Order of Operations

Colossians 1:4-5

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,
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Growing up you hear about the Golden Rule. You hear that you are suppose to be nice to people. You know all of these things...but that doesn't make it any easier to carry it out.

When it comes down to it...it's just flat out hard to be nice all the time.

One of the marks of a genuine, sincere love for Jesus is love for others. Jesus even mentions this...

John 13:35

English Standard Version (ESV)

³⁵ By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

So how are we suppose to do this? How are we to muster this up? Are we just to manufacture love all on our own?

I want to point out the order of events in this text.

First Things First

In verse 5 we see that that Paul is referencing the gospel saying that they've heard it before.

It begins with the gospel.

Notice that it does not begin with behavior modification. The way sin works and the way righteousness works is first to take over the heart, then to work outwards into external actions.

Jesus illustrates this principle in His sermon on the mount.

Matthew 5:27-28

English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

The external sin, adultery, is conceived in the heart. That is where God sees.

1 Samuel 16:7

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Just as sin starts at the heart, so righteousness also begins at the heart. In our letter here to the church in Colosse Paul is saying that the love that they have for all the saints began with them hearing and understanding the gospel.

What is the gospel?

2 Corinthians 5:21

English Standard Version (ESV)

²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Romans 8:1

English Standard Version (ESV)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2:13-14

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

The gospel is that everything you ever would need to be happy, you have right now in Christ. Not because you deserve it, not because you are good, but because God is good.

Titus 3:5-7

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Your sins, past, present, future, all of them were paid for on the cross. You are free! It's this dwelling in the gospel that changes you.

I remember when I was a kid I went to some fair where they had a giant maze you could wander through. After a long time in there I finally figured the way out. I was so thrilled that I could get out and to the finish line that I ran back in and offered to help anyone who was lost or discouraged find a way out.

That's kind of like what the gospel does. Once you know that you've got an exit, that the way out is in your possession, you're free to go back and help others!

Notice the verse again...

Colossians 1:4-5

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

Because of the hope laid up for them in heaven they are able to love the saints (saints are fellow Christians).

You wanna know how to love people better? Focus on the gospel, dwell in the gospel. The more you're able to grasp the gravity of what's already been accomplished for you, the more free you will become.

Like the famous hymn says...

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, 

In the light of His glory and grace.