Colossians 3:1-17

TRC Swz Retreat 17.06.24-21.06.24 Notes

Summary of the doctrine of Christian life in Colossians 3:1-7. - by Dr. Derek Thomas

Colossians 3:5–6“Put to death [mortify] therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.”

— Romans 8:13“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death [mortified] the deeds of the body, you will live.”

[INTRODUCTION]

Putting off [old man], putting on [Christ]

John Owen, vol. 6, “On the Mortification of Sin”

Seminary professor mandating the reading of this, “Prepare for the knife [of surgery]”

Calvin on the Christian life

Mortification

Vivification

Meditation

Five Keys in Colossians 3:5-6.

[1] Sin has names

Two lists of five

Specificity of sin

Robert Murray M’Cheyne - ministry in a short life in great contribution to God’s Kingdom. “The seed of every known sin lies within our hearts”

Some seeds remain seeds, some seed germinate and grow/flourish.

List of sins for Paul moves from [?] internal to external.

External sins are the fruition of something that is internal

[A] Prevalence of sexual immorality (πορνείαν) in the culture

What the mind is prepared to think about the mind will put into action

Hence, set your mind on things above

Setting mind on things below will manifest itself externally on some form of action

James 1:14–15 “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

Begins with desire —> ends with the manifestation of the desire (physical action)

Life of Augustine - life of sexual immorality, concubine

Concupiscence - the nature of sin in the form of a desire

Side-B/Revoice, sin is only sin when acted upon, not in the form of a temptation (just born this way)

Human Sexuality Report of the PCA 2021

Sexual immorality prevalent in the life of the church

Achilles heel of the church

Requirement/response to purity within the χν life

“Put to death” (Νεκρώσατε)

Utterly destroy

[B] Impurity - ἀκαθαρσίαν

Romans 1:24“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,”

Giving man over to what they are inclined to do.

[C] Passions - πάθος

[D] Evil desire - ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν

[E] Covetousness - τὴν πλεονεξίαν

All of which is … Idolatry - εἰδωλολατρία

Idolatry begins in the mind, that which you covet/desire the most. The essence of sin. To find fulfillment - even for a moment - in someone or something other than θ

Power in sin to delude you and say ‘just this once’ … ‘just this once more’ … ‘just this once more, again’ … until it becomes a habit

Sanctification is a habit!

Calling upon the HS to enable the mortification of this sin

Sin is to be destroyed

“be killing sin or it will be killing you” (John Owen, The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold, vol. 6 (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, n.d.), 9).

You can kill sin

Don’t listen to the devil’s voice when he claims you are trapped for the rest of your life.

[2] You must want this

Goal should be to be like X

Sin must be destroyed at the root, like a tree which will continue to grow if it is not destroyed at its root

[3] Sin has to be destroyed in a Gospel way

X is always with us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“the wrath of God is coming”

Session 3

Colossians 3:5–11“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”

[Template on XN living]

Second set of 5 from v. 8.

Areas involving speech, our outward conduct, talking

[1] Uncontrolled anger (wrath, rage) ὀργήν; θυμόν; κακίαν

Anger in itself =/ a sin

Anger in unjust murder, e.g. abortion, human trafficking, abuse, etc.

Inability to control oneself, loss of control, malice, ill-will, refusal to forgive

[2] slander βλασφημίαν

Refusal to treat one like they are made in the image of God

[3] obscene talk αἰσχρολογίαν

abusive language

James 3.1ff Side Quest

Taming the tongue

Power of the tongue in cursing brothers and sisters on the one hand and praising God on the other.

An indicator of spiritual maturity is to “control” or “bridle” the tongue wherein one is a master of their entire body.

Body in James 3:2 may be a reference to the entirety of the Church (“For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body [τὸ σῶμα].”)

Disproportionate power in the tongue and its ability in daily life

Bridle in a horse (Ja 3.3)

Rudder on a boat (Ja 3.4)

Bruce Waltke, “A fools tongue is long enough to cut his own throat”

Destruction of the tongue, fire (Ja 3.6)

J. Edwards, Resolutions.

Resolved never to say anything … highest degree xn love to mankind

Reasons for why we should get rid of these things (5); Colossians 3.5-11.

[1] the wrath of God is coming (v. 6)

Essence of the Cross; our sins imputed to Him, so that, we are Rx … therefore, live like that.

Live as those for whom sin has been reckoned with in Christ.

[2] sins that are characteristic of the old self

Yet, we are no longer like the old, we are renewed/new man; no longer what we are

[3] θ [God] is making you into something new (v. 9)

Sanctified saints on the one hand but still sinners on the other (already-not-yet)

Remember who you are, saints - “holy ones” - conformed to the image of Christ

Definitive sanctification and progressive sanctification (Romans 7 problem)

Restoration to the imago Christus

[4] θ has put you into a new family/society (v. 11)

Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Realization of the Bride of Christ as family

Be the leaven in the Church that builds it up

Only happens because Sx makes you more and more like X

In moral and ethical decisions turning to what Christ would do/say in the situation

[5] Christ is all and in all (v. 11)

Union with Christ!

He is all and everything

“No longer I who live but Christ who lives in me”

Do you want to be more and more like Jesus? Do we live the Christian life on cruise control?

Christian life is onward and upward

Thursday, June 20, Session 4

You are what you wear —> the Rx robe of Christ

2nd ca XN similar to 21st ca.

2nd ca denial toward idolatry in Roman society

Similar to progressives currently

Tertullian’s trinitarian θλ development

Romans, barbarians, XNs

XNs provide moral and ethical stability for society in Rome

Sanctification is communal and has a societal influence (i.e., salt/light)

Imperative always follows indicative.

You put on (Ἐνδύσασθε) the XN graces because of who you are, not because of who you will become

[1] “Chosen ones” ἐκλεκτοὶ

Chosen ones of God (τοῦ θεοῦ)

Romans 9:15“For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.””

“Arminians are Calvinists on their knees, they’re only Arminians when they get up and start talking” -Dr. D. Thomas

Election/predestination w/in the “Doctrine of θ”

ICR moved to Book III in later editions

Pastorally correct

Pastoral implications

When trials come … “chosen ones”

When clouds gather … “chosen ones”

Daily reminder … “chosen by God”

Feel too little to contribute … “chosen by God”

[2] “holy and beloved” (ἅγιοι καὶ ἠγαπημένοι)

“holy one” = “saint”

set apart/sanctified

Nothing can rob you of it

Certainty that θ loves us (Jn 3.16)

Loved this kind of world

Indicative = chose, holy, beloved

Consequences to the indicatives, if this, then (x)

A love that does not ebb and flow, unconditional.

White hot love

Therefore, because of these truths, there are consequences

Not Saying: do these and now you will be loved, become a saint, etc.

Reminding ourselves the shape and nature of the Gospel, “chosen by God” … “before the foundation of the world”

Romans 8:29“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Put on then οὖν

Five things to put on

[1] Compassionate hearts σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ

Contrast to v. 5

Deeply emotional

σπλάγχνα - inner parts, bowels, deep affections (BDAG)

οἰκτιρμοῦ - display of concern over another’s misfortune, pity, mercy, compassion (BDAG)

Similar to deep compassion Jesus had on lepers

And, in Jesus feeding 5,000

Compassion = Christ-like quality

[2] Kindness χρηστότητα

Augustine’s conversion and the kindness of Ambros of Milan

Romans 13:13–14“Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Kindness = fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

[3] Humility ταπεινοφροσύνην

No latin word for humility in the Roman world

Humility seen as weakness

Humility =/= in our culture

Philippians 2:7–8 “but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Humility = cross-bearing, putting others first

“Not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less” - C.S. Lewis

Recipe for good church life

Strife in church comes from assertiveness, lack of humility

[4] Meekness πραΰτητα

Gentleness, “Gentle and lowly”

Ortlund’s good book for “legalists”

“How great thee sure Redeemer art” - Hymn

[5] Patience μακροθυμίαν

Standing firm in the face of adversity

Resting in knowledge of God

Steadfastness

Christ-like actions (v. 13)

[1] Bearing with one another ἀνεχόμενοι ἀλλήλων

Colossians 3:11 “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”

Context of bearing with one another, all people of God, no distinction

Seeking to maintain the unity of the church

[2] Forgiving one another χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς

Forgiving one who is unrepentant?

Willingness to forgive

Can one forgive when another is unrepentant

Romans 5:6“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Gospel-Christ-like love

Jerry Bridges, Pursuit of Godliness (?)

“as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive”

Session 5, Friday 21 June 2024

Colossians 3:15–17“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Intro: Arnold Palmer going to his coach every year asking, “teach me how to play golf.” Reference to returning to the basic fundamentals.

With sanctification - go back and ask what it means to live the XN life.

We can spend so much time tweaking the small, minuscule issues and lose sight of the basic, fundamental truths of the Gospel.

Sanctification = corporate act; takes place in relationship w/ one another

Church is not plan “B.”

Many taught that the church is a parentheses, as in Israel being the main focus (dispy), as if Israel is plan “A” and the church is secondary, or unimportant

Church as a community

Singing community

5 Focuses on Colossians 3:16-17

[1] let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts (v. 15)

Peace, εἰρήνη, (shalom)

Unbelievers are at enmity and war with God

Christians have this peace between their sinfulness and a holy/righteous God

XNs know peace in knowing X is in full control, sins are forgiven, nothing can separate us, he will complete the good work

Providence

God rules, governs, reigns, has a plan, works all things together (Rom 8.28)

XNs will never experience the wrath of God, all was poured out upon Jesus

A peace that governs actions, affections, temper, mood, tendency of depression, all of it is governed by the peace of X

Specifically in the heart, the place/seat of affection

to this you were called (v. 15b)

holy, called ones

What is the calling (vocatio)?

Doctrine of vocation

Everyone does it to the glory of God

Called into union and communion with Christ

And … in your vocation to the glory of God in Christ

[2] be thankful εὐχάριστοι (v. 15c)

Thankfulness in heart, to God.

Occurs three times in v. 15-17

Syn. w/ Eucharist

Parable of 10 lepers where only one gives thanks

Of all people, XNs should be thankful

Imperative command

Not instinctive

Have to force yourself to be thankful, remind yourself why

Remind yourself of the Gospel

Sinner deserving the wrath of God who in his mercy has chosen and called you, brought you to Christ and reckoned you as one called, beloved, in which you look to the inheritance

[3] let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (v. 16a)

The word has to dwell inside of you

A picture of someone making a home for themselves

Word of Christ is to take up residence in one’s heart/mind

Catechetical hymns as in Colossians 1.15ff and Phil 2.5-11.

Colossians need to know who Jesus is as they were primarily Gentile

Word of Christ similar drawings from John 1.1ff.

Either Word about Christ or the Word that Christ gave

Let God’s Word abide in you richly

Paul’s version of Psalm 119 .

“Take My Life and Let it Be”

Author of this read Scripture in English, Hebrew, and Greek

“Richly” πλουσίως

[4] Teaching and admonishing one another …(v. 16b)

Teaching/admonishing is in the singing

Do so by singing Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs

Psalms = the actual Psalms

Psalms of Lament when down

Spiritual songs = 1-2 line songs containing doctrine

[5] do everything (word or deed) in the name of the Lord (v. 17)

All of life coram Deo

Kuyper, “not a square inch … Jesus declares, ‘mine.’”