Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Tag: Peace of Christ is to Rule our Hearts
In the context of this section of Colossians, Paul is instructing the believers in the church to make sure they get along with each other. Like most of the churches then and now, not everyone "liked" each other all the time. Paul at just told them the way to make sure division doesn't happen is to:
1). Forgive each other: Colossians 3:13
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
2). Love each other: Colossians 3:14
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And, our above verse:
3). Let the Peace of Christ rule - let it decide all things difficult. Note what one commentator states:
The “grievances” (3:13) that members have against each other are settled when Christ’s peace rules in their midst. In the context of the indicative and the imperative, the meaning of Paul’s admonition could be stated this way: By virtue of being reconciled to God by Christ you are at peace (the indicative; cf. Rom 5:1; Eph. 2:14; Col. 1:20); now live out.
The word for "rule" in the verse is:
brabeuo (βραβεύω, 1018), properly, “to act as an umpire” (brabeus), hence, generally, “to arbitrate, decide,” Col. 3:15, “rule” (rv, marg., “arbitrate”), representing “the peace of Christ” (rv) as deciding all matters in the hearts of believers; some regard the meaning as that of simply directing, controlling, “ruling.”
When we have difficulty with and don't know what to do, we are to, first and foremost, all the peach of Christ to act as the umpire between us. We are to make sure we have the Peace of Christ at the center of our lives and the desire of our lives. That decides what we may do or how we may respond to the brother that "grieves us." Forgiveness, Love and Christ's Peace rule!!!
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