Blogging Bible Study: Colossians - Living as a Follower of Jesus (Col. 3: 1- 17)

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Set your hearts and minds on things above, Paul says.

And 'above' is 'where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.'...not the next step up, or the top floor office,  or the top rating in [whatever]...or anything else that might be confused with 'above'.    Not earthly things.

He's talking about priorities...and he's talking about lifestyle.

You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:3)

That makes...or should make... a difference in how one conducts one's daily life.

That kinda messes with the popular message that God wants everyone to be happy.

Paul goes on to talk about death.  Things that should die because, you know, we died.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature. -- (Col 3:5a)

What belongs to the earthly nature, you ask?

 Well...here's  a list of things that are to be put to death/ gotten rid of (v. 5 -9):

Sexual immorality (setting such a high value on sexual satisfaction that one goes outside of the boundaries God set in an attempt to procure it)

Impurity (mixing sacred and profane)

Lust (fixating upon and consumed with obtaining a forbidden thing)

Evil desires (revenge? selfish ambition? I'd say those are two...)

Greed (that's idolatry, Paul says in verse 5)

Anger

Rage

Malice (that probably includes schadenfreude...happiness at the misfortune of another)

Slander (spreading stuff that makes others look bad just for the sake of making them look bad; yeah, that would include unfounded Facebook posts about those people on the other side of the political fence)

Filthy language (really...it ain't cool to cuss.)

Lying 

But verse nine reads 'All such things as these'...so this is not an exhaustive list, it's a set of examples of  the kinds of things that belong to the earthly nature.  Pretty much anything that focuses on what I want,  how I want to be seen,  keeping my position above those inferior to me, satisfying physical appetites without regard to the parameters God gave regarding such things, etc.  I, Me, My, Mine over anyone else.

And we can't excuse the pet little naughties by saying, 'Well, at least I don't do ...XYZ on that list'.

Nope.  It's ALL supposed to be put to death, gotten rid of, or...maybe...overcome.

...since you have taken off your old self with its practices (Col. 2:9b)

All of that is stuff the natural human practices.  But we are to be supernatural humans.

...and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Col.3:10)

And guess what?  That 'new self' has no race, or even ethnicity...

Here there is no Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.  (Col. 3:11)

If this is the truth, then why do we (and by 'we' I mean those who claim to follow Christ) divide over race, ethnicity, social standing?  Are we retaining somewhat of the earthly nature, that pays attention to such things?  Because in the kingdom...those things simply don't matter. 

We are ALL God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved  (Col. 3:12)

So...how ought we to live?

We are to live clothed with:

Compassion

Kindness 

Humility

Gentleness

Patience

We are to:

Bear with one another

Forgive one another  (Just as the Lord forgave each one of us)

Put on love over all  (the binding agent of all virtues)

Let the peace of Christ rule in us

Let the word of Christ dwell in us

Be thankful

All of this is to be characteristic of any admonition given in wisdom, of any psalm, hymn or song we sing.

But here is the summation of behaving as a follower of Jesus:

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  -- Col. 3:17.

Now, 'in the name of the Lord Jesus' means 'as one under the authority of Jesus'...like an ambassador in a foreign country does everything in the name of his government back home.  A legal representative.  

If I find myself in a situation in which I'm tempted to do something...be it legal or illegal or whatever...a big thing or a little thing (and remember...big things almost always start with little things)...if I can't honestly do it as a representative of the heart and nature of Jesus, then it should not be done.  Even if it secures my rights or saves my reputation or something else that just seems logical.  

Because that old self is dead...and the new self has a different set of priorities...above...