September 2026 (“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.")

Bible Passage: Colossians 3:14.

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Reflection.

In the beginning of Chapter 3 of Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, he made it very clear that since Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross, Christians are given a new life and a new self. And so we are exhorted to discard our dirty, filthy, sinful old clothes that represent our former self and leave them behind with our lives before we met Christ.

As Christians, we need to grow to be more and more like Jesus. True growth comes when we join in with the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And as Paul emphasised, while it is great to grow individually, our growth should be expressed in our communal values and manifested in how we do life together as a community. Our expression of God’s love and our growth in becoming more like Jesus must be seen in the context of community and the relationships they foster. We need to remember that Christian life is not meant to be lived alone.

In order to better understand Verse 14 of Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, it is important to focus as well on the two previous Verses; i.e. Colossians 3:12-14:

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Firstly, there is the call to clothe ourselves in new spiritual clothes, as God’s chosen and dearly loved people. We know that we cannot do this in our own strength alone but we need the help of the Holy Spirit. However, we cannot just rely on the Holy Spirit to do all the work as well. We need to have an active role in choosing the spiritual qualities we clothe ourselves with every day.

Secondly, Paul reminds us of God’s incredible love for us. As Max Lucado wrote: “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.”

God wants us to live our life to the full. That is what the new wardrobe which the Holy Spirit offers us is for.

This brings us to the final Verse 14: “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

All this comes back to love, “agape” love which is a purely “giving” kind of love. It is that kind of love that calls us to go out and love others, which when expressed in community is the highest virtue.

Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 13:1-2 best stresses this: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

Love is the virtue that binds all godly characteristics together in Christ. It is the preeminent fruit of the Holy Spirit from which all other virtues flow and the bond of perfection that ties them all together. The inflow of God’s love into our life is transferred into an outflow of that love to others in a bond of unity.

With a healthy application of love, disagreements, disputes, differences, and disunities can be resolved. For truly, love is what binds us all together in perfect unity.

Discussion Starters.

1.     As among God’s chosen people, have I clothed myself in the new spiritual clothes, especially as manifested in how I relate with others? In which quality do I need more help from the Holy Spirit?

2.     Have I allowed God’s love to help resolve a disagreement or dispute and preserve unity in our community? How?

Do I allow the inflow of God’s love in my life to extend and be transferred to others in the spirit of unity? How?