“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” (Colossians 3:14-15a, ESV)
Paul offers words of wisdom to help believers grow into the image of Christ, to gain spiritual maturity. This does not involve learning spiritual secrets or following the law or adopting a severe lifestyle. The way we grow in Christ is by death to self. When we were baptized we died to the old self and became new creations in Christ. This new creation that we are affects every aspect of our lives, passions, and desires. But, practically speaking, this takes time and the disciplined work of the Holy Spirit to accomplish as He motivates us daily to put off sinful ways and put on Christ. We grow in Christ by trusting Him, studying his word, praying and by living, thinking and acting with love and compassion toward all people.com
And in this new life we are united to Christ and so to all other believers as well. Men and women, rich and poor, slave and free, black, white, yellow, and brown we are all equal in Christ so we should treat everyone accordingly. We are to focus on being tender-hearted and kind toward all people. We are to forgive always even as we have been forgiven. We are never to seek our own agenda.
Though the world and the media cry out for racial justice, harmony, and equality, the idea of forgiving even one’s enemies and people who hold different opinions is unacceptable to most individuals. Thus, what Paul says may disturb many because it will means the believer in Christ will usually have to quietly accept abuse, scorn and reproach from fellow human beings even when tempted to justify and defend the self and prove others wrong. The faithful Christian realizes, however, that his/her sense of worth and identity come from Christ not other men. Therefore, we must always take care that what we say and do is tempered by love and humility.