The Apostle shows through this that the work of peace requires great struggle. Let there not be, he says, among you the judges of the contest and distributors of rewards anger, or contention, or human peace; for human peace comes either from what has been demanded and paid that was held to be just, or from the fact that nothing important was suffered. But I, he says, do not desire such peace, but such as Christ Himself left for us. Thus the Apostle set up within us both a racecourse and a struggle, and victory, and a distributor of rewards.”

“To which indeed you were called.” To what peace are we called? To peace with God; for the Apostles were sent into the world to call all: “Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20). But we were not called to this peace individually one by one, but all together—as a whole body, and not so that each would remain and live separately, but so that all would constitute one body, living together in living union and communion with one another. Wherefore the Apostle added: “you were called in the one body.” One cannot be at peace with God while not having peace with one another. It is evident that in these words the Apostle presents a motive for peace, as regarding love before he put forth as a motive that it is “the bond of perfection.” You, he says, are members of one body. As the members of a body are at peace with one another and constitute one body because they are at peace, so be at peace with one another; for otherwise how will you be a body? “By means of peace we are one body, and we are one body in order to be at peace” (holy Chrysostom). And in the Epistle to the Ephesians the holy Paul insisted: “Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Why? Because you “are one body and one spirit” (Eph. 4:3, 4). The same here. “God, having called all of you, made you one body; therefore do not shatter it” (blessed Theodoret). “In calling us to peace, Christ made us one body, becoming Himself the head. For why else are we one body but so that, being ‘members of one another’” (Eph. 4:25), “we keep peace among ourselves and do not divide?” (blessed Theophylact).

“And be thankful.” Thanksgiving here in the Apostle either stands alongside love and peace as a third highest spiritual perfection and condition accompanying, completing, and covering them, or in relation only to peace, as its support and guard. In the first sense, thanksgiving to God is a never-ceasing state. When the passions are driven out and good dispositions are established in their place, then the soul is in a peaceful condition and through love receives rest in God. When the soul rests in God, then God also rests in it. And where God is, there too is blessedness—there is joy in the Holy Spirit, the inseparable possession of those accounted worthy of having the Kingdom of God within themselves. The consciousness and feeling of such blessed joy, however strong it may be, does not absorb the consciousness and feeling that it is a gift of God’s grace and God’s favor toward us, and not only does not absorb it, but rather deepens it and covers it. From this there flows from the heart a never-ceasing thanksgiving to God for His unspeakable gift. This is the state of the Angels, continuously glorifying God worshiped in Trinity: Holy, holy, holy, Lord of hosts! It is toward this that the holy Paul directs thought here. And because he expressed this in the form of a commandment, when for one who has entered such a state no commandment is needed, because thanksgiving flows forth from the heart of itself, he did this either in confirmation, as though saying: yes, yes, be thankful; the feeling filling you is a fitting, good, and pleasing to God feeling, or as encouragement—to kindle this feeling ever more; for by the changeableness of our nature it can be now strong, now weak, now completely hidden. The Apostle encourages us so that, when such a feeling hides, we call it forth, and when it weakens, we restore it to strength.

In the second sense, thanksgiving to God is a spiritual work which should be performed in spirit in order to guard the peace of the soul and peacefulness with brothers. The peace of the soul is disturbed by sorrowful events of life, and peacefulness with brothers by offenses from their side. The Apostle says: be thankful to God, and neither the sorrowful events of life nor offenses from brothers will disturb your peace. Sorrowful events will not disturb peace thus: ascend to the conviction and receive in feeling that all is from God and all is for your essential good. Try to see the same in every sorrowful event. When you see this in the present sorrowful event tormenting you, immediately the bitterness of the sorrow will begin to diminish, and if you do not weaken the conviction that it was sent for your good, it will completely disappear, and thanksgiving to God, joyful, will be established in its place. But if by frequently awakening such a feeling you succeed in acquiring the habit of giving thanks to God for all, then the feeling of bitterness from sorrows will not appear in you at all; for the feeling of thanksgiving to God dwelling in the heart will not give it room. Thus “be thankful,” and the peace from the sorrows of life will not be disturbed in you. Neither will peacefulness with brothers be disturbed in cases of offense from them. This is as the Lord pictured in the parable of the debtors. How many times and how powerfully have you offended God with your sins! And He forgave you all freely, of Himself, by His goodness alone. But now your brother has incurred a small debt to you, having wronged you. Forgive him too, remembering how great and unpayable a debt the merciful God forgave you. Out of gratitude to God, who forgave you much and great, forgive your brother his trifle. And this is not to your loss; rather, for forgiving the trifle you will again receive incomparably more—the preservation and strengthening of the peace of the soul through the preservation of peacefulness with your brother.

The first aspect is clarified by holy Chrysostom: “‘And be thankful,’ he says. He requires this everywhere most of all; for this is the summit of good works. Therefore, let us give thanks to God in all circumstances; for in this consists thanksgiving. To give thanks in prosperity is easy; the circumstances themselves urge it; it is worthy of wonder if we give thanks in dire circumstances. If we give thanks for what others blaspheme, from which they fall into despair, look what wisdom is here: first, you have made God glad, second, you have shamed the devil, third, you have shown that what happened to you is nothing. At the very moment when you give thanks, God takes away your sorrow, and the devil departs. If you fall into despair, then the devil, as having achieved what he wanted, stands beside you; and God, as offended by blasphemy, abandons you and increases your calamity. But if you give thanks, then the devil, as having achieved nothing, departs; and God, as having received honor, in return rewards you with greater honor. And it cannot be that a man giving thanks in misfortune suffers. His soul rejoices, doing good; at the same time his conscience is glad—it delights in its own praise, and a rejoicing soul cannot be sorrowful. There, in despair, along with calamity, conscience also punishes; but here it crowns and proclaims. There is nothing holier than the tongue that in misfortunes gives thanks to God. It is truly no different from the tongue of the martyrs and receives the same crown as theirs. For the executioner also stands by it, compelling it to renounce God with blasphemy, the devil stands, tormenting it with torturing thoughts, darkening the soul with sorrow. Therefore, whoever endured sorrow and gave thanks to God received the crown of martyrdom.”

The second aspect is clarified by the blessed Theophylact: “Thankful is he who acts toward his fellow servants in the same way as God acts toward him. The one confessing the grace of God and thanking God for the forgiveness of his sins will not take revenge on one who has wronged him; conversely, the one taking revenge clearly does not remember what great kindness he himself received (in the forgiveness of his sins), like the one who received forgiveness of ten thousand talents and was unwilling to forgive a hundred denarius.”