Christian Concourse

A Meditation on Unity in the Body of Christ:  Colossians 3:12-17

 

Read the following passage carefully, several times.  then, answer the questions below.  Do your best to refer to as many specific passages of scripture as possible in your answers.

 

You are God's chosen people, dedicated and dear to Him. You must therefore clothe yourselves in compassion, in kindness, in humility, in gentleness, in patience. You must bear with each other, and, if anyone has something to complain about in someone else, you must forgive each other. You must forgive each other as the Lord forgave you. And, to crown all, you must clothe yourselves in love, which holds all the other qualities together and completes them. Only Christ can enable men to live in a right relationship with each other. It is this unifying power of His which must dictate your every decision, for you were meant to be one united body. You must be thankful.  Colossians 3:12-15 (William Barclay Translation)

 

To lookup Col 3:12-13 in other translations on BibleGateway.com click here.

 

1) "You are God's chosen people"

 

A) Who are God's chosen people?






B) Are you one of God's chosen people?






C) How do you know?





    

 

2) "Dedicated"

 

A) What does it mean to be dedicated to God?






B) Who dedicated you to God?





  

 

3) "Dear to Him"

 

A) How does it make you feel to know you are "dear" to God?

 

4) "You are God's chosen people, dedicated and dear to Him."

 

A) Does this statement relate in any way to unity in the Body of Christ?


B) If so, how?





 

 

5) "You must therefore clothe yourselves"

 

A) What does it mean to "clothe" yourself in these qualities?




B) Describe what each of the following words mean in terms of how you act toward others:

 

6) "compassion"






7) "kindness"






8) "humility"






9) "gentleness"






10) "patience"






11) "You must therefore clothe yourselves in compassion, in kindness, in humility, in gentleness, in patience."

 

A) Does this statement relate in any way to unity in the Body of Christ?


B) If so, how?





 

 

12) "You must bear with each other"

 

A) What does it mean when two or more people bear with each other?





 

 

13) "and"

 

A) Why are these two phrases connected here with an "and"?





 

 

14) "if anyone has something to complain about in someone else"

 

A) What does it mean to complain about someone else?






B) Do you ever complain about someone else in church?





  

 

15) "you must forgive each other"

 

A) What does the word "must" add to these statements?





B) What does it mean to forgive?






C) Why does it say forgive "each other"?

 

16) "You must forgive each other as the Lord forgave you."

 

A) As far as God is concerned, what have you done that He considers sin? Answer in general terms!






B) What is the penalty for these kinds of sins?






C) Since you became a Christian, have you been guilty of doing any of these kinds of things?






D) So, what is going to happen to you when you leave this world?






E) Why?






F) What does it mean to forgive others as the Lord has forgiven you?





 

 

17) "You must bear with each other, and, if anyone has something to complain about in someone else, you must forgive each other. You must forgive each other as the Lord forgave you."

 

A) Does this statement relate in any way to unity in the Body of Christ?


B) If so, how?




 

18)  "And, to crown all, you must clothe yourselves in love,..."

 

A)  What does the phrase, "And, to crown all" mean?



B)  What picture comes to your mind when you read, "clothe yourselves in love"?



C)  Read 1 Corinthians 13.  (To lookup 1Cor 13 on BibleGateway.com click here.)

D)  Based on your reading in 1 Corinthians 13 - how would you answer the question, "What is Love?"

19)   And, to crown all, you must clothe yourselves in love, which holds all the other qualities together and completes them.

 

A)  According to this statement, how important is "love" as it relates to "unity"?





B)  Can you have "unity" without "love"?

20)  "Only Christ can enable men to live in a right relationship with each other."

 

A)  Aside from the fact that this is a quote from Scripture, do you agree with this statment?



B)  Can you think of an experience you have had with a group of Christians where there was a lack of unity in their relationships?  According to this passage, what happened?

21)  "It is this unifying power of His which must dictate your every decision, for you were meant to be one united body."

 

A)  What is "this unifying power of His" refering to?



B)  How would you explain the phrase, "must dictate your every decision"?



C)  Who is the "you" refering to?



D)  What were "you" meant to be?



E)  Soooo, do you have any ideas from this passage as to how you can personally be a catalyst for unity among the Christian Believers with whom you are in fellowship?  If so, what are they?

 

 

 

 

 

F)  Do you have any ideas from this passage as to how you can personally be a catalyst for unity among the Christian Believers who are close to you but with whom you are not in fellowship?  If so, what are they?
 

22)  "You must be thankful."

 

A)  What is thankfulness?




B)  In this statement, who are we to be thankful to?




C)  Why do you think the Holy Spirit put this statement here?





 

 

 

 

 

© Copyright 2010, Gerald T. Johnson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.  For permission to copy, contact us.