The Ligament of Love

"But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection."

 Colossians 3:14

I am continually in awe of the dynamic descriptiveness of the Bible, the divinely inspired Word of God.  It is a book no man can master:  it is a book which masters us.  Learning the Bible and the truths it contains is not the end, but the chief end of scripture is to introduce us to Jesus Christ as our LORD and Saviour.  We learn of the perfect Law of God, the fallen state of all men, and how we are separated by God due to our sin.  We learn that God is righteous, just, and holy, and is no respecter of persons:  the soul that sins shall surely die.  But we also read that God is not willing that any should perish, and has revealed His great love for us through the death of Jesus while we were yet sinners.  If anyone repents and relies upon Christ as Saviour and is born again, the same will be delivered from death and provided eternal life in heaven.  The Gospel certainly is Good News!

After a person is born again by grace through faith in Jesus, he or she becomes an individual part of the corporate Body of Christ, the church of which Christ is Head.  Ephesians 4:15-16 teaches us, "...speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."  All the different denominations, home groups, and people who have repented and trusted in Christ make up His unified body on earth.  Christ is physically in Heaven preparing a place for us, and the Holy Spirit has been sent to empower us to fulfill God's will and glorify Jesus.  The love of God must not be divided from the normal operation of each individual Christian or the church as a whole.  1 John 4:7 exhorts, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."

After reading the Colossians 3:14 passage, I wondered what Paul exactly meant when he described love as the "bond of perfection."  When I looked up the words in my Word Search Bible program, I found the phrase is literally, "uniting, controlling, ligament of completeness."  The word "ligament" caught my attention in light of the Ephesians passage which describes the body of Christ as being "joined and knit together by what every joint supplies."  Then I briefly looked up medical definitions of what a ligament is.  From what I read, a ligament is a connective tissue designed to stabilize and control the range of motion of joints.  Ligaments also support the bones and joints, maintaining the proper alignment while moving.  In addition, ligaments hold internal organs in the correct place.  It is easy to say that ligaments provide an invaluable, necessary function in a healthy body.

What an intriguing thought this is!  While the Spirit of God provides the strength, power, and life, the love of Jesus Christ is to be the stabilizing, supporting, aligning influence in the lives of every Christian and the church.  Instead of having a structure of authority like a corporation, federal government, or monarchy, the church is to rule through love.  Sounds almost bizarre, doesn't it?  Jesus says in Matthew 20:25-28:  "...You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  On the night Jesus was betrayed, He girded Himself with a towel like a slave and washed His disciples' feet.  Jesus did not threaten His disciples with damnation, nor did He manipulate or bribe them with heavenly glory.  He loved them and met their most basic needs with joyful humility.  Love is not an emotion but compassion in action.  Jesus saw dirty feet and He washed them without grumbling or complaining.

Love can be compared to a strong, flexible ligament.  As ligaments keep the body in alignment, so love keeps the church and all followers of Christ in alignment with their Head, Jesus Christ.  A church which does not operate wholly in love is out of joint with the Head.  For those of you who have experienced chronic back and neck pain, you have deep appreciation of the value of proper spine alignment.  Love is not some soft, wishy-washy feeling which allows anything.  Our bodies would be racked with pain if our ligaments were too flexible and yielding.  We would not even be able to stand!  Joints would be over-extended, muscles torn, and internal organs ripped from their places.  How insightful this is, that love is the ligament of the Body of Christ!

May we be mindful as members of the Body of Christ to led by the Spirit and governed by love.  Sometimes ligaments can be torn or damaged, and sometimes we choose not to walk in love.  Praise God that we serve a God who is a Healer and a Restorer of souls!  When we look to Jesus and follow His example through the Holy Spirit, we can regain the alignment necessary to live a life which pleases and glorifies Him.  May we love one another as Christ loves us!