Thoughts On Colossians...

The past several weeks, we’ve been going through the beginning chapters of Colossians, verse by verse. We’ve been examining the original Greek words, the historical setting, etc. Usually we get through a whole chapter; we only made it to verse four in this discussion, but for your benefit, I will type a larger section of chapter 3:

“If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—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.

And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever had a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 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 richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Col. 3:1-17).

Ok, so this portion is addressing man in his fallen state, followed by how we ought to behave because we have been redeemed. Paul’s letter was addressed to the believers at Colossae who were Christians but weren’t living like it. (I wouldn’t know ANYTHING about that…) They kept falling back into the old habits, just as we do. He tells them to live as dead men, essentially. When we give our lives to Christ, we die to ourselves and then must live as reflections of Him, choosing to daily put to death our sinful thoughts and actions. The theory part of it, of course, sounds mostly straight forward, getting rid of “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires, and greed”/”anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech.” One of the ladies observed that the first list of “bad behaviors” is more about outward behavior, but the second deals with our thoughts and motives of the heart.

Jeff asked everyone how they individually applied the theory, because he feels as though he is constantly struggling to make it a reality. I was interested to hear that almost every single answer boiled down to reading the Bible daily and asking God to show him/her how to apply what he/she learned. We decided that our relationship with Jesus drives our change. Before we “confess with [our] mouth that Jesus is LORD and believe in [our] hears that God raised Him from the dead”; we have nothing to work with in the shaping of our character. However, as redeemed—yet not perfected—humans, we are like clay in the Potter’s hands…not finished products, but at least a medium with which He can work.

One of the nurses said our old selves are dead, and we are new creatures, but we’re naked. We need to put on characteristics of our new selves: compassion, kindness, humility, meeknesss, patience, and forgiveness. And again, we’re back to daily choice, self discipline, and process. We have not been through the firing process yet—we are still in the wedging and throwing stage as lumps of clay in the good Master’s hands.