How Christians Should Live

Intro

The last time we were together we covered how the Paul dismantles philosophies that are contrary to Christ. It does not matter if they are philosophies that are rooted in in Pagan practices (Gnosticism) or deep rooted Jewish practices like circumcision.

Towards the end of the chapter he asks a very poignant question…

Colossians 2:20 (LSB)

20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees:

Decrees concerning not eating certain foods, observation of certain days, and sacrifices. They were commanded by God in the OT but by the grace of God Jesus came and fulfill all of those requirements to set us free from sin and the law that pointed to sin.

The observance of holy days is not sinful in itself… (circumcision vs baptism)

The observation of these and other things do not have any restraining value.

I asked the question, why do we deny ourselves the things that Christ says we can have, and allow ourselves to participate in the things that Christ as has said do not do, like immorality, slander, malice, profanity, anger, greed…

This is the garden all over again. You can eat from any tree except this one. Yet we reject the freedom and the liberty and exchange it for that which kills.

Paul continues his train of thought in chapter three. Today we will cover the first 17 verses, extracting general truths, we will have a birds-eye view of what the Word has to say here and then we will spend some time, 5 or 6 weeks getting into the nitty-gritty of this chapter.

Because this chapter deals with Christian living, the objective there will be the practical application of the Word of God to our lives.

Colossians 3:1–4 (LSB)

1 Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

3 For you died and your life has been hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.

Since you have been raised up with Christ, the idea here is co-resurrection. This is direct contrast with Col 2:20 where you have died with Christ.

This is how you can be dead and alive and the same time. If you have died with Christ, you have died to the rudiments of the world (Col 2:20).

This means that the worldly things that moved you into action in that direction have no effect on you, you are dead. Dead bodies to not react when stimulated. (my aunt had died, my father’s older sister). My family was very fond of her…

People who are alive respond to stimuli.

Keep seeking the things that bring and promote life, things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

BTW the seated or just being on the right is a position of equality.

Hebrews 1:3 (LSB)

3 who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Steven when he was being stoned to death said

Acts 7:55–56 (LSB)

55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;

56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Peter, speaking of Jesus

1 Peter 3:22 (LSB)

22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

Your highest aspiration, the inclining of your hearts, your constant thoughts and desires should be fixed in the direction of that that gives life, and when Christ who is your love is manifested, then you will also be manifested with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:5–9 (LSB)

5 Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

6 On account of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,

7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.

8 But now you also, lay them all aside: wrath, anger, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.

9 Do not lie to one another, since you put off the old man with its evil practices,

You are suppose to be dead, dead people do not do these things. Death to all the things that are sinful but are promoted by the world as normative. Acknowledging that you used to be alive to these things yet dead to Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (LSB)

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,

10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

We need to practice being dead. The reality is that we all were part of some or all of these, that is, until.

Galatians 5:24–25 (LSB)

24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in step with the Spirit.

If you are dead with Christ from the elementary things of this world, then act like a dead man. And if you are risen with Christ then act like a living man.

Make of these things a “used to” and do them no more. No not listen to temptation’s whispers. Dead people can’t hear.

Romans 7 describes the war that exists between your flesh and the Spirit that lives in you. You must mortify the flesh and resist the devil, the flesh, the world in favor of that which is righteous noble and good. Even though you survived in the world by means of your flesh, now you must die to the world and survive in the spirit. You have no need for the world anymore.

https://youtu.be/k1U1c5hdKGU?si=gJvby_w2XF2Mt4FL (Video; 0:29 - 2:25)

James 4:7–8 (LSB)

7 Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Double-mindedness is not acceptable… die to your flesh everyday telling it “leave now and never come back”

Just live today differently than how you lived yesterday. You will not be what you ought to be, but you will also not be what you used to be.

Colossians 3:10–14 (LSB)

10 and have put on the new man who is being renewed to a full knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—

11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, and freeman, but Christ is all and in all.

12 So, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience;

13 bearing with one another, and graciously forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord graciously forgave you, so also should you.

14 Above all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

This idea of the new man which is being renewed is in the participle present tense which means continuous. It is both immediate and continuous at the same time. The new birth is immediate and the inner transformation is continual as the purposes of God are to transform you into the image of his Son.

Romans 8:28 (LSB)

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

This is a favorite passage among Christians and false Christians alike. But you start weeding out the false ones as you begin to discover what His purpose actually is,

His purpose is not that you got the car, or the house, or the degree, or the job. If you get those they themselves are means to another end, the real end.

Romans 8:29 (LSB)

29 Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers;

This within this renewal that transforms us into the image of the Son, there is absolutely no differences between people.

Greek/Jew; circumcised /uncircumcised; barbarian / Scythian; slaves/ free… all of them get to participate in Christ. It does not matter what you were before Christ, Murderer? adulterer? child molester? gossiper? liar? immoral? prideful? profane? idolater? racist?

Since we are in Christ and we are putting on Christ and Christ in us and we in Christ we must be dressed like Christ. And what does Christ have on?

He has a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience that allows us to relate to one another the way He intend us to.

Forgiveness (3:13) is to be a primary practice for believers that has, regrettably, been overlooked by many in today’s church, yet it is still a key element in living a life patterned after Christ. The word “forgiving” is “from the same Greek root as grace, ‘freely forgive.’ One sign of believers being forgiven is that they forgive others. …

This is all on the basis of love which started all of this process, “for God…”

Colossians 3:15–17 (LSB)

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratefulness in your hearts to God.

17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Paul’s closes this section with the need to be thankful in all that is done. “Thus done in the name of Christ, all deeds will become thanksgiving, and so reach their highest consecration and their truest blessedness. ‘Giving thanks to God the Father through Him’ is ever to accompany the work in the name of Jesus.

The exhortation to thanksgiving, which is in a sense the Alpha and the Omega of the Christian life, is perpetually on the Apostle’s lips, because thankfulness should be in perpetual operation in our hearts. It is so important because it presupposes all-important things, and because it certainly leads to every Christian grace.

For continual thankfulness, there must be a continual direction of mind towards God and towards the great gifts of our salvation in Jesus Christ. There must be a continual going forth of our love and our desire to these, that is to say—thankfulness rests on the reception and the joyful appropriation of the mercies of God, brought to us by our Lord. And it underlies all acceptable service and all happy obedience.

The servant who thinks of God as a harsh exactor is slothful; the servant who thinks of Him as the ‘giving God’ rejoices in toil. He who brings his work in order to be paid for it will get no wages, and turn out no work worth any. He who brings it because he feels that he has been paid plentiful wages beforehand, of which he will never earn the least mite, will present service well pleasing to the Master”