Colossians 3:15
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful
Once again, I want to point out that Union with Christ [Col 3:1-4] leads to unity with Christ and his body. All of the instructions given from Col 3:5-4:1 is to the end that we will live out the reality of our Union, that is, we will have unity. Is it possible to have union without unity? Of course, ask any man or woman who has been bound in the union of marriage to an unloving and uncaring spouse. They are within the bounds of marriage but there is no unity. So it is, when we have been bound in union to Jesus and yet we let the old man entice us and draw us away, we are in union with Him but out of unity with Him. As our unity with Christ suffers from these things so will our unity with the body. Notice our verses today, we are to let the peace of God rule in our hearts; but to what end? “To the which also ye are called in one body.”
We are to “Let the Peace of God Rule in our Heart.” The word peace means unity or 2 things coming together. Peace is not something that anyone person can experience on their own, peace requires at least two parties to come to terms and be joined together. By the work of Christ, we have peace with God, that is a reality of Union with Christ; “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself” [Col1:20]. We have peace with God, now we should let it rule in our hearts. The word rule puts us in mind of an umpire, or someone who “calls the shots,” or as it was rightly translated in the King James Bible, “rule.” Like an umpire has the final say and presides over the arena so should the reality of our union with Christ rule in the arena of our life. This reality of Union with Christ should rule in our hearts. Constantly reminding us of the rules and boundaries he has put in our life. We are in a wrestling match with this old man according to Galatians 5:17 ”17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” The official who rules over this contest should be “The peace of God.” In this wrestling match between the old man and the new let the reality of our Union guide and remind you that he has already given us victory and that unity is possible because Union Is promised.
Then we are reminded that we are of the same body, and of course, a body must be at peace with itself. Imagine that your hand has taken a disliking to your throat and decided to withhold water from it. Or your foot has taken a disliking to your lungs and refused to carry you out into the fresh air. That seems like such a silly example but not nearly as silly as some of the things we have seen when Christ’s People fall out of unity with him and the body falls out of unity with itself. Church’s splitting over the color of the carpet, men literally fist fighting in the church. This is why we must let the peace of God rule. We start fighting the wrong battles and forget that there are plenty of battles that must be fought, like the flesh, the devil, the world and earnestly contending for the faith but fighting among ourselves over insignificant things is not one of them. He is the head we are the body[Col 1:18] every member should be in unity with its head, Jesus. If that be the case we will be in unity with one another. If the head is calling the shots then the body will operate smoothly but if not there will be a sickness arise and disturb the unity in the body. It is no wonder we are told in Romans 16:17 “17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”
Then He reminds us to be thankful. Certainly, we have so much to be thankful for. We should be thankful for the promise of Union with Christ, that I died with him and the bonds that tied me to my old nature have been severed and I have been resurrected to a new life, a new creation that can serve God. As Paul told the church in 1 Corinthians 15:57 “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Union with Him affords us all the blessings that are his. As a man and woman are joined together in the bonds of marriage, they become one. They have Union and they can live in unity. What a wonderful joy it is when man and woman dwell together in love within the bonds of marriage. That is only an illustration, a shadow of the joy that a man or woman has when they have been joined in union with Christ at salvation and then dwell all the years of their life in unity, in love with Jesus. I am so thankful for a “Taste of glory divine.” Thankfulness won’t have to be forced out of someone living in unity with Christ and his body, it will be a natural by-product of it. Union affords us unity, unity affords us thankfulness, so “Be ye thankful.”
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