Forgiveness as the Cornerstone of Church Unity: A Study of Paul's View of Forgiveness in Colossians

Forgiveness as the Cornerstone of Church Unity: A Study of Paul's View of Forgiveness in Colossians

Shiu-lun SHUM

This essay shows that, while instructing the Colossian Christians in Colossians 3:12-15 on how to deal with disputes, Paul underscores three important principals. First of all, believers should forgive and accept one another with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (v. 13b). The second principal is love (v.14). For Paul, love is the foundation of all Christian ethics and therefore is essential to the Christian community; only by love can one be restored, built up, and established. Finally, peaceful relationships and unity of the believing community should be safeguarded (v. 15). It is also shown in the essay that these three principals are not new insights or ideas of Paul for they are in fact what our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as the Old Testament and the Jewish tradition, has instructed us.