I was thinking this morning about Paul's metaphor of clothing when it comes to the virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. In his letter to the Colossians, he writes, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (3:12).
Two things jumped out at me. First, Paul uses an imperative form of a verb. This is not a passive voice, "Be clothed," but active voice, a command: "Clothe yourselves!" Second, the metaphor of clothing itself implies that one needs to put these on. They may not be "natural" qualities we have. One could very easily find kindness a virtue which they are lacking, but Paul's command to clothe ourselves in kindness is not hindered. If it's something we put on, then it's something we could possibly lack in our more natural personality or demeanor.
Of course, the basis for all this is God's election: God has chosen us, calls us holy, and loves us. Therefore, act like it! :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment