Colossians 3:14
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”
King James Version (KJV)
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This verse caps Paul's list of new-self virtues. Love is presented as the supreme grace that binds the others together, leading directly into his words about peace and unity in the body.
What Does Colossians 3:14 Mean?
Paul says that love is the crowning virtue to put on, the one that ties all the others together into a complete whole. He has just listed compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. Now he names the virtue that surpasses and unites them all: "charity," the older English word for self-giving love. It is to be worn "above all these things" -- not as one item among the rest, but as the outer garment that covers and holds the others in place.
The phrase "the bond of perfectness" pictures love as a belt or sash that binds the whole wardrobe of virtues together so they hold as one. Without love, the other graces can grow cold or self-serving; kindness can become calculated, patience can turn into mere tolerance. Love is what makes them genuine and gives them coherence, drawing the community into mature completeness. This is the same love Paul exalts wherever he writes -- patient, kind, not seeking its own. To "put on charity" is therefore the summary of the whole Christian life with others. When love is the outer garment, every other virtue is held in its proper place, and the body of believers is knit together into the unity for which Christ prayed.
In the Original Language
The Greek "agapē" (charity) is self-giving, deliberate love that seeks another's good. "Syndesmos" (bond) means a binding ligament or fastening. "Teleiotēs" (perfectness) refers to maturity or completeness, the goal toward which love binds the virtues.
Cross References
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:13
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
- John 13:35
“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”
- 1 Peter 4:8
Application
Make love your governing garment, letting it tie together every other virtue so your relationships and your community hold together in genuine unity.