Colossians 3:12-14
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
This chapter of Colossians is roundup of how we are as Christians are to live our lives and interact with others.
To “forbear” means: Showing patient and unruffled self-control and restraint under adversity; slow to retaliate or express resentment. This is what is signified here; forbearing is the correct translation. In Galatians, we are instructed to “Bear ye one another’s burdens”; this is far from forebear.
Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Verses 12-13 constitute one sentence, so to get the proper context, the whole sentence must be taken into consideration. The conclusion is to put on charity. Many feel that charity is a mistranslation in places, but it is not. Charity is the opposite of selfishness; it is selflessness, to give of yourself freely, no strings, no repayment, no quid pro quo, to use a term that is in the news a lot. Although close in meaning in some cases, charity demands more of oneself; it goes beyond the love of an individual; it is the love of common decency toward all men.
Not being selfless (being selfish) is the second-greatest sin in the Bible (KJV) next to blaspheming the Holy Ghost.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Charity is the opposite of selfishness; it is being selfless. You cannot obey the commandment to love others as yourself unless it is out of charity/selflessness.
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