The New Community Clothed in Love, Peace, and the Word

God’s chosen, holy, and beloved people are told what to “put on”: mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and above all love, which binds the whole life together in maturity. Christ’s peace is to rule in the one body, and Christ’s word is to dwell richly as believers teach, admonish, and sing with gratitude. Every word and deed is to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Where this fits in the story: the language of election, holiness, love, forgiveness, peace, thanksgiving, and communal song gathers patterns that run through Israel’s worship and covenant life and are reshaped around Christ. The community becomes a living place where Christ’s word “dwells.”