What Does It Look Like to “Put on” Compassionate Hearts? | Crossway

Good words from Ed Welch:

Paul knew of the love of God before he encountered the risen Jesus, as did anyone who read the Old Testament. The earliest and most complete words about God are, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, . . . ” (Ex. 34:6–7). But when this divine self-revelation stood firm through the Hebrews’ interminable spiritual adulteries and was then condensed into the person of Jesus, God’s love became the organizing center of life, and our imitation of that love became thick and rich. Paul’s list in Colossians 3 captures much of it: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 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.” …

Compassion shares features with mercy and kindness. It is a response to God’s compassion, and it prefers to act. God’s compassion sees human infirmity, physical needs (Matt. 15:32), and oppression (Matt. 9:36). It is most glorious when he responds with compassion to those who have turned away from him and are being overtaken by the resulting darkness. What distinguishes compassion is its intensity. It is a heart moved to the very depths, and it is on a mission. …

The apostle Peter writes to a church that has been sincere in its love, and then he invites them further in, “love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Pet. 1:22). That is, love as God loves you. This means we can grow in compassion. …

What Does It Look Like to “Put on” Compassionate Hearts? | Crossway

Read the whole thing as they say. Worth taking some time and thinking about it, too.

Don Johnson