John Calvin Commentary Colossians 3:14

"and above all these things [put on] love, which is the bond of perfectness." — Colossians 3:14 (ASV)

On account of all these things. The translation given by others, “super omnia haec,” (above all these things), instead of insuper, (over and above), is, in my opinion, meager. It would be more suitable to translate it as Before all these things. I have chosen, however, the more common meaning of the Greek word ἐπί.

For as all the things that he has until now enumerated flow from love, he now with good reason exhorts the Colossians to cherish love among themselves for the sake of these things: that they may be merciful, gentle, and ready to forgive. It is as if he had said that they would be such only if they have love. For where love is lacking, all these things are sought in vain.

To commend it further, he calls it the bond of perfection, meaning by this that the host of all the virtues is comprehended under it. For this truly is the rule of our whole life and of all our actions, so that everything that is not regulated according to it is faulty, whatever attractiveness it may otherwise possess. This is the reason why it is called here the bond of perfection: because there is nothing in our life that is well-regulated if it is not directed toward it, but everything that we attempt is mere waste.

The Papists, however, act ridiculously in misusing this statement to maintain justification by works. “Love,” they say, “is the bond of perfection: now perfection is righteousness; therefore we are justified by love.” The answer is twofold; for Paul here is not reasoning about how people are made perfect in the sight of God, but about how they may live perfectly among themselves.

For the genuine explanation of the passage is this: that other things in our life will be in a desirable state if love is exercised among us. When, however, we grant that love is righteousness, they groundlessly and childishly seize on this to maintain that we are justified by love, for where will perfect love be found? We, however, do not say that people are justified by faith alone on the basis that the observance of the law is not righteousness, but rather on the basis that, as we are all transgressors of the law and consequently lack any righteousness of our own, we are compelled to borrow righteousness from Christ. Therefore, nothing remains but the righteousness of faith, because perfect love is nowhere to be found.