"Bear with each other ...". Our attitude and actions towards other people is a key indicator of how much we have or have not grown in Christ. Other people can be awkward at times! Sometimes we find them frustrating or annoying. We need to be patient and we need to forgive. This does not mean that we never correct others or are blind to their faults, but it does mean that we are prepared to put up with some stuff.
We have been forgiven by the Lord, so we are to forgive others. Note the implicit assumption that Christ is our living Lord. Jesus forgave us when we had nothing to commend us to Him, and He was prepared to pay a terrible price. Equally, He took our sin completely seriously, He did not just pretend it wasn't there.
On top of all the things mentioned in these verses we are to put on love. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13, without love we are nothing. Love is a deep and honest concern for the true well being of others, and it is this that binds everything else together.
We are to let peace rule in our hearts. We have peace with God, so we should have peace with others. Enmity and strife reign in people who are not at peace. We do not need to have a constant attitude of being at odds with the world. We all know people who are very contentious, such people are always people who are not at peace, there is a deep underlying root to their anger.
Thankfulness is another characteristic we are to have. We should always look for things to give thanks for. This is a powerful spiritual weapon
We are to let the word of Christ dwell richly among us as we teach and admonish one another. So we do not ignore each others faults, but seek to help each other grow. Both the content and the attitude of our teaching is inspired and imbued with Christ.
We are to do everything in the name of Christ, giving thanks to Him. Christ is in all and is all, and He is to be the complete focus of our lives.
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