Colossians 3:14 refers to “Love” as the bond of perfection. In the Greek, the word “perfection” comes from derivations which refer to completeness and maturity. I wanted to bring this out because many people shut down at the mention of “perfect” because Satan has convinced them that it is unobtainable, in this lifetime or the next. Let me say this emphatically…ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD. Apologies if that was stated too loud, however this really needs to sink in if we are truly to begin relating to our Heavenly Father, the self-existent and boundless GOD, YAHWEH. Accepting His omnipotence is key to laying the foundation for an understanding of our sovereign and divine Creator. In the first few verses of the book of Proverbs we are told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Understanding that all things worth knowing comes from the Lord GOD our Creator prioritizes the focus of our study and the importance of what His words reveal.
“The fear of the Lord is the frame that holds the picture of God. You cannot begin to understand the first things of God until you have a frame of reference from which to approach His Gloriousness. Without the framing of the fear of the Lord, you will lack the proper perspective to prioritize even the most miniscule things of God. It is easy for someone not understanding the fear of the Lord to forsake some detail of God as trivial, not realizing it will tip the scale and unbalance their life.” (from “True Heritage” my first book).
What I am emphasizing here is that GOD, our Savior, wants to bless us with certain essential things for a peaceful and joyful existence but if we have entertained limitations to GOD’s abilities or limited Him to man’s reasoning, we will not be able to receive all His provisions. This is how Satan works to achieve his stealing, killing, and destroying, by keeping us from entering the fortress of faith where the full provisions of GOD are obtained. Through Christ, our Heavenly Father has given us access to all things which pertain to life and godliness, this includes maturity and completeness (perfection).
Love is the “bond” of perfection. Love makes up the ligaments which holds the body of Christ together. Love is affection one for another. When you have a community where everyone is mindful of how their actions “affect” others and their genuine intent is goodwill, then you are able to form bonds of perfection. To be clear, this is only if the “good” in “goodwill” is understood to be the will of GOD. Christ emphasizes that we are one body to drive home the reality that our lives affect one another. When the ligaments that join us together are connections of love, then the body thrives. This is what the Apostle Paul was also reiterating to the early church.
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV)
The philosophies of “to each his own” and “live and let live” are philosophies of darkness which are void of the reality that our lives are connected. We all have a responsibility to each other to be mindful of the thread we string through the fabric of humanity. The Apostle Paul does not leave this bonding love to interpretation but goes into to detail regarding how this love looks in practice.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:25-32 NKJV)
These words have survived thousands of years however the practice of them has been dying to a world filled with social indifference from a plague of narcissism. Thank GOD we are starting to see an awakening! I see growing streams of empathy and compassion watering dry and callous hearts. Our Heavenly Father is cultivating hearts to receive the seed of His word, to bear fruits of righteousness for the redemption of man. Christ must be exalted in this awakening for it to produce true unity because in Him love is perfected. The power to love comes from the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit fills the body of Christ. We enter the body of Christ through the baptism of repentance and the death of the cross. In other words, we must turn from living life how we see fit and surrender our will unto Christ in obedience to Spirit so that His life can permeate us. All those truly surrendered to Christ are united in His love and represent His one body, the Church.
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