{"id":522,"date":"2010-08-07T11:30:40","date_gmt":"2010-08-07T18:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/?p=522"},"modified":"2011-01-14T05:07:13","modified_gmt":"2011-01-14T12:07:13","slug":"the-binding-power-of-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/?p=522","title":{"rendered":"The Binding Power of Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Beyond all these things put on <\/em>love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” <\/strong>(Colossians 3:14)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Apostle has commanded that we \u201cput on\u201d five virtues (v.12, see this post<\/a>).\u00a0 He has now one more notion to add before he closes the sentence: \u201cBeyond all these things.\u201d<\/em><\/span> By \u201cthese\u201d<\/em><\/span> Paul is referring to the graces set forth in verses 12 and 13.\u00a0 This is clear because the imperative \u201cput on\u201d from verse 12 should be supplied here (which the NASB does by \u201cput on\u201d in italics).\u00a0 The precise emphasis of the word translated \u201cBeyond\u201d<\/span><\/em> has been debated.\u00a0 It could mean \u201cover\u201d (as in the final piece of clothing placed over all the other garments\/virtues; cf. NIV), \u201cin addition to\u201d (as in \u201clove\u201d being counted as just one more virtue to be \u201cput on\u201d; cf. NET), or \u201cabove (all)\u201d (thus marking \u201clove\u201d as the superlative or crowning virtue in the list; cf. ESV).[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

That additional virtue is to be \u201clove.\u201d<\/span><\/em> Unlike the previous nouns, this one is accompanied by the definite article, while those virtues were anarthrous.\u00a0 This touch underscores the elevated estimate of this final virtue.<\/p>\n

Indeed, it is that \u201cwhich is the perfect bond of unity.\u201d <\/span><\/em> The relative pronoun (\u201cwhich\u201d<\/span><\/em>) is in the singular and points back to \u201clove.\u201d\u00a0 The verb (\u201cis\u201d<\/em><\/span>) is in the present tense underscoring the ongoing nature of \u201clove.\u201d\u00a0 The noun (translated \u201cbond of unity\u201d<\/span><\/em>) refers to \u201cthat which binds together.\u201d\u00a0 It could be used in non-biblical Greek to describe the fasteners that hold different ships together.\u00a0 In Ephesians 4:3 Paul uses it to exhort the Christians to preserve the unity of the Spirit \u201cin the bond [same word] of peace.\u201d (cf. its only other New Testament usage in Acts 8:23).\u00a0 Paul used it in Colossians 2:19 in a metaphorical reference to the \u201cligaments\u201d which hold the body of Christ together in unity.\u00a0 The relationships of believers within the body of Christ must operate in \u201clove\u201d if they are to maintain the unity of the Spirit.\u00a0 That which here is thus bound together could be either the previously listed virtues of verses 12 and 13[2]<\/a> or the believers who are to practice them.[3]<\/a> The former seems the more likely, given the nature of the imagery used.\u00a0 In that case \u201clove\u201d could be seen either as the final layer of clothing (virtue) \u201cput on,\u201d as a necklace or broach which caps off the clothing, or as a sash or girdle which physically binds all the virtues together.\u00a0 Here Paul adds a genitive noun to round out the meaning (\u201cperfect,\u201d lit. \u201cof perfection\u201d).\u00a0 The noun speaks of a state of completion or perfection.[4]<\/a> But how are we to understand the genitive?\u00a0 It is unlikely to be a subjective genitive: \u201cthe bond produced by perfection.\u201d\u00a0 It could possibly be a genitive of apposition: \u201cthe bond that consists of perfection.\u201d[5]<\/a> It might be a \u201cdescriptive gen[itive] indicating the bond which signifies or indicates perfection.\u201d[6]<\/a> Thus this makes it \u201cthe bond that unites<\/em> all the virtues (which otherwise have no unity) in perfect harmony<\/em> or the bond of perfect unity<\/em> for the church.\u201d[7]<\/a> Or it could be an objective genitive: \u201cthe bond which brings about perfection\u201d or \u201cthe bond that perfects.\u201d[8]<\/a> In this case it would be the \u201cnew self\u201d as a corporate whole, not simply the individual believer, which is brought to \u201cperfection.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Harris, 163.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Harris, 164; Moo, 281.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> DNTT, 3:592; Lohse, 148-149; O\u2019Brien, 203-204.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Friberg, 377.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Robertson, 4:504.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Rienecker, 581.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> BAGD, 785.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Harris, 164-165; Lohse, 136, 148-149; Moo, 282; O\u2019Brien, 203-204.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Moo, 282.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” (Colossians 3:14) The Apostle has commanded that we \u201cput on\u201d five virtues (v.12, see this post).\u00a0 He has now one more notion to add before he closes the sentence: \u201cBeyond all these things.\u201d By \u201cthese\u201d Paul is referring to the graces […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-colossians","post-preview"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgYGxX-8q","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=522"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":701,"href":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522\/revisions\/701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jkitchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}