In 1 Peter 2:10 are past and present identities are described, “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
In Colossians 3:12-14, Paul addresses the Christians at Colossae “as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.” Wow, what a privilege is ours! We are God’s people; once without mercy, but now the recipients of his unlimited mercy and grace, being chosen, holy, and dearly loved.
As followers of Jesus our identity is certain and awesome. And to know and accept our identity is of importance because we know that what we do flows out from the identity we can claim for ourselves. Doing and being cannot be separated. And so, to believe that we are chosen, holy, and dearly loved is to energize our behavior accordingly.
“Holy” has to do with our character, with how we act, with what attitudes direct our lives. “Holy” has also to do with being chosen, set apart, and dedicated. God lays his claims upon us, calls us and we respond in dedication. We are then given a vocation, which is to be holy. This defines our ID as people of God.
But there is more. We are “dearly loved.” Is there anything more important than to know that I am loved? The witness of Scripture is that God’s love is unconditional and not dependent upon our merit. His love is a constant kiss of grace upon us, no matter what may happen.
This awesome description of our identity as people of God, is the wondrous thought that empowers Paul’s “Therefore” at the beginning of this verse. “Therefore, … clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” In other words, “Dress yourselves appropriately with the beautiful and lovely garments of Christ-like virtues.”
I think we can rightfully imagine that God has chosen us to be his Kingdom ambassadors in the world, and in doing so, requests that we be appropriately dressed with the lovely garments from his own wardrobe of “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” These garments will clearly set us apart and identify us as the people of God in the world.
The first noticeable virtue that Paul lists is “compassion.” To be clothed with “compassion” is to have “a tender heart.” This will be seen in my deep caring about the world around me and wanting to do my best to bring it help. It will also be seen in my being emotionally moved by your pain and seeking to act in your behalf with consoling presence and empathy.
The Gospel writers repeatedly used this word to describe Jesus’ response to others. Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Again in 14:14, “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” And in response to the request from two blind men for healing in 20:34, “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”
James 5:11 tells us that “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” This echoes the psalmist in Psalm 145:8-9, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”
I further believe that the other virtues mentioned in Paul’s listing, are interwoven into this garment of compassion. To be clothed with compassion is to display “kindness” with “tender goodness” in doing useful things to improve your well-being.
To display “humility” with “a confident mind” in remembering who I am in relation to God and other persons. To display “gentleness” in exercising self-control by being God-controlled. And to display “patience” by adjusting to endure unpleasant situations, unexpected hurts, and unwanted problems.
Then in verse 14, Paul describes the outer garment as love. “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” According to Paul, “love” is the visible outer garment that completes and ties all the parts of our character into a single whole.
In the preface of his book, When a Congregation Cares, Abraham Schmitt writes, “It is not possible to care unless one is willing to enter into another’s pain.”
That is certainly a needed word for us to hear today in countering the voice of our society telling us that to enter into another’s pain is too emotionally costly, too physically exhausting, too time-consuming, and the risks are too great.
Yes, it is all the above. But the challenge to compassionately feel our neighbor’s pain and respond with unselfish acts of caring love, is God’s command and example to his people.
“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – August 26, 2020
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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