The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 158

eepecinlly CIB shown in his dealing with the In Eph. it. 8 we have the "bond of peace" sine of men before the coming of Christ (see next verse). Love is the bonrl in the (Rom. ii. 4 : iii. 26: comp. Aote xvii. 80). o.ctive sense, as that wherewith the con• Long-suffering mny be shown toward.a o.11 stituents of e. Christian character or the who do us injury; forbearance especially members of a Church are bound together: towards those from whom regard or obedience peace, in a po.ssive sense, e.s that where-in is due. It falls short of forgiveness, which the onion consists ( comp. 1 Cor. i. 10; 2 Cor. co.n only ensue on repentance (Luke xvii. 8, xiii. 11). "Love" (compare" covetousness," 4: comp. Rom. iii. 25, 26: Acts xvii. 80). ver. 5) is me.de conspicuous by the Greek The change of pronoun in the two participial definite article-being that eminent, essential clauses appears also in Eph. iv. 2 and 82: the grace of Christi au love ( eh. i. 4, 8 ; ii. 2; 1 first is reciprocal, but tho second is reflexive, Cor. xiii.: 1 John iv. 16, etc.). "Perfect- implying the oneness of tho forgiving o.nd ness" is genitive of object, not of qu:i.lity: the forgiven party. Forgiving e. Christian Jove unifies tha elements of Christian good- broU1er, it is as though o. mo.n were forgiving ness e.nd gives them in itself their "perfect- himself (comp. vers. 14, 15: Ge.I. vi. 1; Uom. ness" (Rom. xiii. 10). (For "perfectnees," xii. 5; xv. 5-7; o.nd the so.me variation in see note on "perfect," eh. i. 28; e.nd comp. 1 Pet. iv. 8-10). "Forgive" is literally" to iv. 12.) Against Galatian teachers of grant grnce," used of Divine forgiveness in circumcision, e.nd Corinthian exalter3 of eh. ii. l:l (seo note). The words," if any he.ve knowledge, the apostle had magnified the nny cumplo.int," etc., would certainly apply supremacy of love (Go.I. v. 6; 1 Cur. viii. 1- to Philcmon as against Onesimus (Philem. 3); o.ncl so against the Colo,sie.n mysticism 18, 19: comp. 2 Cor. ii. 5-11; Mark xi. 25). and nsceticism he sets it forth e.s the crown Even as the Lord (or, Christ) forgave you, so of spiritual perfection, the goal of human also ye ( eh. ii. 18; Eph. iv. 82 ; i. 7; Rom. excellence (comp. Eph. iv. 15, 16). iii. 24-26: 2 Cor. v. 19: Acts xiii. 88: v. Ver. 15.-And lot the peaoe of Christ be 81; 1 John i. 9; 111att. ix. 1-8: xviii. 27; umpire in your hearts (eh. i. H, 20-22; Exod. xxxi v. 6, 7; Ps. ciii. 3). This argument ii. 18: Eph. ii. 13-18: Rom. v. 1, 10; 2 Cor. is latent in the appeal to the "elect" nnd v. 18-21: Acts x. 36; Heb. xiii. 20; " beloved " of ver. 12. The evidence for the Phil. iii. H). "Of God," the reading of the alternative readings, "Lord" and" Christ," Received Text, is burrowed from Phil. iv. 7, is nearly equo.l in weight. In any case, the where, however, " in Christ Jesus" follow~ " Lord " is " Christ" in this pe.sso.ge (eh. ii. (comp. ver. 18 b, and Eph. iv. 32). "The 6; iii, 17, 21): nnd the.t heforgnve(comp.ch. pence of Christ" is tha.t which he effects in i. 20, note) is quite consistent with the o.sser- reconciling men to God, o.nd to himself as tion tho.t God forgo.ve (eh.ii. 13), for God for- their Lord (ver. 18 b; eh. i. 20, see note; Rom. p;ave "in Christ" (Eph. iv. 82). So "God in v. l). Here is the source of inner tranquillity Obrist reconciled" (2 Cor. v. 19) ; and yet e.nd heo.lth of soul (see note on "peace," eh. " Christ reconciled us" ( eh. i. 20, 21 ; Eph. i. 2: Rom. viii 6-9: John xvi. 33): and or ii. 16). "Forgiving," supplied in thought the outward union nnd ho.rmony of the from previous context, completes the sense of Church, the body of Christ (Eph. ii. 16; iv. "so also ye" (Meyer, Alford, Ellicott). To 2, 8: Rom. xiv. 15-19; xv. 7). In John suppose nn ellipsis of the imperative, with xiv. 27, on the other hand, Christ's peace, his Lightfoot nnd the English Vereion ("do ye"), " legacy," is that which he possessed and is needlessly to breo.k the struoture of the exemplified-no idea. foreign to this context, sentence. Ver. 14 shows thnt the leading This "pence" is to " act as umpire" in the impero.tive, "put on," of ver. 12 is still in Christian's heart. The compound 1ean-fJpa- the writer's mind. For the reciprocal double fJ.{,., (" a.et e.s umpire against you") has 1eal (" even ... e.lso "), comp. eh. i. 6 or Rom. nlree.dy been used in eh. ii. 18 (see note; e.lso i. 18: it is characteristic of the writer. Phil. iii. 14, cogunte fJpafJ<iov) of the false Ver. 14.-And over all these things (put teacher who, iu condemning the foith of tl10 on) love, which (thing) is the bo:Q.11.of perfect- Colossiun Christians as insufficient for tho Iless (eh. ii. 2: Eph. iv. 2, 3; v. 1; Phil. ii. attaining of" perfectness" (ver. 14) without 2 ; 1 Cor. xiii.: Gnl. v. 18-15, 22 ; Rom. nngel-worship, etc., virtuo.lly took away the-ir xiii. 8-10: 2 Pet. i. 7; 1 John iv. 7-21; prize o.nd judged them" unworthy of olernul John xiii. 3'1, 35). In 1 Cor. xiii. " love " is life." The Greek comm~ntators seem, there- the substance or substratum of the Christio.n fore, to be right, o.s a.go.inst most mo<ler:1s (but vii·tues; in Gal. v. 22 it is their hee.d e.nd see Klopper on the other side), in retaining beginning: here it is thnt which embro.ces the primary sense of the verb instead of and completes them. They imply love, but gonerolizing it into "rule" or the like. It it is more than them all together. They lie sto.n<ls in precise antithesis, buth of sense an,l within ils circumference ; wo.nting it, they sound, to eh. ii. 18 : " Let not tho decci ver~ full to pieces nud nre nothing. (For <Tw6<0'- decide ngainst you, but let the pence of f<tls ("bond" or" bnnd "), comp. eh. ii 19.) Christ decide iu your hearts" (Cramer·a  15! THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. [cu. m. 1-25