A Tale of Two Natures Pt 2

Introduction

Good morning and welcome to Dishman Baptist Church.

Christianity has often gotten been characterized by the misconceived notion that our faith is more about what we are to avoid, what we are not to be rather than what we are. We are the killjoy religion. The don’t swear, don’t chew and don’t date girls who do religion. One of the foundational tenets of our faith - the Ten Commandments is a list that specifically says “do not” or “thou shalt not” in all ten standards of that covenant.

I say that this is a misconceived notion because we recognize that this isn’t true and even if it were it is not a standard that is exclusive to Christianity. I mean Title 18 which codifies the criminal code in the United States has more than 80 chapters of do nots.

And even the Ten Commandments was only meant to serve as a partial revelation of the ultimate plan of salvation that God had put in motion and thus was (and is) meant to drive us to our knees at the cross.

Why am I talking about all of this? Well last week we looked at a bunch of do nots as well as characterizations of a nature that stood outside of Christ. And what we found during this examination is that as unbelievers our desires operated in a broken system that resulted in actions that were not glorifying to God and really sought only to glorify or satisfy our own cravings. And I think that, if we were honest with ourselves, the items on that list are not qualities or characteristics we would deeply desire to be in our lives to begin with. And yet when our sinful nature rules those characteristics abound.

This week though Paul is going to give us a list of do’s - characteristics that should abound in the life of a Christian. What we’re going to see as we look through these verses is that those who have been chosen by God will not only be marked by certain characteristics but also understand their reasons for modeling those characteristics.

Those who have been chosen by God will not only be marked by certain characteristics but also understand their reasons for modeling those characteristics.

Now I’m sure that some of you have your antennae raised at that statement because you hear that theological buzzword election in there - and it is. And I recognize that this is one of the most contentious and difficult doctrines that there is - but it also has great bearing on our understanding of our lives as Christians. So let’s look at the text for this morning and then we’ll dig into it together and see what God has for each of us with respect to the Christian life.

Colossians 3:12–15 CSB

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

The Importance of Focus

Colossians 3:12; 1 John 4:19; 1 John 4:9-10; Romans 5:8; Deuteronomy 7:6-7

Paul starts off with the familiar word therefore - in light of something that he has just said he’s about to tell us the implications for our life. But therefore - because of what? Six simple words - Christ is all and in all. Six words that really carry so much meaning and really are the thematic statement, the summary of everything that Paul has been writing up until this point.

Christ is all and in all.

He is not just another option in the panoply of gods. He’s not just another angel that worship can be ascribed too. He is not just another man or good teacher. The false teachers in Colossae were attacking His nature the same way that people today can attack His nature. He was not just another good teacher that had really cool hair, nice blue eyes and an affable demeanor.

He is the creator of the universe. He is the sustainer of mankind. He is the mediator of salvation. That is who Christ is - He is all and in all. And therefore there are certain understandings that are implicit in that understanding.

In all of Christendom I don’t think there is any doctrine that is more difficult or contentious than that of election versus free will. It really does divide families and churches and denominations. Oftentimes this is completely based on the mischaracterizations of what the ideal of election really means.

One of those mischaracterizations is the idea that God doesn’t force anyone to love Him. Actually what that says is that if the idea of election is true then it means that God has already determined who is going to love Him because He forces Himself upon them. That we as humans are really just some sort of automaton that when God decides it is appropriate He flips a switch and we develop this love for Him that He has forced upon us. Kind of like the operating system of a phone - He just upgrades our operating system and we love Him. But this couldn’t be further from the Biblical truth.

1 John 4:19 CSB

We love because he first loved us.

Earlier in the same chapter John writes

1 John 4:9–10 CSB

God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

And in the book of Romans Paul writes

Romans 5:8 CSB

But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We don’t love God because He forces us too. We love Him because He has demonstrated His love for us through the death of Christ on our behalf and the Holy Spirit has woken our dead, rebellious hearts up to recognize that our sins deserve from Him nothing but condemnation and in place of that He gives us nothing but grace.

Another objection is the idea that God only chooses some. Like He’s some sort of cosmic gatekeeper and all these people are piling up outside the gates of Heaven and He’s coldly keeping some out and only letting in certain ones. This would presuppose that somehow in our dead spiritual state we could decide that what we really needed was God and that we were searching for Him. Instead of standing at the gate keeping people out instead He is standing at the gates of Heaven and all of humanity is running headlong away from Him and He graciously reaches out and plucks this one and that one away from a destruction that is assured for us from the moment we are born.

But following this misrepresentation the question is asked why do we even evangelize? Why do we need to share the Gospel with anyone if God is going to save only those He has chosen to begin with? The answer is that I don’t know who those people are and neither do you - and we have been commanded by our Lord to go and share His message of hope with all people and leave the results up to Him.

Commenting on this doctrine Charles Spurgeon said it this way “Our Savior has bidden us to preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). He has not said, “Preach it only to the elect,” and though that might seem to be the most logical thing for us to do, yet since he has not been pleased to stamp the elect in their foreheads or put any distinctive mark upon them, it would be an impossible task for us to perform. When we preach the gospel to every creature, the gospel makes its own division, and Christ’s sheep hear his voice, and follow him.”

Our own Baptist Faith and Message - the governing doctrinal statement of the the Southern Baptist Convention - writes it this way

“Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.”

On our particular verse this morning Dr. John MacArthur writes these words

Colossians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Performance of the New Man

The doctrine of election crushes human pride, exalts God, produces joy and gratitude to the Lord, grants eternal privileges and assurance, promotes holiness, and makes one bold and courageous, for one who has been chosen by God for eternal life has no need to fear anything or anyone.

It is those last words that carry so much weight for us this morning. For one who has been chosen by God for eternal life has no need to fear anything or anyone…and is free to have an outward focus rather than an inward focus because we can rest secure that our future is assured through Christ.

Through Christ we have become a part of something bigger than just ourselves - we’ve become members of the greater Kingdom of God. The words Paul uses here in this verse - chosen ones, holy and dearly loved - are all words that were applied to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament to designate them as God’s possession and to set them apart from the nations that surround them.

Deuteronomy 7:6–7 CSB

For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. “The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.

When we repent and put our faith in Christ we are brought into a family that is deeper and greater than we could ever imagine and we are secure there because as I’ve said we can rest secure that our future is assured through Christ. And ultimately that is the difference between the list of don’ts and the do’s of this week. Not only are we chosen but we are holy - hagios - set apart for the good purposes of God to bring Him glory and our good and loved - unconditionally loved by God not because of something inherently good in us but because that is His nature and is the basis of His choosing and setting apart of His people.

Paul is making it clear here that the Colossians are now a part of the community of believers and included in the covenant that Christ had instituted through His death on the cross - and that we are included in that same community and covenant today.

It is a matter of focus then. Sexual immorality, lust, anger, wrath - all of these actions are bred out of an inward focus and an insecurity that says I have to get what’s mine or to protect what’s mine.

Last week we got two lists that focused our eyes on the motives behind our actions and in each there were five characteristics. This week we get one list of character traits that demonstrate the new life brought about by Christ in those who believe. Paul returns to the metaphor of clothing in his description of the traits we should be “putting on”. Just as last week we were told to remove the old, “pigpen” clothes of our sinful, inwardly focused nature here we are told what we should be putting on.

This is in the present tense meaning that this isn’t something that we just put on once and get rid of or think that we are good. Having had four kids up until a few weeks ago and now with five my time is limited to what I can accomplish for myself. And one of the things that has always suffered - more due to poor taste rather than time - has been my wardrobe. So in order to remedy that and to make sure I’m not up here preaching in shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops I joined a service called StitchFix that sends me a set of clothing every month. The temptation with this is that I know there’s going to be new clothes showing up every month and so even if I like an item I can put it on and then recycle that out of my wardrobe the next month when new clothes show up. But that is not an option for us with these character traits that Paul is exposing us to today.

These are to be consistent, daily representations of the new nature within us.

The NASB translates compassion in our translation as a heart of compassion. Literally this is to have bowels of mercy. As you explore Scripture you find that often the seat of our deepest emotions is found in our stomach or our heart and this is true because that is how the ancient world characterized emotions. We still find this today when we have a “gut feeling” - you don’t really have a feeling in your stomach about that person or situation but that is how we characterize the deep seated emotions that are engendered by our interactions with someone.

The same is true of how we should be demonstrating compassion. We should seek to identify with and to share with another person when there is no apparent benefit to ourselves because we have a heartfelt care and concern for them. In my pastoral prayer this morning I lifted up the family of Rachel Held Evans who passed away on Saturday. Even though her theological convictions were not what I would agree with or recommend to any of you, we can still have compassion on her family and desire their comfort during this tragically difficult time. She was 37 and leaves behind a husband who now has two kids that he has to comfort as well as cope himself with the unexpected passing of his wife. It is the emotion that causes us to not only rejoice with those who rejoice but, and what seems more frequently, to weep with those who weep.

Kindness is an attribute listed by Paul in the fruit of the Spirit passage in Galatians 5:22. It is also best demonstrated for us by God - which really what isn’t best demonstrated by God. Romans 2:4 tells us that it is God’s kindness that brings us to repentance. We should never underestimate the power of a kind act. I think of a video that I’ve seen go viral on Facebook of an older woman who is waiting patiently at a corner as cars constantly whip around corners or drive past without stopping to let her across. Then a motorcycle rider stops, gets off the bike they were riding and takes her by the hand and leads her across the street.

This is the same form of kindness that is demonstrated for us in Scripture in the story of the Good Samaritan who picked up the broken man, placed him on his own horse and took him to an inn. Then having nursed him at least a bit he tells the innkeeper to allow him to stay until he is well and that he will cover the costs. This is the sort of kindness that we should be known for as Christians.

Humility is the trait that allows us to look at others as better than ourselves and to seek their good above our own. In the world of the Colossians (and to a point in our own modern day) this wasn’t an admirable attribute. It was a society driven by power and the attribute of humility was viewed as weakness or cowardice. But it is the attribute that most characterizes Christ and is evident in His own actions. Philippians 2:8 tells us that Christ humbled Himself (humiliated Himself) to the point of going to the cross and dying the death of a criminal to pay for the sins of mankind.

This would have been in direct contrast to the false humility that Paul had highlighted in the false teachers in Colossae who were highlighting their own “humility” which instead of humility is another form of pride.

Gentleness carries with it the sense of “the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance”. It is this characteristic that resulted in Christ humbling Himself before His disciples as He knelt to wash their feet. The Master serving the servants. It is this trait that drives us to seek ways to serve others no matter how busy, important or at what cost that it exacts out of us. I think of all of these traits this is one of the hardest for us to demonstrate because we are sometimes caught up in a sense of our own importance. A recent example from my own life - and I try not to make myself the illustrations of a sermon too often and I’m certainly not the hero of this story more a cautionary tale.

I have been coaching Jeremiah’s soccer team for the Spokane Valley Junior Soccer Association season that is currently taking place. And mind you this is recreational soccer - there are no trophies or scholarships at stake that I’m aware of. But yesterday’s game was rough as the parents and coaches of the other team thought that I did a poor job of managing the game from a rules standpoint and they weren’t shy in letting me know. After the game was over I had the thought process that I really don’t need any of this. I don’t really need to subject myself to weekly ridicule from parents for rec soccer. But then I thought about the kids that we’re serving and that it isn’t about me it’s about them. I needed to remember to not be so overly consumed with my own importance (that I don’t have the time or the need to deal with impatient and really unkind parents every week) so that I can show these kids a love for the game and how to play the game well. I need to continue to serve these kids and my parents and not worry about the rest.

Patience is probably the most dangerous trait on this list. You’ve heard the old adage - don’t pray for patience because God just might give it to you. If kindness demonstrates our basic approach to people then patience demonstrates the kind of reaction that we should have towards them.

And that is best demonstrated in the next set of traits that Paul dives in too.

The Importance of Forgiveness

Colossians 3:13;

Paul says that we are to bear with one another. This is the idea that we patiently (drawing on the last trait that he listed) accept the differences of others and bear with them even though they might not be how we would act or do things. It is the quality better known as “putting up with” both circumstances and people. While not requiring the greatest display of Christian kindness and patience, “bearing with one another” is nevertheless a first and necessary step in establishing community.

The demand acknowledges that every Christian fellowship is made up of all kinds of people and that we will sometimes find ourselves in close fellowship with people who are very different than we are. For the sake of maintaining community, we will sometimes have to put up with people who we would not normally choose to associate.

There is a difference between simply bearing with people and the need for forgiveness - the next attribute Paul will introduce us to. It is a matter of preference. Oftentimes we break fellowship with people over a preference - because they don’t look or act or do things the way we want them to - rather than over a true act of sin. We may say things like I can’t spend time with them unless they apologize for this or that.

Spurgeon has some great comments on this: “I have heard of some who stay away because the church is not perfect. Are you perfect? Why, if the church were perfect, we should not endure you in it! I have no doubt that you will find the church quite as perfect as you are. There are others who keep aloof from the people of God because they feel they are not perfect themselves. My dear friend, if you were perfect we should not want you, because you would be the only perfect member among us.”

“If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all. And the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.”

We mustn’t allow our preferences to become dividing lines and seeking repentance where none is due. But when repentance is sought because of some truly sinful action we should stand ready to forgive because we have been forgiven much.

Paul doesn’t beat around the proverbial bush here - he gets right to the heart of the issue. If you have been forgiven much then you should willingly forgive. And if you have been brought to faith in Christ, if you have been chosen, you have been forgiven much. But what does this forgiveness look like practically? It is one thing to say to forgive it is another to understand or to demonstrate how it takes place.

In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s a pastor by the name of John Perkins was advocating for civil rights in southern Mississippi. During an incident in Rankin county Mississippi Perkins was arrested. He recounts the story of being taken to the jail where he was beaten, being repeatedly kicked and stomped on as he lay in a fetal position for protection. The beating went on and on as he writhed in a pool of his own blood while inebriated officers took turns, using their feet and blackjacks. At one point an officer took an unloaded pistol, put it to Perkins’ head, and pulled the trigger. Then another bigger man beat him until he was unconscious. As the night wore on it got worse. One officer, while Perkins was conscious, pushed a fork down his throat.

Now that is sensational and it’s not meant to cast disparagement on our corrections or police officers. This was an incident that happened that understandably could have resulted in hatred and anger on the part of Perkins. Listen to his response:

“The Spirit of God worked on me as I lay in that bed. An image formed in my mind. The image of the cross—Christ on the cross. It blotted out everything else in my mind. This Jesus knew what I had suffered. He understood. And He cared. Because He had experienced it all Himself. This Jesus, this One who had brought good news directly from God in heaven, had lived what He preached. Yet He was arrested and falsely accused. Like me, He went through an unjust trial. He also faced a lynch mob and got beaten. But even more than that, He was nailed to rough wooden planks and killed. Killed like a common criminal. At the crucial moment, it seemed to Jesus that even God Himself had deserted Him. The suffering was so great, He cried out in agony. He was dying. But when He looked at that mob who had lynched Him, He didn’t hate them. He loved them. He forgave them. And He prayed God to forgive them. “Father, forgive these people, for they don’t know what they are doing.” His enemies hated. But Jesus forgave. I couldn’t get away from that.… It’s a profound, mysterious truth—Jesus’ concept of love overpowering hate. I may not see its victory in my lifetime. But I know it’s true. I know it’s true, because it happened to me. On that bed, full of bruises and stitches—God made it true in me. He washed my hatred away and replaced it with a love for the white man in rural Mississippi. I felt strong again. Stronger than ever. What doesn’t destroy me makes me stronger. I know it’s true. Because it happened to me.”

And here’s the thing - when Christ was on the cross saying “Father, forgive these people, for they don’t know what they are doing.” He was talking about you. From the minute we are born, when that doctor smacks us on the bottom and we let out our first cry we are screaming “crucify Him”. And yet we receive from Him forgiveness. To attempt to withhold forgiveness from another (or incidentally ourselves) because of how wronged we feel is the epitome of arrogance and idolatry. It is to place us on the throne that He belongs on.

We are to have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We are to be known as a people who not only put up with one another’s faults but actually forgives one another when we are wronged. What could possibly drive us to model these behaviors?

The Most Important of All

Colossians 3:14-15; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; Romans 5:1; 2 Timothy 1:11-12;

See there really is nothing special in those attributes. These can be practiced by anyone but they really only make sense, they really only have a why when practiced within the bounds of Christianity and the love that is the foundational characteristic of Christianity. No other system has a reason for compassion or kindness or humility or gentleness or patience besides Christians. They may do it and they may practice these characteristics a lot but they don’t have a reason why unless they borrow from Christian morality. Otherwise it is simply legalism. It is practicing these attributes to get something or to earn something.

But Paul tells us to put on love. In fact what he really says in the original Greek is simply above all love. The translators added “put on” for continuity. Paul simply says love. This is the belt of the garment that holds everything else together. You can put on all these other attributes but if you have not love you’re really doing nothing.

Writing to the church in Corinth Paul tells them

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.

If I speak in any tongue imaginable, if I know and understand and have instant recall of all knowledge, if I have abundant faith, if I give away all that I own but have not love I am nothing. At the very heart of the Gospel is the message of love. It was God’s love that led to Him formulating a plan for the redemption of mankind, His highest and most rebellious, troublesome creation, before time began, before He even created the earth or Adam and Eve. It was His love that resulted in His sending Christ to die on the cross in our stead so that we could have righteousness and redemption through His blood shed on our behalf.

And it is this love that produces unity. It is this love that produces true Gospel unity. There is nothing else that can do it. Legalism can’t do it. Asceticism can’t do it. Social justice can’t do it.

Pastor Josh Buice from Pray’s Mill Baptist Church recently said “Social justice will never produce gospel unity. You can’t expect a cultural message to produce gospel results. Paul didn’t preach reparations, intersectionality, or other political trends. He preached the gospel of Jesus.” And that Gospel is summed up best in His demonstration of love for us on the cross.

And it is that demonstration that allows the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts. This is peace on two levels. First and foremost it is the peace of former adversaries now being at peace with one another and no longer warring against each other. It is the true peace that is found through Christ and provided for us by His Father.

Romans 5:1 CSB

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

But it is also the peace that rules in our hearts when we are secure and content in what God has for us. There are two examples that are really contrasting but that demonstrate the great breadth and dynamic of this peace.

In Acts 12 Peter has been imprisoned. Herod had killed James and the people approved so he had arrested Peter with the intent to do the same. The story picks up Peter in prison at night. Now I don’t know about you but if I were in prison and one of my closest friends had just been killed and all indications were that I would be next I’d be up pacing the floor. I’d be digging at the walls looking for the loose brick from Count of Monte Cristo. I’d be looking for anything or any way to keep my neck in place one more day. But not Peter. The man who pulled a sword at the arrest of Christ thinking he’d fight off all of the temple guards was laying asleep in his cell. Why? Because he knew and had the peace that only Christ can give. In fact even when he was rescued by the angel he thought it was just a vision. Oh what a peace.

And then Paul. In his letter to his protege Timothy as he was waiting for the end of his life. Writing 2 Timothy Paul encourages Timothy to preach the Gospel with no regard for the consequences. He says I’m being poured out like a drink offering. If it were me and I was writing that letter I’d be saying something like (and I’m borrowing this from Voddie Baucham but he’s right) “hey Timothy - you know that crew that was praying for Peter that night when he was arrested by Herod? Yeah Mark’s mom and that crew. Go find them, get them praying cuz this brother needs some of that rescuing”. But instead he writes Timothy preach the Gospel. Be willing to suffer. Don’t be ashamed of me. Because in the end when they kill me for preaching the Gospel - you have to keep preaching it until they come and kill you too.

Both great apostles, when they were facing certain death, were able to face their fate with a peace that would escape most of us because they knew that as Paul writes in 2 Timothy 1:12

2 Timothy 1:11–12 CSB

For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher, and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.

And from prison he would be able to write to the Philippians

Philippians 4:6–7 CSB

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

And just in case Paul hasn’t asked enough of us he throws out one more ideal for the Christian life.

AND be thankful. This seems almost like an afterthought - but really it is the crux of the issue. It is the second rail that along with love the Christian life runs on. When we recognize what Christ saved us from by dying on the cross - from Hell and from eternal separation from God and eternal damnation - then how can we not react with love and thankfulness? Our lives are to be characterized by love and thankfulness for God and humanity and that is best represented through compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience and demonstrations of bearing with one another and forgiveness.

Conclusion