Before we consider verses 15 through 17 in more detail, let us look at certain aspects of verses 12 through 14. In verse 12 Paul says, “Put on therefore as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; bearing one another and forgiving one another, if anyone should have a complaint against any; as the Lord forgave you, so also should you forgive.” Having put on the new man, we also need to put on the spiritual virtues listed in these verses. In verse 12 Paul addresses the believers as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved. The new man is God’s elect, God’s chosen ones. Furthermore, the new man is holy. This means that the new man is neither common nor worldly; rather, he is separated to God. Moreover, the new man is beloved. According to this verse, the new man is chosen, holy, and beloved.
As such a new man, we need to put on all the necessary spiritual virtues: a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and longsuffering. Lowliness is somewhat different from humility. A person may be proud of his humility, but not of lowliness. The heretical teachers at Colosse taught a form of self-abasing humility. But Paul taught spiritual lowliness as well as meekness and longsuffering.
In verse 13 Paul goes on to speak of bearing one another and forgiving one another. The forgiving Lord is our life, and He lives within us. Forgiving is a virtue of His life. When we take Him as our person and live by Him, forgiving others will be a spontaneous virtue of our Christian life.
In verse 14 Paul goes on to say, “And over all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.” The Greek word rendered perfectness can also be translated completeness. God is love (1 John 4:16). Love is the very essence of God’s being, the very substance of the divine life. Hence, to put on love is to be clothed with the element of God’s life. Such a love is the uniting bond in the combination of perfectness, completeness, and mature virtues.
In verse 15 Paul says, “And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be thankful.” The Greek term for arbitrate can also be rendered umpire, preside, or be enthroned as a ruler and decider of everything. The arbitrating peace of Christ in our hearts dissolves the complaint mentioned in verse 13.
The relative pronoun “which” in verse 15 refers to the peace of Christ. We were called to this peace in the one Body of Christ. For the proper Body life we need the peace of Christ to arbitrate, to adjust, to decide all things in our heart in the relationships between the members of His Body. Our having been called to the peace of Christ should also motivate us to let this peace arbitrate in our hearts.
In this verse Paul also encourages us to be thankful. We should not only let the peace of Christ arbitrate in our hearts, but we should also be thankful to the Lord. In the Body life our heart should always be in a peaceful condition toward the members and thankful to the Lord.
Paul’s word about the arbitrating peace of Christ was no doubt written according to his practical experience. If we consider our experience, we shall realize that as Christians we have two or three parties within us. For this reason we need an arbitrator. An arbitrator is always needed to settle disagreements or disputes between parties. With respect to a certain matter, one of the parties within us may be inclined one way, whereas another party may be inclined the opposite way. Furthermore, a third party may be neutral. Often we are conscious of three parties within us: a positive party, a negative party, and a neutral party. As Christians, we are more complicated than unsaved people are. Before we were saved, we were under the control of the satanic party. We could indulge in worldly amusements and entertainments without any sense of controversy within. But now that we are saved, one party may encourage us to do one thing, but another party may encourage us to do something else. Hence, there is the need for inward arbitration to settle the dispute within us. We need someone or something to preside over the conferences that take place within our being. According to verse 15, this presiding one, this arbitrator, is the peace of Christ.
Remember the background of the book of Colossians. Various philosophies and isms had invaded the church in Colosse. I do not believe that all the saints in Colosse adopted the same philosophy. On the contrary, I believe that some appreciated pure Greek philosophical thought, whereas others preferred Egyptian or Babylonian philosophy. I doubt that even in the matter of asceticism all the saints had the same point of view. Nothing is more divisive or causes more dissension than opinions regarding asceticism. There was no actual division in the church in Colosse, but no doubt there was dissension. The saints were not truly one. As a result, they were not at peace.
After Paul wrote concerning the all-inclusive Christ and concerning the new man in whom Christ is all and in all and where there is no room for Greek, Jew, or other cultural distinctions, he charged the saints to care for the peace of Christ. Within us we all have something called the peace of Christ. This is the peace about which Paul speaks in Ephesians 2:15, where we are told that in Himself Christ created one new man out of two peoples. By creating the Jews and the Gentiles into one new man, Christ has made peace. This is the very peace in Colossians 3:15.
Believers with different cultural backgrounds and nationalities have been created into one new man. The oneness of the new man produces genuine peace. Apart from Christ and the church, those of different races and nationalities cannot be truly one. We in the Lord’s recovery are one because we are in Christ and in the church. We are in the new man, where there is no Greek, Jew, circumcision, or uncircumcision. In the new man there are no different races, classes, or nationalities. Rather, there is oneness because Christ is all and in all. This oneness is our peace. The peace of Christ in Colossians 3:15 is simply the peaceful oneness in the new man.
We need to understand this matter of the peace of Christ in relation to the background of the Epistle to the Colossians. Various aspects of culture had come into the church life. Certain Jewish believers were in favor of observing the Sabbath day. They also advocated regulations concerning eating. No doubt the believers with a Greek background did not appreciate these things. However, they in turn brought in the kind of philosophy they favored. To be sure, the Jewish believers did not receive this. As a result, there was a loss of the peace of Christ in their experience. Instead of the peace of Christ prevailing, the Greek philosophical concepts and the Judaistic practices were prevailing among the believers. Hence, in Colosse there were at least two parties: the philosophical party and the Judaistic party. Therefore, an arbitrator was necessary. This arbitrator was not any brother in the church; it was the very peace of Christ, which is the oneness of the new man, the Body.
We have pointed out repeatedly that in the new man there cannot be Greek and Jew. Greek philosophy and Jewish observances should not be brought in. In the new man Christ is all and in all. Furthermore, the oneness of the new man, the peace of Christ, must be maintained.
We should allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate in our hearts. All the parties must take heed to the word of the arbitrator. Do you realize that you have an arbitrator within you? From Colossians we see clearly that the peace of Christ is our inward arbitrator. This arbitrator must settle all the disputes within us. For example, some Chinese brothers may like to visit Chinatown. However, in doing so, they may not have peace, but experience a disagreement within. Therefore, it is necessary for these brothers to pay attention to the arbitrator, to the peace of Christ presiding within them. Whenever we sense that different parties within our being are arguing or quarreling, we need to give place to the presiding peace of Christ and allow this peace, which is the oneness of the new man, to rule within us. Let this peace, this oneness, have the final word.