'One Another' Series - Bear With and Forgive One Another

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders.

This year, in these podcasts, I am focusing upon the “One Another” scriptures found in the New Testament as viewed through the lens of leadership.  

Today’s episode comes from Colossians 3:13. “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (NIV).  The Message says it a bit differently.  “Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you.”

The context in the last half of Colossians 3 is dealing with relationships in the Body of Christ.  A few weeks ago, I shared from verse 16 where we are to “teach and admonish one another”.  

In today’s text, “bear with” and “forgive” are referring to those who have either wronged us or are troublesome to deal with.  Perhaps you can think of some individuals with challenging personalities or behaviors. My wife and I sometimes refer to such people as “extra grace required”. I think that the Apostle Paul had something like this in mind when he wrote these instructions to the church at Colossae.  

Leaders need to set the example and lead the way in “bearing with” challenging personalities and behaviors.  By extending grace, we minimize conflict in the Body.  On the other hand, if the leader erupts in frustration or anger, it sets everyone on edge emotionally, and strife is often the result.  

Paul goes a bit further in his instruction.  “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”  The Message elaborates on this with “quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you.”  

• Forgive quickly – when we forgive an offense quickly, the matter doesn’t have time to escalate. The transgression is dealt with and resolved and both parties are able to move forward.  Leaders set the example.

• Forgive completely – in 1 Corinthians 13:1 (the love chapter), we read that love “keeps no record of wrongs.” To forgive completely is to refuse to “keep score”, to refuse to bring the matter up again … or repeatedly.  Having said that, “forgive completely” does not always imply entirely forgetting about the situation.  When serious matters occur, trust may need to be re-built, and that can take time.

• Forgive as the Master forgave you – Paul has a reminder for those of us who may struggle to forgive. Our model for forgiveness is Christ. If He was able to hang on the cross and say, “Father, forgive them …” then any offence that we need to forgive seems trivial compared to what Jesus endured and forgave.  

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.