Christ gives us the promise of whole life transformation.
Colossians 3:9-10 (NIV) speaks how, "you have taken offyour old self with its practices" and, "put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator."Through Christ comes the promise of whole life transformation— of putting on a whole new self! In Christ, God forgives us of our sin, but he also sets us free from sin so that we are no longerslaves to the same old patterns, the same old habits, or the same old practices.
A while back I was sitting with a couple at their kitchen table.They are not people whoyou would know. They were extremely frustrated, the wife seething in anger. Several years earlier they had been baptized by me in the church. I remember how excited they became when they first understood God’s grace. I had spent months explaining how they could be forgiven of all their sins and given a fresh start. They became so eager to accept Christ that I baptized them in their street clothes and they walked home wet.
But here they were again, years later, still in the same place as when they had first been baptized. They had been forgiven, but they had not felt transformed. "We thought when we got baptized everything would just change."
In fact, the case could be made that they were worse off than before. They continued to pursue a course of reckless sexual behavior. The distrust, the jealousy, and the emotional pain was unlike anything I have ever seen firsthand. As I sat at their table, they verbally assaulted one another with such intensity thatthey were spitting. I wondered if I wasn’t there if their quarreling might become physically violent. The things they described having done to each other and against each other defies imagination. Deep, unconscionable betrayal of their marriage covenant.
So was God’s grace sufficient for them? Had they been set free in Christ, or not? Was their baptism anything more than a bath? Another word for "old" is "worn out". Colossians 3:9 (NIV) speaks of putting off the, "worn out" self. Regardless of how you feel about Christ, would you at least admit howworn out sin makes you feel? Sexual sin, arguing, quarreling, hating, greed— it all has a way of sucking the life of Christ right out of us.
God doesn't forgive us so that we will continue in our sins.
God doesn’t forgive us of our sins so that we will continue in our sins. He doesn’t buy us back from death, only to make us slaves again of sin and death. Allow me to explain. I heard Charles Swindoll tell a story on the radio this week.
A bazaarwas being held one day in a village of northern India. Everyone brought his wares to trade and sell. One old farmer brought in a bunch of quail. He had tied a string around one leg of each bird. The other ends of all the strings were tied to a ring which fit loosely over a central stick. He had taught the quail to walk dolefully in a circle, around and around, like mules at a sugarcane mill.
Nobody seemed interested in buying the birds until a devout Brahman came along. He believed in the Hindu idea of respect for all life, so his heart of compassion went out to those poor little creatures walking in their monotonous circles."I want to buy them all," he told the merchant, who was elated.
After receiving the money, he was surprised to hear the buyer say, "Now I want you to set them all free." "What’s that, sir?" "You heard me. Cut the strings from their legs and turn them loose. Set them all free!"
With a shrug, the old farmer bent down and snipped the strings off the quail. They were freed at last. What happened? The birds simply continued marching around and around in a circle. Finally, the man had to shoo them off. But even when they landed some distance away, they resumed their predictable march. Free, unfettered, andreleased,they kept going in circles as if still tied.
In Christ, God cut the strings of sin that enslaved us to death. This is grace. But now it’s time to stop marching in circles and start learning to fly. This is what renewal is all about. This is what it means to put off the old self with its practices and to,"put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator." A new pattern replacing the old.
Paul describes two destructive cycles of sin.
In Colossians 3:5-11 Paul vividly describes two rather destructive circles. Did you ever notice what happens when you keep walking in the same circular pattern over time? First, you sink deeper and deeper into a rut. And the deeper you sink, the more difficult it becomes to change your path. But second, do you know how quickly we lose power over our hands, our feet, our desires, our thoughts, our impulses, and our flesh? Allow me to illustrate.
Sexual immorality is one vicious cycle of sin.
One vicious circle that Paul describes is sexual immorality. Colossians 3:5-7 (NIV) tells us, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived."
Each word inthe opening sentencedescribes a unique dimension of sexual immorality. The Greek word for sexual immorality is "pornea" from which we get our word "porn". Porn is about feeding our desire to fornicate, to be promiscuous, and to violate the sanctity of marriage (whether it be ours or someone else's).
Impurity is about arousing lust in others by what we wear or don’t wear. It also includes coarse joking and sexual innuendo.
Lust refers to the inner suffering that we experience when we cannot have what culture has trained us to desire.
Evil desire refers to our impulsivity and our eagerness to seize whatever sin may present itself to us. You find yourself alone with a person of the opposite sex. You’re away on a business trip. You’re surfing the web and see a teaser for an adult site. It’s after hours and you have the remote control all to yourself.
Greed is the belief that everything, including other persons, exist for your self-gratification and pleasure.
So now, in Christ, the string has been cut. Our lives don’t have to revolve around sexuality immorality. In Christ, we can rise above the pornography, the impurity, the lust, our impulsive desires, and greed. And I’ll tell you how in a minute.
Anger is a second vicious cycle of sin.
In Colossians 3:8-11 (NIV) Paul describes a second vicious circle that we’ll call anger. "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practicesand have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."
Notice the escalation. Anger is the emotional reaction that occurs when someone has wronged us or offended us.Rage is that same anger bubbling over, seething, and at times exploding. With rage we're losing self-control and composure. We're doing and saying things we’ll later regret, but for which we have no control!
Malice is when we begin hating and wishing ill will on others. It's wanting to say and do things that cause harm to those who have offended us. "I wish they’d have an accident. I wish they’d fail. I wish they’d get fired. I hope they die."
Slander is speaking out against the other person, insulting him, hurting him, damaginghis relationships, and wreckinghis reputation with others. Closely related to slander is filthy language and lying. Prejudice is when we demonize a person, puthim into a category, and then writehim off altogether. Notice the words Greek, Jew, and barbarian.
Are you tired of your rut of sin?
Are you tired of walking in the rut of sexual immorality? Are you tired of walking in the rut of anger and malice?Are you sick and tired of being in it up to your waist orneck? Are you ready to fly higher and rise above the muck? Are you eager not just to be forgiven, but to put these things to death once and for all? Are you ready tobe renewed in the image of your creator?
The keys are found in Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)."Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
Allow me to suggest four practical strategies for putting off the old practices of sexual immorality and anger, andto start transforming intothe new self.
First, desire Christ’s reign in your heart.
The heart wants what the heart wants. If your desire is to be sexually immoral, or your desire is to hate, you have to ask God for a new heart. Colossians 3:1 literally commands us to seek the reign of Christ in our lives. In the same way that Christ reigns in heaven, in the same way that he reigns over all rulers, authorities, and powers, and over all things visible and invisible, our prayer ought to be,"Lord, reign in my heart and in my desires."
There can be no transformation where the heart doesn’t first cooperate. Baptized or not, God will never usurp your free will and make you do something you do not desire in your heart. When is the last time you asked God to give you a new heart?
Second, set your sights higher (in your mind).
The battle for control of the heart is in the mind. The mind is the battlefield where spiritual victories are won or lost. Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our thinking on things above, not on earthly things. How often do you really pay attention to your thoughts? How would you describe your thought life? Anxious? Depressed? Impure? Lustful? Negative? Hostile? Angry?
In Philippians 4:8 (NIV) Paul writes, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things."
That's the best advice you’ll ever hear. It’s a lot easier to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ than it is to control your flesh. If you steer the mind andsteer the thoughts, the body will follow. Control the rudder, steer the whole ship. Control the bridle, direct the whole beast.
Third, trust in Christ’s forgiveness.
As we set our hearts and minds on things above, we can have confidence knowing that our life is hidden with Christ. We’ve been forgiven. Christ has paid the penalty for our sin. We have nothing to fear. As God transforms us and renews us in his image, we have the assurance of salvation.
Colossians 1:21-23 (NIV)says,"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."
Don’t get discouraged. Don’t give up. Continue in your struggle against sin. Never stop trusting Christ for salvation.
Last, put your hope in Christ’s glory (future).
Never forget that spiritual formation is a lifelong process by which we become more like Christ. Nobody gets "finished" onthis side of heaven.
Colossians 3:3 (NIV)promises, "When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
Philippians 3:18-21 (NIV) says, "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."