As we come to chapter 3 Paul begins to show how the believer's union with Christ has direct and specific practical implications for daily life. More specifically, in the death of Christ our sinful lives are put to death. In the resurrection of Christ we gain new, heavenly lives (Col 3:3). These are lives that are now oriented in a brand new direction. Our entire outlook - our dreams, desires, ambitions, goals, and decisions - all zoom in on Christ and heaven and the heavenly life we now have with Christ in God.
Going in this new direction will require continuous and ongoing effort. We must "keep thinking" about things above as opposed to earthly things. You might say that before Christ the best we could do was compete to see who could sink the slowest in the ocean of a broken world enslaved to sin and Satan. But God sends us Christ, and in Christ we've gained the ability to swim! We can move towards the shores of heaven where God is. But we are still in the "water" of our world. And the current continues to fight against us, trying to drag us away back underneath the water.
So how do we swim, and keep swimming? It will involve casting off certain earthbound practices and instead putting on certain heaven-minded practices. Paul gives two lists of the kind of things that should be put off, the first of which is found in v.5. The main theme of this first list is sex. Sex of course is one of the most powerful ways we have of relating to one another. Sadly, sex in our day has become a commodity that we feel we should always have the best of and the most of in every possible way that we deem best. God however designed sex to be enjoyed in the context of a marriage relationship between a husband and wife. When we take sex out of this perfect context and make it not about about marital self-giving but about selfish taking, sex morphs into something very dangerous and destructive and dehumanizing. In fact, one of the most authentically human acts you can engage in is having sex with your spouse where you put their interests above your own. One of the most ugly and dehumanizing acts a human being can do is to engage in sexual activity with someone other than your spouse. The end of such ugliness in our world will be the judgment of God's wrath (Col 3:6).
The believer must thoroughly reject this approach to sex as belonging to a former way of life that is dead and needs to stay dead. They must actively "put to death" sins like sexual immorality and lust (Col 3:5). Such a strong phrase as "put to death" tells us about the approach we must take here - we must kill, obliterate, and destroy any such sin in our lives. We should be willing to take any measure possible to eliminate its influence over our lives, even if it's socially awkward or uncomfortable or inconvenient for us to do so. This can be hard task. In fact, it IS a hard task! But it is one that is fully possible because of the reality of v.1 - that the believer is one who has been "raised with Christ." This means that, depending fully on Christ and my union with him, I can shape and mold my life in a direction that will one day have me standing fully perfected in the presence of God, where I will be able to worship and enjoy him forever.
Meditate on the truths of Col 3:1 and 3, namely, that the Christian has been raised with Christ and that their life is now "hidden with Christ in God"? How do these truths help encourage us and empower us in the ongoing battle against sin?
2 comments:
How do these truths help encourage us and empower us in the ongoing battle against sin?
These truths are entirely necessary for us to have any victory in the battle against sin. So many times in my life, I have tried to "man up" and overcome some sin in my life. "If my willpower is just strong enough and I concentrate hard enough, I can do it." This has proven to be utterly a failure.
It is only when I approach the battle against sin from the perspective of Christ's death and resurrection that I have had any victory whatsoever. The more I understand this and engage His resurrecting power, the more I am able to overcome.
Knowing that I am "raised together with Christ" gives me what I need to overcome. It is part of the truth of the Gospel in my life.
Thanks for posting your thoughts on Col. 3. Very important words indeed! For more reflections along the same lines here see my essay Our Strength, His Power: Who We Are and Why It Matters, which addresses how our identity in Christ can and must shape our lives.
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