Does It Lead You to Be More Like Jesus?

introduction

God is holy (set apart) and his character is perfect. By contrast, we are sinful, fallen humans...nowhere near matching the character of God. But, when God calls us to himself and saves us from sin. He empowers us to become more like Christ. Even though this may seem hard, he gives us the power to grow progressively in conformity to Christ. God’s desire is for us to become more like the ultimate example of him, which is Jesus.

As we grow closer to that goal, we learn in his word how to live and what the christian life should look like. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live this way. Other believers in our local church, family or friends exist to help us grow closer to him and to bring others into the family of God.

As we grow in Christlikeness, we shouldn’t confuse the fruit of the spirit in our sanctification with the root of our justification (the work of Christ). His life, death and resurrection are the only sufficient grounds for right standing before God. Once you have repented of your sins and confessed your faith in the finished work of Jesus, the Holy Spirit then empowers you to lead lives that are more and more a reflection of Jesus Christ and you will grow in holiness (being set apart) from this world.

Do you know the difference between Sanctification and Justification?

sanctification video

justification video

The central theme of Colossians is the sufficiency of the saving work of Jesus for our salvation. We need to remember that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus from beginning to end.

Paul wrote this book and follows the same pattern that we see in most of his letters. In the first couple chapters he lays the theological foundation and ends with giving ethical instructions.

In chapter 2, Paul warned his readers to avoid being held “captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.”

In chapter 3, he shows how to apply the theological truths to the Christian life.

It appears that there were false teachers who were trying to minimize the works of Jesus. The issue seemed to have been which authority people trust when it comes to determining truth and reality.

While there are countless heresies, cults, false religions, and wordly philosophies, the gospel is for all people throughout all of time. Just like federal agents, we should study God’s word intently so that we recognize false teachings.

God’s voice draws our thoughts to the things of God.

Colossians 3:1–4 CSB

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

This starts by connecting the last chapters which spoke about Christ and his gospel being superior to the philosophies of the world. Moving forward the verses are based on the theological foundation of the supremacy Christ.

Paul tells believers that they have been raised with Christ. This reference to resurrection refers to a past event: we have been raised. The reference is to our identification with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection. He means that because of our identification with Jesus we have been granted new life which gives us the capacity to live a new kind of life.

When someone comes to faith in Jesus, they have died to sin and have been raised in Christ. The concept is when we unite with Christ in his death and resurrection, we are no longer slaves to sin but have been given a new nature. When we are told to seek the things above, we are commanded to seek the place where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. When he sits on the right hand of God, He demonstrates that he perfectly completed and fulfilled the offices of prophet, priest and king. In contrast to the false teachers who demoted Jesus, Paul reminds us that Jesus is seated in the position of honor, majesty, and authority.

When we look at Christ sitting, Paul was encouraging us to remain faithful in our obedience to the Lord. We should know that we don’t depend on our obedience for our salvation. We see him sitting and can relax because he has completed what he came to do. We can depend on his finished work. As he sits on the right hand of God, we know that he intercedes on our behalf which would encourage us toward obedience.

The reality of our resurrection with Jesus should produce in us new motivations and new minds. Paul then repeats himself differently: Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. He gives three reasons why we should set our minds on things above. Notice that these three reasons are connected to the past, present and future.

First, we should set our minds on things above because we died. This is a past event. If we remember, Ephesians 2:1-5 tells us that before we came to Christ in repentance, we were dead to our sins. Romans 6:1-2 asks if we died to sin, how could we still live in it? Before we put our faith in Christ, we were only able to sin and we weren’t able to do anything that pleased God. But, when we become born again, saved by grace through faith, we are dead to sin and free to live in faithful obedience.

Second, we should set our minds on things above because our lives are hidden with Christ in God. This is a current reality. This term hidden refers to safety or secrecy. The only reason we can set our minds on things above is because we are in Christ and Christ is in us. The Spirit in us empowers us to live holy lives. When we fail to walk in the power of the Spirit, we need to remember the power of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection covers our sin. This is a comforting reminder of the truth found in John 10:28–29

Another thing to remember is that hidden also means concealed or unseen.

This means that the believer’s life is unknown or not understood by the watching world. 1 John 3:1-2

Third and finally, the reason Paul gives for setting our minds on things above is because we will appear with him in glory. This is a future hope.

Appears is an open display. What is hidden will be revealed. The secret is out.

Another thing, we need to remember that the biblical idea of hope is different from the way we usually use it. We may say that we hope it rains or that our favorite team wins the game. We often use this word hope to mean want. We want is to rain or we want our favorite team to win. In the Bible, hope is something that is going to happen in the future. It’s an expectation.

When Paul says we will appear with him in glory, he wasn’t wanting for this to happen, he knew it would. He was fully assured that this would happen.

In these 4 verses, Paul mentions Christ each time. This is important as Christ should be central and supreme. The believer’s identification with Christ brings not only a past break with sin, and a present security but also it means a glorious future.

Ephesians 2:1–5 CSB

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

Romans 6:1–2 CSB

What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

John 10:28–29 CSB

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

1 John 3:1–2 CSB

See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him. Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.

God’s voice draws us to put to death the earthly nature.

Colossians 3:5–9 CSB

Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices

Moving on from the previous 4 verses, we come to a therefore. This connects the last verses to these coming up. Those 4 verses serve as the foundation for the initial command to put to death what belongs to your earthly nature.

Paul lists 5 aspects of our earthly nature. First sexual immorality is a broad term that sometimes translates fornication. The specific word that Paul used, pornea, is where we get pornography. This covers sins like premarital sex, homosexuality or any sex that takes place outside the marriage between a man and woman. Basically, all kinds of sexual immorality are sinful and have no place in the lives of a believer.

Impurity, lust, evil desire, greed is an internal thing. The thoughts that we have related to sexual immorality are things that we should strive to put to death. Jesus spoke about this when he gave the sermon on the mount. Matt. 5:27-28. A right relationship with God has always been by grace through faith and always includes the whole person-thoughts and actions.

Greed or covetousness is a step out of the sexual arena and into broader internal areas. This is an internal desire to satiate ourselves with more, more, more. Paul equates greed to idolatry. To act as if everything exists for us is to place ourselves in the place of God himself.

Paul gave three reasons that we should put our earthly nature to death. First, these things belonged to your earthly nature. Be who you are, not what you had been. Paul told us that people pursue these earthly desires and pursue earthly philosophies, but those who have been set apart have been given a new nature. If we are setting our minds on things above, like we read earlier, we have a divine perspective.

Second, why should we put these to death? Because God’s wrath is coming. While true believers will not face the wrath of God, we should remember that his wrath is coming. This should give us pause to be thankful to him for sparing us from his wrath but it also should motivate us to evangelize and tell other about Jesus so that they can place their trust in him and avoid the unavoidable wrath that is coming.

Third, you once walked in these things. Paul turns it around to you so that we don’t forget where we came from. Instead of walking in the way of the world, believers should walk in the way of Christ. 1 Cor. 6:11

We need to never forget about where we came from! When you become a pious person, thinking you are better than these, this is when sin creeps in. We should remember because it keeps us humble and thankful to the one who saved us from the effects of how we once walked. This also gives us perspective and empathy for those we are leading to Christ. WE know where they have been and we know how to get out of it.

Paul then switches from the internal sins to a set of external, social sins. We should put away all anger. Arge is the settled feeling, the slow, seething, smoldering emotion that boils below the surface. Wrath, some say rage, is a quick sudden outburst. A flash in the pan anger. Then there is malice.

What is malice? Kakian refers to the ill will, the vicious, deliberate intention of doing harm to others. When you can’t wait to see others get into trouble. This ill will could work it’s way out through angry outbursts or sinful speech.

Slander and filthy language. Slander is when we injure another’s reputation. Gossip or spreading rumors about someone. These don’t have to be made up either. You can slander someone by telling the truth in a public way as well. Filthy language is pretty self explanatory.

All of these things including lying to one another should not be numbered among the believer. Jesus spoke about the devil being a natural liar and condemned those who were persecuting him as following in the devil’s ways. John 8:44.

When you have taken a shower, you naturally put on clean clothes. They complement what the shower was designed to do. Jesus Christ cleansed you by his blood. Therefore, you must ask yourself concerning your actions, “Will those clothes match what Jesus did in my life? Or will they dirty up what Jesus made clean?” Because Christ has set you free, your mouth no longer rules you.

Matthew 5:27–28 CSB

“You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

1 Corinthians 6:11 CSB

And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

John 8:44 CSB

You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

God’s voice draws us to cultivate godly character.

Colossians 3:10–14 CSB

and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

This is an ongoing process. Paul wrote that we are being renewed in knowledge. This is sanctification, or the process of being made holy. What is holy? In this process we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to be made more and more in Christ’s image. Romans 12:2.

What type of world do we live in? Are we divided into this group or that group? Are you white, black, hispanic, asian? Are you big or small? Are you Democrat or Republican? What group are you apart of? We have divided ourselves and put up walls. Jesus destroys these barriers so that we can have community within the church and his people. While the world is putting up walls, we need to remember that Jesus doesn’t.

Within the body of Christ, racial (Greek or Jew); religious (circumcised or uncircumcised); cultural (barbarian or Scythian); or social (slave or free) divisions no longer have significance.

Does anyone know who the Scythians were?

Nomadic pastoral tribes that originated in Central Asia and migrated east, settling in southern Russia. Although this is the only time this word is used in the New testament, they were known as the Ashkenaz in the old testament. Although they were a waring people, the use of it in Colossians may indicate that they converted to Christianity.

The point, is the reason human categories no longer matter is that Christ is all and in all. Unity within the community is based on the fact that Christ is in all. He indwells all believers and permeates all our relationships. This doesn’t stop you from being some of the things I mentioned before but within the community and family of God they don’t matter. We are all equal in God’s eyes and equally saved by him.

Galatians 3:28

John 3:16

Everyone who believes in him will be saved. We all have the same salvation, same savior, same justification, same sanctification. We are treated the same by him and likewise we should do the same with each other.

Who knows the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes?

We are not to be foolish like the emperor and take off our old clothes and put nothing back on.

Once we have put off the old self like clothes, Paul remind’s believers that they are God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved. Although this title was reserved for the nation of Israel, it is now applied to the community in Christ.

1 Peter 2:9-10

William Barclay has an insightful comment on the nature of the virtues listed now:

“It is most significant to note that every one of the virtues and graces listed has to do with personal relationships between man and man. There is no mention of virtues like efficiency, cleverness, even diligence and industry—not that these things are not important. But the great basic Christian virtues are the virtues which govern and set the tone of human relationships. Christianity is community”

We need to put on God’s wardrobe. Compassion, heartfelt sympathy for those suffering or in need. Going back to what I said before about evangelism, that we have been there and we know what they are going through. But this applies to those within the believer’s community as well.

Kindness, a friendly helpful spirit which meets needs through good deeds. Going out of your way to be a helper.

Humility, or a proper estimation of oneself.

Romans 12:3

This isn’t a self debasing attitude, or false humility, but an attitude free from pride and self assertion (This can be a struggle for me).

Gentleness, or meekness, is described as power under control. Think of a horse under the control of it’s master. It is an attitude of refusing to demand one’s rights.

Patience, is the capacity to bear injustice or injury without revenge or retaliation.

A.W. Tozer wrote “Whoever defends himself will have himself for defense, and he will have no other; but let him come defenseless before the Lord and he will have for his defender no less than God Himself.”

We should seek to develop these virtues. Paul mentions these in a similar way in Galatians.

Galatians 5:22-23

Ways that we can manifest, or put these virtues to use, are when we bear with each other. We overlook aspects of people’s personalities and behaviors that we find annoying. We should remember that we are all works in progress. We are also image bearers of the living God.

Genesis 1:27

We should be forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. We have been fully forgiven by Christ.

Colossians 2:13-14

Those who have been forgiven are obligated to become forgivers. Christ is the standard that we are compare ourselves to. This can be very difficult but we really have to remember that this isn’t a suggestion, it is a command.

Matthew 18:21-22

The last and most important part of God’s wardrobe is love. Without love, all the other virtues may amount to mere moralism and little else.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

When love is present, there is harmony and unity. This is a distinguishing characteristic of Christians

John 13:35

With all the chaos, we know that God is working for our good. Nothing has happened, is happening or will happen outside the providence of God. He is conforming us to the image of His Son for His glory and our joy!

Romans 8:28-29

Romans 12:2 CSB

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Galatians 3:28 CSB

There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.

John 3:16 CSB

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

1 Peter 2:9–10 CSB

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Romans 12:3 CSB

For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.

Galatians 5:22–23 CSB

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

Genesis 1:27 (CSB)

So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.

Colossians 2:13–14 CSB

And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

Matthew 18:21–22 (CSB)

Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?” “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 CSB

If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

John 13:35 CSB

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Romans 8:28–29 CSB

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.