Love is the Bond that Produces Perfection: the Full Expression of the Divine Life in the Church

And on the following part of Colossians 3 verse 14:

And above all these things, put on love, which binds all together in perfect harmony.

 

Other possible renderings of rather "flexible Greek," include:

Above all, put on love  — the perfect bond of unity. Holman

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. NIV

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. NLT

and above all these things, have love, which is a bond of the perfection, Young's Literal

 

Apparently, the Greek could be saying that love is the bond that produces perfection, or the bond that signifies perfection. The word 'perfection' in Colossians 3:14 is the full expression of the divine life in the community.

(Rienecker and Rogers, Linguistic Key to the Greek NT)

 

Love is the bond that produces perfection.

Sounds a lot like …

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

 

Real knowledge, whether from prophecy or tongues, as in 1^st century Corinth, or from Scripture today for us, is knowledge lived in love. Compare 1 Corinthians 8:1-3. When love binds all members together, perfection will have arrived and replaced partisanship, partiality or the favouring of parties or parts. Partisanship was a huge problem among the gifted in Corinth. It was true of some tongue-speakers in Corinth, and it can be true for any of us today who work selfishly or divisively rather than in love for all. Read James 2:1-9.

 

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:11-16

So the teaching leadership in the church equips the church to speak the truth in love and serve in love, just as Paul told Timothy:

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5

 

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48

 

Love is best of all!

 

David Hunter