Put On Compassionate Hearts

Colossians 3:12-13 gives more practical advice on becoming more like Christ. “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” We can see here even more about our relationships with other people because how we interact with other people is extremely important in our Christian walk. It’s part of our testimony to the world about the life-changing Gospel and the hope it brings.

These verses once again give us our reason for why we need to do this, and at the risk of sounding repetitive, I’ll say it again: we are to do this because we have been saved, not so that we will be saved. This verse tells us that we are to “put on” these things because we are “God’s chosen ones” and “holy and beloved.” Anyone who’s been reading my blog for a while already knows my whole predestination spiel, so I won’t go on about that here. I’ll simply say that “God’s chosen ones” simply means Christians; it means real, true Christians who are “holy and beloved” by God. Just think of that! This passage talks about being nice and forgiving to people. “But they did this to me!” we say. Well, guess what? We sinned greatly against a God who is perfect and doesn’t deserve to be disrespected, hated, and disobeyed like we do. We are evil by nature (Matt 7:11; Luke 11:13). God is good by nature. And He has forgiven us undeserving Christians for every sin we have committed, are committing, and will commit. We sin constantly. People sin against us sometimes, and it’s not nearly as bad. So why can’t we forgive and be kind to others who don’t deserve it when we really think about the fact that we have done nothing to earn the perfect love and forgiveness of God?

With that little intro in mind, let’s dive in. “Compassionate hearts.” I think this is pretty self-explanatory, especially with the other components in the text. I’ll give two Biblical examples here, the first from Matthew 9:36-38: “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Jesus saw all these people, helpless to save themselves and undeserving of salvation, and felt deep compassion for them. They couldn’t save themselves, only He could do that. So he tells His disciples to pray for them to be saved even though they’ve done nothing to earn it. He’s saying, “There are so many people who need salvation, but so few people to tell them about the Gospel. So pray for people to be saved so we can send them out to bring more people to salvation.” Jesus knew He wouldn’t be on earth forever, and his disciples were few. In order for the Gospel to spread, they needed more people so that it could grow and be passed to the next generation and the next and the next. We can assume the disciples did pray, whether it was now or later, because the Gospel has survived for 2,000 years and has spread to virtually all corners of the world! Jesus asked for prayer for the masses because He loved them and wanted them to be saved, knowing full well they couldn’t do it themselves.

Another passage showing Jesus’ compassion playing out is Mark 8:1-10. I won’t quote the whole passage, but this is the story of Jesus feeding the four thousand men (not counting their wives and children, so the actual number is probably much larger). He has compassion on the people who have been following Him and listening to His teaching for three days without eating any food. He knew they couldn’t make it back to their homes because they are all very hungry and would “faint on the way.” He didn’t want that to happen, not after they’d traveled so far to listen to Him. So he tells His disciples to get the bread and fish and He feeds them all. He loved these people and just gave them food because they were hungry. How great is that? It’s such a simple thing to do coming from the compassionate heart of Jesus.

There’s a very important thing to emphasize here: Colossians 3:12-13 says specifically to have “compassionate hearts,” which I take to mean as this: we should not simply just be compassionate because it’s what we’re supposed to do (though it is), but we should earnestly desire to be compassionate because we want to. Our hearts should long for it. We’ve already talked about sin coming from the heart and manifesting in our actions. That’s the old self, the unsaved self. The new self has genuine, honest compassion in his or her heart manifesting in real, loving action. Jesus, in the passages we just looked at, wasn’t simply compassionate because He was supposed to be. He was compassionate because it was His nature to be, because He really loved these people who needed Him. The verses could have all just said “He saw this so he did this.” No, they go into what He felt. “I have compassion on the crowd” (Mark 8:2). “He had compassion for them” (Matt. 9:36). He loved these people! He wanted to fill their spiritual and physical needs and still wants that today. As His people, shouldn’t we desire the same? Doesn’t God work His plans through His people? So, rather than just begrudgingly and dutifully being nice or something, we should be genuinely compassionate because it’s in our nature to be, because God is compassionate and has made us compassionate. And remember Jesus’ ultimate act of compassion when He died on the cross to pay for our sins. Nothing we can do can measure up to that.

Somehow I expected to cover the entirety of verses 12-13 in one post, but I guess considering my previous posts, it’s not surprising that this is so long already. What's great about this is that I'm learning so much more than I expected through writing this series, and hopefully you're learning too! So next time we’ll talk about kindness. I think I’ll close this out with a great verse from Luke as a reminder to be compassionate:

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)

Read the rest of this series:

1. Introduction
2. Appearing with Christ in Glory
3. Put Off Sexual Sin
4. Put Off Sins of Anger
5. Obscene Talk
6. As Fits the Occasion
7. Christ is All, and In All (Part 1)
8. Christ is All, and In All (Part 2)
9. Put On Compassionate Hearts

Christ is All, and In All (Part 2)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 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 dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

(Colossians 3:1-17 ESV)

Well, now that it’s been a good, long while since I last actually updated this series, I figured I may as well work on another part! I hope you stick around for the rest of the series (and maybe look back at old posts if you need to catch up), because there’s still so much to work through!

In my last post, we started on verses 9-11: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” We spoke about the lifelong process of being renewed, how this renewal is in knowledge of God’s will and how that is revealed in the Bible, and how we are being made into images of Christ. This is what it truly means to put on the new self, and like I said in the last post, we’ll see more of what that looks like in the rest of this series.

But this verse also shows that the whole idea of the new self is not purely an individual thing. Sure, we are supposed to follow these commands ourselves, and that’s a demonstration of our growing spiritual maturity, but also with our relationships with other believers and how we all affect one another. That’s partially what all the things of the old self dealt with, and that still applies here.

This verse specifically tells us to “not lie to one another.” Well that’s pretty obvious. There’s a commandment on that that literally everyone knows. That’s pretty simple, right?

Well, since I’m writing about this, you’ve probably already realized there’s more to it. Or rather, there’s a couple of reasons not to lie to each other besides the fact that it’s not nice (which it isn’t).

First off, let’s go to the one that sounds dark and scary. Lying is another practice of the old self, and the Bible calls Satan “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). So if we’re lying, we’re following the practices of Satan. That’s enough reason not to lie by itself, isn’t it? No Christian should be following the practices of Satan.

But there’s another reason not to lie. Let’s go to Ephesians 4:25. “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” So obviously this verse says we should “put away falsehood.” Again, that’s pretty simple. But then the verse gives us the reason: “for we are members of one another.” The reason we aren’t supposed to lie to one another is because we are all one body!

Well, what’s the big deal about that? Let’s go back to Ephesians 4:15-16. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” That’s a lot of words, so I’ll give you the basic idea here. As one body, we are all one structure with a mission: to bring the Gospel to the world. The church is supposed to “build itself up in love” so that it can be effective in this mission. This building up is done “when each part is working properly.” And this body is “joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,” that is to say, every believer in the church. So if we’re lying to each other all the time, we aren’t working properly. We have defective joints. The structure is weak, it can’t build itself up properly. As a result, we are ineffective in our mission to bring the Gospel into the world! We need to be truthful to one another, even when it hurts, because when we are truthful, we can all grow together.

There’s one last part to this whole “being one body” thing. Our being one body is not by anything we do. It’s because Christ has saved us. “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” Back in those days (and in our days) regular life was full of racism. Jews hated Gentiles, Greeks hated everything and everyone not Greek, etc. But in Christ, we’re all one body. Those racial, physical aspects don’t mean anything anymore, at least when it comes to how we treat one another! I mean sure, maybe someone who’s big and strong is more able to help lift heavy things than someone who isn’t, but that doesn’t mean we treat the one who can’t any better or worse than the one who can. I knew a guy in a wheelchair who was convinced that everyone, including people at the church, was condescending to him because of his disability. The unfortunate thing is that in some cases it was probably true. And that shouldn’t be, especially in the church. We are all one body, we are all part of each other, united in Christ. And it’s only when we are united that we can be fully effective in our mission.

Read the rest of this series:

1. Introduction
2. Appearing with Christ in Glory
3. Put Off Sexual Sin
4. Put Off Sins of Anger
5. Obscene Talk
6. As Fits the Occasion
7. Christ is All, and In All (Part 1)
8. Christ is All, and In All (Part 2)
9. Put On Compassionate Hearts

Jesus' Birth (And Why It's Important)

Well folks, it's that time of year again. And we can no longer avoid this.

It's the obligatory Christmastime post!

Ah, Christmastime. A time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem to a virgin and an adoptive father. We often realize this, even in the midst of all the stress that comes from draining our bank accounts on presents, slipping and falling off of rooftops to put up decorations, and dealing with those family members from obscure parts of the world who you forget exist and don't even like. But I wonder: do we often think of why Jesus' birth is so important?

And now you understand the obviously unclear blog title.

It's a simple question. And the answer is very well expressed by an old Christmas song, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen:

God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan's power as we were gone astray
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy!

Jesus Christ, the Creator God, was born into this earth. While this in itself is a miracle, the greatest miracle came when He lived a perfect live, preached the Word of God, suffered and died in our place for our sins and rose again. What the greatest miracle is is that He reconciled us sinful human beings to the God of the universe when we couldn't do it ourselves. And that, my friends, is the true meaning of Christmas.

This is a short post, but I just wanted to mention this to get people thinking about it. So, this Christmas, remember to praise Jesus not only for being born, but for His life and death and resurrection. Merry Christmas, all!

A Response to One of Jon's Sermons, "Abide"

I should note right now that this is not a rebuke, a refutation, or any kind of response like that, nor is it an addendum, because honestly I agreed with everything Pastor Jon had to say and I think he said everything there was to say.

Anyway, I literally just finished listening to this sermon, mainly because two weeks ago my wife said it was really good and I should listen to it. After hearing her description (which involved the words "You can't be part of five Bible studies because that's just dumb and you can't apply all that to your life, etc..."), I wondered if it was subtly her trying to get me to listen because I needed to learn something. I also worried that the sermon would go to the other extreme of no Bible study at all because it's a waste of time. Thankfully it didn't do that. It turned out to be a very practical sermon about how the Bible is meant to save and to equip us with what we need to be on mission (a term I hear all the time used in many different ways that probably aren't all correct).

My regular readers (a rare bunch indeed) will know that I love the Bible and that I talk about Bible study a lot. They may recall my many posts about reading the Bible, studying the Bible, and even the Bible studies I've written out on this blog. But I can't help but feel like I may have neglected a few things, or that perhaps when Jon talked about people going to too many Bible studies, someone (my wife maybe) may have thought of me. (Although to be honest, I have yet to actually find even one decent Bible study in Thurston County to go to that fits with my school schedule, and I certainly would not go to five.)

The reason I talk so much about Bible study is because no one actually reads their Bible anymore. You have no idea (well, you might actually) how many Christians I know who have Bibles and never open them except on Sunday. I'm not angry about it, just sad.

Why is this even an issue? Why do I care so much? Jon mentioned a verse, one of my favorites, 2 Timothy 3:16-17: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." (If that sounds different than what Jon said, it's because I'm using the English Standard Version of the Bible and I'm pretty sure he uses the NIV). I'd personally never thought about the fact that the training and reproof and whatnot aren't the point. They are the means through which we are equipped to do the good work of spreading the Gospel. So it follows that, if we don't read the Bible, we aren't taught, reproved, corrected and trained to do the work. We are supposed to do it of course. But the Bible is God's means to teach us how. It's how He corrects and reproves us so that we can not only say we are Christians, but actually live out a Spirit-filled life. That life is the evidence to people that there is something that has changed us, a reason for our hope and joy. God uses the Bible to convict us of sin so that we will avoid sin in our lives. Avoiding those sins shows that there's something different about you. The Bible is how we know what needs to be done for people to be saved!

Another reason I talk so much about Bible study is because without the Bible, Christians are weak. So many Christians are spiritual infants although they've been saved for years. They are deceived by false teachers, "tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine" (Eph. 4:14), and long for spiritual milk rather than real, solid food (Heb. 5:12-14). In a world full of deception and lies, where even the church itself is full of false doctrines and teachings that are un-Godly and un-Biblical, we need to be strong. We need to be able to distinguish good from evil. We need powers of discernment. That's actually why I started reading. I don't want to be deceived. I want to teach my wife and kids so that they aren't deceived either. When we aren't deceived, we're more effective in evangelism in my opinion. There's a such thing as just reading and not being effective, but to be more effective, we need to know the Bible.

But what about those who use the Bible to advance bad things, like killing God? Jon mentioned that too. That's why we need good Bible teachers, which are a tragic rarity in the world now. Even Timothy had a teacher (2 Tim 3:14). I'd personally recommend John MacArthur or John Piper. I'd also recommend Jon Needham (clearly all the good pastors are named John in some spelling or another), although since everyone who reads this probably already goes to Coram Deo, you already probably listen to him. You don't need to listen to all of them, mind you. But if you have no idea where to find good teaching, those are good, Godly people who you really can't go wrong with. And obviously just listening to sermons is not being on mission (again with the Jon reference). But it is good to have a good, Biblical, Godly teacher to go to.

So yeah. I just really wanted to write a response to that sermon. Again, I'm not trying to add anything to it, because frankly it's spot on. I just wanted to share my view, and why I care so much that people actually read the Word of God and grow and become effective. And it's not that I am (oh no I am not). I'm growing too. I'm still learning how to talk about Jesus and salvation to people. But if I want to be able to speak the Word of God into people's lives, I'd better know it, right?

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:14-17)

Prayer, Worship, and Love: Good Reasons to Read the Bible

So pretty much everyone who's reading this probably knows that I am in love (read: obsessed) with the Bible. That's a good thing to love and be obsessed with, right? I mean, the Bible is literally the most precious physical treasure on earth. It's more important than that new guitar, or house, or car, or even job. It directs us how to view those things, how to live our lives, how to love people and family, how to work. Not that we should neglect those things to read the Bible, because if we neglect family and people and work, we're going against the very Bible we're reading.

But I find that reading the Bible, shockingly enough, helps you understand things better. It helps you to know God better and love Him even more because you know what He's truly done, what He is doing, and what He plans to do.

My prayer life is now better than ever. I admit, I don't pray as often as I should. And that's something I'm working on (or is being worked on in me). But when I do pray, my prayers become more than just Oh Lord, I want this thing, help me get this thing. They become fountains of praise and worship and theology, not just cold academic knowledge, but love and praise and worship from the heart and mind and soul and strength. I credit that to spiritual growth that comes from reading and knowing the Word of God. And even as I pray, I find I think more about God and love Him all the more for it. Not only that, but I love the true God, because I know about the true, Triune God and what He has truly done for us. I know that I am a wretched sinner and that, for whatever reason, He has led me to repentance and salvation for no reason other than He wanted to. I didn't earn that. He gave it to me. And that reflects in my prayers to Him. I know to approach Him not as a guy who just gives gifts (though He does), or as a stern, cruel being. I approach Him as a Lord who is great and awesome and powerful and just, and as a Father who cares and loves and shows mercy greater than anyone else. He has the power to save me and help me and love me. He rules heaven and will bring the Kingdom to earth. He teaches, corrects, and trains in righteousness. He delivers me from evil. He forgives. He gives me everything I truly need to live the life He desires. And all that comes from reading the Bible and learning from men who teach the Bible rightly.

And that, my friends, is another reason to read the Bible. It improves our prayers and worship and love for our Triune, perfect God. And what can be greater than that?

My Best Worship Experience

About two weeks ago, I attended a little church in Lacey. Sarrah was out of town that weekend, so I was alone. I wasn't sure what to expect from them, but the website seemed promising. That church turned out to be great. I loved the very Bible-centered preaching, the people were nice, and the worship was the best worship experience I've had ever since moving to Thurston County, quite possibly in my entire life. And that's what I want to talk about: worship, specifically the music aspect of it.

In our time here, Sarrah and I have been to several churches, each with varying styles of worship music. The most common worship music involved a piano/keyboard, an acoustic guitar, a drum kit, a bass guitar, and more than one singer. These churches often sang songs that every Christian knows and aren't new but are more contemporary than hymns (which isn't difficult), such as "Here I Am to Worship." Mars Hill Olympia went all out with loud rock, ranging from blues to experimental to alternative. And don't even get me started on the thousands of dollars of technology that went into their setup. We also went to one church that had a piano, a hymnal, one lead singer, and a very traditional, formal atmosphere. And there's nothing wrong with those approaches.

At this particular church, they mostly had a piano, a lead singer, and a hymnal. I say mostly because at one point the family that leads the music there all got up and played a couple songs with guitar, mandolin, harmonica, bass and melodica as well. That probably sounds pretty boring to most Christians my age (or a little older). But it honestly felt, to me at least, more joyful and worshipful than any of the other churches I've been to here. And I think I know two reasons why.

The Congregation

I could hear the congregation (something that is tragically lacking in some churches), and they sounded joyful in their worship. We were all singing out of a hymnal, which isn't very worshipful to some other churches (charismatics mostly), but I could just tell the love they had for their Savior and Lord. I can't really explain it, but it was there. But that's not nearly as important as the fact that...

I Could Actually Think About What I Was Singing

I frequently fall into the trap of just listening to the music and singing along without really thinking about the song's meaning. Maybe that's just a flaw in me that needs to be worked on. But, for whatever reason, I could really think about the meaning of the words that we sang in this church. I could focus not on the music, but on the God we were worshiping, what He did, does, and Who He is. Maybe it's because it didn't seem like the church was overly focused on lots of music, I don't know. Heck, the piano player pretty much just played the music in the hymnals, nothing fancy. But we focused on the words, the meaning of the words, and God Himself. And to me, that was the best thing ever.

I think this is something that can get lost in worship music a lot. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with striving for musical excellence and interesting melodies and harmonies in a church, and my experience as a guitarist/singer in a church was something I wouldn't trade for anything. But I think we frequently focus on getting emotions and volume up (which again, aren't bad things) without thinking about the mind aspect of worship. I'm not directing this to a specific church or anything. I just want people, no matter what church they go to, to think about it, that's all.

Here come the Bible references. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27; see Matt. 22:37 and Mark 12:30). Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." That applies to worship! We worship God because we love Him! He is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, and excellent! We should love and worship Him not just with our hearts, souls, and strength, but also with our minds.

And that, my friends, is what led to what was quite possibly the best worship experience of my life.

Why Theology Isn't Purely Academic

I know a lot of people who would consider themselves theologians. I also know people who see theology as a pointless, complicated discipline that people engage in for no reason other than to argue and puff themselves up. I also know people somewhere in between that spectrum. This post is for all those people (so, everyone who reads this). What I want to do is talk about what theology actually is. I've done this before, but I want to say more.

I think the view that theology is pointlessly academic and just a topic that people argue about is, unfortunately, unwillingly promoted by a lot of people, myself probably included. Equally unfortunate is that it's probably true for a lot of people. Humans in general want to pump themselves up and be better than everyone else. It doesn't help that a lot of contemporary pastors and churches invent weird terminology that no one has heard of before. If you've ever heard Mark Driscoll talk about "sins of omission and sins of comission..." I've looked this up. Comission is not a word. A lot of so-called theological terms aren't even actual words. This mucks up the waters for people who just want to understand the Bible and God. And "theology" is not keeping up with the latest Gospel Coalition and Resurgence blog posts. That's not even close.

A lot of us (I consider myself at least an amateur, if mediocre, theologian) have a much different purpose in mind when we "do" theology (whatever the heck that means). Theology is simply the study of God. When we (or at least I) talk about theology, what I'm talking about is God and the Bible. I'm talking about putting in the effort to understand God, His purposes, the way He does things, His attributes, etc. That sounds academic, and it is to a certain degree.

But when you really grasp a theological concept or idea, it's actually very practical. Think about this: Jesus is the Lord. He is our Lord, God, King, and Ruler in general. And this is in an absolute sense; God's Kingdom is just that: a Kingdom, not a constitutional republic. So we have to obey Him, right? He has the final say in everything we say and do, in every aspect of our lives. We are literally His slaves. Slaves have no rights and no purpose other than to do the will of their master.

Think about that for a moment.

Everything you do needs to be what God would want you to do. Of course, we are also part of His family, and that's why the slavery metaphor isn't similar to Civil War-era slavery. God is loving and caring of His people. He doesn't abuse us. He loves us. But He also is our Lord and Master.

Do you realize how much that would change the way you think and act when you truly grasp that concept? It's a process obviously, since we aren't perfect, and I think anyone who grasps that will have to work for the rest of their life to become more and more subservient to God, but still.

It's reasons like that that theology and Bible study are actually useful. The Bible says that Scripture is the Word of God, the will of God and teaches, trains, builds up, and corrects. That's why I "do" theology. I want to be taught, trained, built up, and corrected to do the will of my Master. How else can I know His will without actually reading the Bible to see what it is? That's the reason any legitimate theologian engages in theology at all; they want to grow spiritually and do God's will. And those arguments? Some are the results of pride, certainly, but some of them are because the arguers want to defend the integrity and truth of Scripture, the most precious truth there is.

Last night I prayed with my wife. The prayer was, for the most part, purely thanks and worship. I even talked about a passage of Scripture I really love, Isaiah 6, because it's such a beautiful picture of salvation. I credit even being able to pray about those things to delving into the Bible and learning about them. I felt truly grateful to God for who He is and what He's done. That's practical. That's spiritual. And that's the purpose of theology.

A Pathetic View of God

I hear various things on Christian music these days. When I say that, I not only mean that I hear about different genres of Christian music or types of songs (such as hymns versus newer songs), although I do. I also mean I hear opinions about contemporary Christian music, such as Spirit 105.3.

I know what you're thinking now. You think I'm going to just blast Spirit 105.3 and say it sucks. Fortunately, that's not what I'm going to do at all. Unfortunately, I do have a lot of concerns about that radio station (and Christianity in general) that I want to talk about, and you, my faithful reader(s), are the perfect victims to hear me out.

Okay, so, Spirit 105.3. Anyone who listens to it will constantly hear about how good they are (particularly because they like to flaunt the listener praise every ten minutes or so). They get several calls a day about how they lift people's days and make work bearable, etc., etc. So obviously some people have a high opinion of it. Then there's the other spectrum of people, the folks who think it's too wishy-washy and lovey-dovey. They may or may not give their reasoning for this, choosing instead to just rant about it.

Predictably, I fall closer to the latter of these two camps. But unlike some people, I'll actually give my reasons for what I think, at least from my personal experiences listening to it.

When I listen to it, I hear a lot of what I described earlier: the phone calls about how they and God make people feel better and whatnot. Well, that's great. I won't deny that's what they do. I won't deny that God wants us to be joyful in all circumstances. Read Romans 8:28 if you want proof of that. But so often I hear about people wanting to "have a personal relationship with Jesus" and "be close to God." They don't tend to describe what that means. I don't usually hear talk of salvation, grace, redemption, brokenness because of their sin. The fact is that Satan has a personal relationship with Jesus. It just happens to be one of animosity and hatred. Everyone on earth has a personal relationship with Jesus; it's only a matter of whether it's they love or hate Him. There's no in-between. There's no indifference, not Biblically. It's for or against.

I also think that Spirit 105.3, the songs they play in particular, focus far too much on one attribute of God: love. Now, I'm not trying to minimize that God is loving. God is love. God is the most loving being of all. And this fact is mentioned a great many times on Spirit 105.3, albeit with a certain vagueness at times. And that's another problem. How did God love you? Love isn't just a happy feeling; it's an action. The Bible says the way He loves us is that He gave His Son to die for our sins. Some songs mention this, and that's great. But others tend to just say He loves and don't mention what that means either.

Love is not all there is to God. One thing I hear frequently said, but likely not understood, about God is that He is holy. In fact, holiness is the only thing about God that is mentioned in the Bible in a superlative sense: "Holy, holy holy" (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). Saying a word multiple times in a row was the way in those days that they emphasized words. Saying a word three times was extreme. So God is truly holy, and the Bible emphasizes that greatly.

But what do we mean when we say God is holy? We frequently mean He is good. That's true, and certainly a part of it. But it's such a complex topic that R.C. Sproul wrote an entire book on the subject.

Then there's the feel-goodiness of it all. "Oh, life is sad, but God is happy and yay." (That's a slight exaggeration). You know, I absolutely believe God comforts us in our time of need and brings us through trials. But once again, that's not all there is to it.

Let's go to Isaiah 6. This is the passage I mentioned earlier, where the Bible says God is "holy holy holy." Isaiah, encountering the living God Himself in all His holiness, is not overcome with joy about the fact that he is face-to-face with the holy God. No, he's overcome with grief and tears because he realizes that God is absolutely perfect, he is not, God will judge him by that standard, and Isaiah has absolutely no hope in that judgment. This is the ultimate feeling of "I'm not good enough." God then shows mercy and purifies him in a beautiful picture of salvation, not because Isaiah deserved it, but because God wanted to and had a purpose for it. Isaiah was absolutely broken because of his sin and realization that he couldn't measure up to God. God saved him anyway.

I don't hear that much on the radio. I usually hear about people being broken about life circumstances. Certainly that happens, and certainly God is there for His children in those times, and I don't want to minimize that fact. But where is the brokenness from our own sin? Where is the fact that we don't and can't measure up to God? We frequently say that God saved us. But from what? Why did He have to save you? Do we ever think about that? Do we ever realize that God is far more than a happiness machine, waiting to give out blessings to people who are sad? And do we ever realize that God is far more than just the guy who saved us and takes care of us, He is also our King and Lord Who will someday bring His Kingdom to earth?

At this point, I've deviated from only talking about Spirit 105.3. I think they promote a weak, kind of pathetic, sappy view of God, but they aren't the only ones. So many churches talk about how they want to "help you with your problems" and "make you feel better." There's a church here in Olympia that wants to "spread the love of Jesus," but has absolutely no mention as to what that really means. No mention of salvation, holiness, anything at all. It's just disturbing to me how far from the Bible we've gone.

I won't doubt that people probably get saved because of what Spirit 105.3 does. It's great to have at least one radio station not filled with sex and drugs. But how much more could they do if they promoted the full truth of God to the world? Don't people need to realize they are sinful and can't measure up before they can truly come to God in earnest repentance and be saved?

Maintaining a Semi-Meaningful Blog

I don't know how many people will be interested in reading this, but I want to write it anyway.

I'm honestly surprised at how difficult it is to maintain this blog while school is in session. Mainly the hard thing is Bible studies, like the "Put On the New Self" series. I don't just know the passage. I always study while I write. I'm not someone who just knows Scripture and writes about it; I study in depth while I write posts so I can rightly present a passage, and so I personally know it.

That's a big thing for me. I originally started studying Colossians 3:1-17 simply because I wanted to. I hadn't intended on making it a blog series. I just suddenly wanted to share after starting. It's a personal activity that I want to share with anyone who will listen.

Frankly, it's been great so far. Going through a passage of Scripture is a great learning experience, and the possibility that people might read holds me accountable to not skip anything. I've been tempted, but I don't want to be called out later with, "Hey, you never said anything about X." So I want to be thorough. That said, I also know my posts can get complicated and difficult or weird and convoluted. So if there's any way I can make things more understandable, simpler, or anything, please let me know. I want people to be able to both read and understand.

Anyways, I intend to finish my current series. It's just time-consuming, so bear with me. You can subscribe to get e-mail notifications or RSS feeds on the right of this site, so if you want to be updated when I post, subscribe! The more the merrier!

Denominations and its -ism

The other day I was talking with my Mom about denominations. It started with her asking, "So you're not Pentecostal anymore?" I know that sounds accusatory, but it really wasn't. You'd have to have heard her tone. I said I wasn't and gave my reasoning about the Holy Spirit indwelling every believer and how tongues isn't the ultimate sign of having the Holy Spirit in you. It wasn't an argument, just a discussion.

Then she said that she didn't like non-denominational churches. That came from the fact that the church in Bremerton I used to (and occasionally still do) attend is non-denominational. Again, it wasn't anything against the church itself. I think it was just a general thing. I said it's hard to not like non-denominational churches because what they believe really depends on the church instead of a denominational group. And that was her point.

I think it comes from the idea of the church leaders not having any accountability to a "higher" church leader, the denomination leader. Every denomination has a central group: the Baptists have several (there are a lot of Baptist denominations, such as Southern Baptists, Reformed Baptists, Independent Baptists, etc), the Methodists have at least two, the Presbyterians have several, etc. I think she didn't like the idea of these other churches operating outside that authority.

Personally, I see her point. Church leaders need to have accountability. I would say that the church leaders are accountable to God, the Bible, and the congregation. But this post isn't a counter-argument to my Mom. That story was really more the launching point for what I thought about later on.

Personally, I don't mind denominations. If not for someone with a right interpretation of the Bible openly protesting and separating from the people who had it wrong, we wouldn't have the Protestant church today. I don't know if you can consider that a denomination, but some people do.

Plus, a church's affiliation with a denomination helps an outsider seeking a church to know what that church believes and what it emphasizes. If you see an Assembly of God church, you know they believe in a separate Baptism of the Holy Spirit after salvation, speaking in tongues, etc. If you have a Baptist church, you know they believe in Believer's Baptism (where only believers are baptized) as opposed to Infant Baptism (where infants of believers are baptized as well as believers). Presbyterians are historically reformed. The list goes on. So no, I don't have a huge problem with denominations.

The problem I have is with denominationalism. That's where two things happen:

1. A church is so devoted to its denomination that a proper interpretation of Scripture has the potential to be compromised
2. A church is so devoted to its denomination so as to chastise anyone who doesn't agree with them and be divisive over minor issues

We've seen these happen before. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has made the ruling that an unwed pastor doesn't have to be sexually chaste. They also allow for ordination of homosexuals. Both of these are forbidden in the Bible, but the denomination (and by extension most of the churches under that denomination) doesn't care. Thankfully some churches are leaving that denomination for a more theologically sound one (I have friends who attend a church that, last I heard, was thinking of leaving PCUSA for the Evangelical Presbyterians).

Now, I just mentioned being divisive over minor issues. But these churches are dividing over something. Here's the thing: the pastor's moral uprightness is NOT a minor issue. The pastor is responsible for shepherding the church of God, and that includes leading by example. He may not be perfect, but when he is blatantly continuing in sin without any regards to what the Bible says and refuses to repent, he needs to be removed. Jesus wants His church to be pure.

It can be difficult to really determine what is an issue worthy of division. I'd say when the integrity of the Bible and submission to it and God are at stake, it's a big deal. I'd say when salvation and the seriousness of sin are wrongly taught (or just not mentioned in favor of seeker-friendly feel-good self-help), it's a big deal. But no one can get it perfectly.

So, anyone want to comment? I'm happy to hear what people have to say about this. Maybe someone will have a better idea on what's truly big enough to have to divide over.

Christ is All, and In All (Part 1)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 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 dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

(Colossians 3:1-17 ESV)

I’ve decided to stop putting the series title in the title of these posts. There’s no real need to continue that.

After my last couple of posts, this is all probably beginning to sound like a lot of legalistic jargon. “Put off this” and “don’t do this…” are probably ringing in your ears (or eyes, since you’re reading this right now). But don’t worry, now we’re on to the reason behind all of this: Jesus! Like I said at the beginning of this series, this passage of Scripture is all about Jesus. It tells us the proper response to the salvation that He has graciously given us.

By the way, if you want to study this topic of putting on the new self a bit more, I recommend reading Ephesians 4:17-32. It’s somewhat different from Colossians 3:1-17, but it’s also incredibly similar.

Now we’re on verses 9-11: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”

So I’m going to skip over the part about not lying to each other for a moment. For one, it’s pretty clear what that means: don’t lie to each other. You can’t get any clearer than that. But also, I think it has a reason that it fits into this passage and particularly this sentence, so I’m gonna get back to it in the next post. As for putting off the old self…well, once again, I’ve already gone through that quite a bit.

So after we’ve taken off the old self, we put on the new self! What is this new self? We’re gonna get into that in this and the next several posts (yes, there are more to come, please bear with me). One thing you’ve probably already inferred is that it’s not everything else I’ve talked about: sexually immoral, angry, and hateful. Sounds like a vast majority of the world, right?

But what’s the first thing that we learn about the new self? It “is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Notice a few things about that sentence.

One, it hasn’t “been renewed.” It is “being renewed.” It’s an ongoing process. It’s not just a one-time thing, like we just stop sinning one day and never sin again; it’s something that will go on for the rest of our lives. It’s a real sign of our salvation, because the unsaved are slaves to sin and have no choice but to give in to it (Rom. 6:20). We have the option to fight it, to shed sin like filthy old clothes (which is, incidentally, the idea that “put off” has in the Greek) and put on the new, clean clothes of our new selves. But we will never be perfect at it until we are in Heaven with Christ.

Two, we are “being renewed in knowledge.” Colossians 1:9 talks about being “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” By knowing the will of God, we can walk in it and bear fruit for the Kingdom of God. This is how we grow spiritually. The new self is a spiritually mature self. We come to know the will of God, and God Himself, by reading His Word. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Three, it’s being renewed into the image of something. It’s not just made into a brand new, totally original thing. We are being made into the image of Jesus Christ, the creator of all things (Col. 1:16). That’s our calling. That’s our purpose, to reflect the glory of Jesus Christ to the world by our words and actions. The new self reflects God’s glory to the world. Why? So that others may glorify God as well. “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12). That visitation could be either the judgment that comes. But it can also be that the Gentile will be visited by God and His saving grace and so glorify God when he remembers your testimony. Reflecting the glory of God can lead people to Christ! So, get reflecting! We’ll talk more about reflecting God’s glory in the next several posts.

Read the rest of this series:

1. Introduction
2. Appearing with Christ in Glory
3. Put Off Sexual Sin
4. Put Off Sins of Anger
5. Obscene Talk
6. As Fits the Occasion
   
7. Christ is All, and In All (Part 1)
   

Put On the New Self, Part 6: As Fits the Occasion

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 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 dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

(Colossians 3:1-17 ESV)

In my last post, we learned that we are only to speak what is “good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:29). Basically, verbal abuse and swearing are unbecoming of a Christian because they don’t help anything.

However, there are times when certain restraints should be removed because to not say something is the less loving route. I’ll talk about two today:

1. Calling out a fellow Christian on his sin
2. Calling out a false teacher

Fellow Christians and Their Sin

What do you do when you know a Christian is sinning? The Bible is very clear on that. Jesus said, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother” (Matt 18:15). When he sins against you, tell him! It’s that simple. The rest of the passage talks about if he doesn’t repent of his sin. “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (Matt. 18:16-17). There are no holds barred here. If the sinner doesn’t repent, bring a couple of people with you to talk him out if it. And if he continues sinning, tell the whole church. Don’t keep it a secret any longer.

We have to remember, though, that the purpose of this is not to gossip. Look at what Jesus said in verse 15: “If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” This is reproof out of love. If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, we’ll call them out when they’re sinning. They are disobeying their Lord, and God chastens those who continue in sin.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit (again) that I have a difficult time with this. I don’t like confrontation. I don’t like making people feel bad. But that’s what the Bible says to do. Jesus called people out on their sin multiple times, wanting them to repent. And if I’m sinning, I hope someone will call me out on it because frankly, I don’t want to sin anymore (not that I, a human being, can fully stop sinning, but you get the idea).

False Teachers

This is a subject of particular interest to me, because I personally find it very difficult to be tolerant of false teachers. The people I mainly mean here are those who claim to be teaching the Bible and sound doctrine but are teaching utter heresy. Rob Bell is a nice example.

But are we supposed to be tolerant of false teachers? I don’t think so. Actually, we’re called to “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3). Jude continues: “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). Whoa. Jude didn’t pull any punches there. He outrightly condemned not only what these teachers were doing (perverting the grace of God and denying Jesus as the only Lord), but the teachers themselves. He called them “ungodly” and “designated for this condemnation.” Specifically, they were designated for God’s condemnation which was spoken of “long ago.”

Paul didn’t pull punches with false teachers and their actions either. In fact, part of the reason he wrote Colossians was a response to false teaching that had arisen in Colossae. He called the false teachers “puffed up without reason by [a] sensuous mind” (Col. 2:18) and their teaching “empty deceit” (Col. 2:8).

And let us not forget Jesus’ treatment of the Pharisees. Jesus called them “hypocrites” (too many verses to cite), openly exposed what they were doing (Matt. 23), and warned others against them and their teachings (Mark 8:15).

Why did they do these things? And why should we? The main reason, I think, is that these false teachers are wolves who have come to lead the sheep astray. That metaphor comes from Matthew 7:15: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” That means they look like Christians (or claim to be Christians) outwardly, but inwardly they are unregenerate, unsaved people trying to lead the sheep astray into wrong teaching. Jesus said we “will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt 7:16). By fruits, He means the things they do and say. And when we recognize them, we need to call them out so we can warn other Christians to stay away from them! Christians do at times fall for false teaching; it’s the job of other Christians to read their Bibles, know sound doctrine, and make sure that doesn’t happen.

As for the teachers themselves, I’m not sure what to say about them. They could potentially come to Christ later on, so I don’t think we should just outright say there’s no hope for them. But by calling them out, we expose them. Maybe then they will feel ashamed and realize they need to come to Christ. We don’t know what God plans for them. But they must be called out, both for their own benefit and the benefit of believers everywhere.

Read the rest of this series:

1. Introduction
2. Appearing with Christ in Glory
3. Put Off Sexual Sin
4. Put Off Sins of Anger
5. Obscene Talk
6. As Fits the Occasion
   
7. Christ is All, and In All (Part 1)
   

Put On the New Self, Part 5: Obscene Talk

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 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 dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

(Colossians 3:1-17 ESV)

I started to set up a structure to the rest of this series after my last post. I had planned on continuing on to verse 9 and I already have part of that post written up, but then I realized that there’s a topic in verse 8 that I really think I should cover in more depth: the issue of obscene talk.

At first I thought that the context of verse 8 meant obscene talk was angry speech towards another person. But then I realized that that’s only part of the problem. The main context of the second group of sins is that these are all sins that affect our social relationships with other believers. This may include being angry at them and yelling at them, but that’s not all there is to it. The real issue, like every other sin talked about thus far, is the heart.

The Bible has a lot to say on the subject of our speech. Let’s go to James 1:26: “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” Whoa. That’s a pretty big statement. Bridling the tongue basically means that we keep a tight rein on our speech. This verse is a warning to us. We can think that all our external ceremonies and Bible reading and all that are true signs of saving faith. But, as Jesus said, “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matt. 15:18-19). What comes out of our mouth is a true sign of our heart’s condition. James is telling us to watch that, because it’s a sign that we need to repent of sin. If we keep a tight rein on our speech, that’s an inward and outward action, and it’s a good sign.

Cursing Others

This connects with the idea of angrily yelling at and verbally abusing someone because, if that’s what we’re doing, it shows a lack of love in our heart towards our victim, which is not a good thing. That’s a sign that our heart is not in good condition. Again in James, it says, “No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:8-10). Our tongue is a muscle that can be used for both great good and great evil. It can be used to bless and to curse. It can be used to praise God, and then turned around to wish evil on someone else. But it should not be used for both purposes. If we bless our Lord, we should also bless people with it because they are made in the image of God.

Vile Communication

The idea of “obscene talk” in Colossians 3:8 stems from Greek words meaning “shameful” or “vile communication.” The King James Version actually uses the word “filthy.” Another verse that talks about this is Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” That word, “corrupting,” means “rotten” or “worthless.” So what these verses are saying is not to speak in a vile, disgusting way because it’s worthless and unbecoming.

I think one good verse on this topic is Ephesians 5:4: “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” Crude joking, at least, is pretty easy to define. Again with Greek words, this one has the idea of vulgar witticism. And I wanted to be sure of that because that's what I was thinking of, but I didn't know if there was some cultural idea I wasn't seeing. So, vulgar jokes are a form of vile communication.

But what about swearing? This is one of the arguments raging in Christian circles today between the people who want to make the gospel culturally relevant and the people who know the gospel is always relevant in every culture if we preach it right (guess which camp I’m in). I tend to think that swearing falls into this category too, since even unbelievers know that those words aren’t appropriate in decent settings. They bleep out certain words on television, which can honestly be one of the vilest cultural cesspools, at least in our country. And to think I want to work in media. But I’m not going to be legalistic about it. I know genuine, loving Christians who let words slip once in a while. I think the real question is whether or not using such words is really profitable.

Since this post is starting to get long, I’m going to stop here and talk a bit more on this topic next time, since I think it’s incredibly important (the Bible seems to think so too) and there’s still a bit more to say.

Read the rest of this series:

1. Introduction
2. Appearing with Christ in Glory
3. Put Off Sexual Sin
4. Put Off Sins of Anger
5. Obscene Talk
6. As Fits the Occasion
   
7. Christ is All, and In All (Part 1)
   

Put On the New Self, Part 4: Put Off Sins of Anger

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 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 dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

(Colossians 3:1-17 ESV)

So after Paul’s finished with sexual sin, he moves on to yet more sins that the earthly self indulges in. And by the way, when I’m writing about these or any sins (including the previous post), I don’t want anyone to think I’m writing from a purely academic standpoint. This isn’t an intellectual exercise; I genuinely want to study and learn from God’s Word and pass on what I learn to anyone who wants to listen in hopes that it helps them in some way. This isn’t just a random academic thing. This is a passionate discourse.

Now, on to the next part of this passage, verses 7-8: “In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.”

So the big problem here is that these are all sins that flow from anger and hatred. I find it interesting that both sets of sins that Paul gives are both sins that Jesus Himself talked about in the same discourse, the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (vv. 21-22)

What’s Jesus saying? He’s saying that being angry with and verbally abusing people is morally the same as murder. Just like in the last post, the big issue with these sins doesn’t only lie in the outward acts, but also in the heart and the motives of the sinner. These are the motives that lead to murder, and thus are just as sinful and evil as it.

Not all of these sins are outward. Anger, the stem from which all the other sins flow, is an inward feeling. In the study Bible he put together, John MacArthur calls it “a deep, smoldering bitterness” and “the settled heart attitude of an angry person.” It’s within us. It is about our attitude and our heart.

Now I don’t know about you, but I’ll be the first to admit I struggle with this, and this is a confession. On rare occasions, there are times when I feel so angry I want to yell at whoever it is angered me and tell them exactly how horrible I think they are. But that’s absolutely the wrong attitude, and it’s sinful enough to be compared to murder. James 1:20 says that “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” As Christians, we are supposed to reflect the glory of God to the world. But as humans, we are imperfect and sinful. When we are angry with people, it’s rarely for purely righteous reasons. Oftentimes it’s selfish (“How dare they do this to me!”) and tinged with the desire to avenge oneself on the object of our anger (“They’ll pay for what they did to me!”).

However, there is such a thing as righteous anger, evidenced when Paul says to believers, “Be angry and do not sin” (Eph. 4:26). But I think we need to be very careful our anger is for the right motives. If we are angry at sin in the world, for example, that’s a good thing. If we are unselfish in our anger, that’s also a good thing. But again, because of our sinful hearts, we need to be extremely careful about that.

I find it interesting that James specifically calls “the anger of man” wrong. That’s because the anger of God is never wrong. God, unlike us, is perfect, holy, loving, good, and just. His anger is always for the right reasons. I’ll talk more on that in a bit.

Wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk are outward expressions of anger. Specifically, the word “malice” comes from a word talking about badness or depravity, but in this context it seems to be against others. These encompass the time when you are outwardly angry with people and start to yell at them, verbally abuse them, and potentially even hit them. But once again, that’s wrong. God doesn’t want us to retaliate against those who hurt us. Jesus also talks about retaliation in the Sermon on the Mount:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you." (Matt. 5:38-42)

There’s no need to go through every single part of this paragraph, but what Jesus is basically saying here is not to seek out vengeance and retaliation for personal wrong. The slap on the right cheek that Jesus is talking about gives the picture of a backhanded slap meant to directly insult someone’s dignity. This has nothing to do with self-defense or even defense of someone else; it’s alright to defend ourselves and others (Acts 24:10). But that’s where the line is drawn: self-defense and defense of others, not personal retaliation. As MacArthur says in his study Bible, “[Jesus] was calling for a full surrender of all personal rights.”

Is it wrong to want justice? Absolutely not. God is absolutely just and desires justice far more than we do. Not only that, but He also knows how to deal out justice far better than we do. Thus Paul says in Romans 12:19, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” And we know that God’s justice will always and ultimately prevail; whether a saved person’s sins were paid for on the cross by Jesus’ death and thus that person has been cleared, or an unbeliever dies in his sin and is punished, all sin will be dealt with and paid for in full. So there’s no reason to get angry with people or take out vengeance ourselves. It’s ultimately in God’s hands.

So, reader, where do you stand in this ultimate scheme of justice? Are you someone whose sins have been paid for in full by Jesus’ death? Or are you living in sin that must someday be paid for? And are you willing to give up everything to Christ to be saved? Or would you rather take your chances in front of a God who knows every deed and sin in your life and will judge you for them?

If this seems like a scare tactic, it’s not; it’s a genuine, loving warning to check your life. However, you should be afraid; Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” (Luke 12:4-5).

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, that He came to earth, and died and rose for sin? If you do, are you willing to submit to Him as Lord and Savior? When Jesus returns to earth, the rightful Creator King, to establish His Kingdom, will you be one of His enemies, punished forever for constant rebellion and insurrection against Him? Or will you be one of His subjects living in eternal peace in the Kingdom of the One Who created everything and thus has the ultimate right to rule?

Read the rest of this series:

1. Introduction
2. Appearing with Christ in Glory
3. Put Off Sexual Sin
4. Put Off Sins of Anger
5. Obscene Talk
6. As Fits the Occasion
   
7. Christ is All, and In All (Part 1)
   

Why I Write (Part 3.1415)

I'm not sure how many times I've written this post in the past (I used to have a MySpace blog), but it always manages to change every time. So, here it is (again)!

Why do I write? And why do I write the way I do? I know I post on this blog a lot. But there are several reasons behind it.

I love it

Writing is fun to me. It always has been. I've been a bit of a writer since my childhood when I would write (and illustrate) little books for my family. I remember I wrote a book for Grandpa about a magic screwdriver, based off of his massive amounts of tools and his having a workshop in the old house. With that screwdriver he invented things like the eight dollar bill and a time machine.

It's a Thinking Process

I tend to think more clearly when I write. You know those long Bible studies I write that no one reads? Those are the results of a thinking process during study. Rather than simply try to remember it all, I organize it by writing about it. Sometimes I find gaps in my thinking, or as I write I remember something related to what I'm writing that gives an even better perspective on things.

It's a Form of Ministry

Some of you may know that I'm not the best (or at least most comfortable) public speaker in the world. At least I don't think so. I think I'm actually more comfortable singing in public than speaking, because then at least I know what I'm going to say. But I like to share what I discover in Bible study or what I think about something. So, writing is my avenue for that. I want to help others grow and get closer to God, and this, I think, is the best way for me to do that.

And how I write depends on what I'm writing about I guess. In my more in-depth Bible studies, I try to be as careful as possible. I try to select the right words to convey meaning, and I try to let the Bible speak for itself rather than speak for it myself, which is why I quote so many Bible verses. I don't want to take too many steps without having a Biblical reason for doing so, because I don't want to convey something unbiblical. I usually have my ESVBible.org account open as well because it's a handy reference tool. I also try my hardest to not let those posts get muddied up in "theological-ese," or those ridiculously complicated sounding words that make life more difficult than it needs to be like "penal substitutionary atonement" or "missiology."

But in posts like this I tend to be more lighthearted, easygoing. I'm only speaking for myself here, not trying to interpret Scripture for people, so it's easier to just go with the flow of it. I tend to think people like these posts more than the Bible studies, but I don't really know.

Anyways, I figured I'd write this post (again) for the sake of it. Enjoy your (insert day here)!

Put On the New Self, Part 3: Put Off Sexual Sin

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 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 dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

(Colossians 3:1-17 ESV)

In verse 5, we start learning about the old self, the self that we are commanded to take off. Here’s a quick reminder: taking off the old self is not something we do so that we will be saved. It is our response to being saved. Verse 5 says to “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you.” The “therefore” indicates that this is because of something previous stated. What reason has Paul already given for us to do this? “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (v. 3). Again, we are to put to death the earthly things because our lives are hidden with Christ in God, not so that they will be.

Anyway, now to verse 5: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” The Greek translated “what is earthly in you” literally means “your members that are on the earth.” These things are not just things sinful people do, they are part of who we are, part of our sinful bodies, part of our nature. These are evil things, as evidenced by verse 6: “Because of these the wrath of God is coming.” There’ll be more on that later.

So the big issue Paul starts out with is sexual immorality. That’s a very broad term. It pretty much covers every sexual sin out there, like adultery (Ex. 20:14), premarital sex (Ex. 22:16), bestiality (Deut. 27:21), incest (Lev 18:8-14), prostitution (Deut. 23:17), and homosexuality (Rom. 1:26-27). All of those are physical, but Paul’s list shows that the physical is not all the Lord is concerned about.

To see this, let’s go back to Matthew 5:27-28, where Jesus Himself addresses this issue. He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” See that? Jesus points out specifically that it’s not enough just to physically not commit adultery. Impure thoughts and motives are just as sinful. That’s what Paul is getting at when he talks about “impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness.” Physical and mental impurity is what we are commanded to take off.

In fact, covetousness is so bad that it’s actually labeled as idolatry. Covetousness is wanting more and more of what we don’t have, or wanting something that someone else has in a greedy, jealous way. Covetousness is bad in and of itself, but in this context I think it refers to sexual covetousness. This leads to heinous things like pornography or prostitution. Paul specifically calls this idolatry, or wanting something else more than we want God, and that’s serious. That’s breaking the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). That’s also not loving “the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,” nor is it loving “your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27), since it involves exploiting someone else for your own selfish desires.

These are some of the traits of the old self. Believers were like that before God called and saved them. And unbelievers are still like that. “Because of these the wrath of God is coming.” One day, Jesus will return. He will redeem His people from the world, those who have truly confessed Him as Lord (cf. Rom. 10:9). All the unrighteous, the people actively in rebellion against God, “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 16:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21).

If these sins are active in your life, take this as a loving warning: you are in grave danger of the fire of hell. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). We all die, but those who reject Christ die a second, spiritual death by the hands of a perfect, just and holy God. But God loves you. He loves the world, and He knows our hopeless condition. So He has given us hope: Jesus Christ, God in human form, paid the death penalty of sin when He died on the cross. Colossians 1:20 says He made “peace by the blood of his cross.” Three days later, He rose from the dead, proving not only His deity, but also His full payment for sin. “In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14). The condition? You need to repent of those sins and any others, turn away from them, turn to God, and genuinely declare Him to be the Lord and Savior of your life. I say genuinely because a lot of people make a one-time declaration and show absolutely no change in their lives.

This is not works salvation. There is nothing you can do to really earn it. It’s a gift! And remember the first paragraph of this post: repenting and turning your life around is a response to salvation, not a means of gaining it. But if you’ve confessed Jesus as the Lord and Savior of your life, the Master and King over you, and you truly love Him, you’ll turn from your sin and follow Him. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Times will be hard. But in the end, you will be in eternal glory, in heaven forever with Him, the perfect ruler and loving God.

Read the rest of this series:

1. Introduction
2. Appearing with Christ in Glory
3. Put Off Sexual Sin
4. Put Off Sins of Anger
5. Obscene Talk
6. As Fits the Occasion
   
7. Christ is All, and In All (Part 1)
   

Put On the New Self, Part 2: Appearing with Christ in Glory

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 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 dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

(Colossians 3:1-17 ESV)

The next phrase in this passage is verse 4: "When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." There are two major questions we must ask about this verse:

1. What does it mean?
2. How does it fit in with this passage?

What does it mean?

This is a fairly simple question to answer. All over the New Testament we find the anticipation that Jesus is going to come to earth a second time to establish His Kingdom. Unlike His first coming, which was as a humble slave (Matt. 20:28; Phil. 2:7), Jesus' second coming will be as a powerful King coming to take back the world from the clutches of evil and establish His glorious Kingdom forever (Rev. 19:11-21).

What this verse is saying is that, when He returns, we will come with Him as glorified saints. In 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, Paul says this:

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

In other words, in the end, all dead believers will be raised from the dead, and then all believers on the earth will be changed; our bodies will become immortal, glorified bodies, sinless and imperishable. We are now hidden in God; when Christ appears, He will reveal His people, the true church. Jesus knows His sheep (John 10:27), and at that moment we and the entire world will know who His sheep truly are. Won't that be great, friends? This is what our eternal destiny is; even after we die, we have nothing to worry about. We're going to come back to a perfect world with no death, no sin, and with Jesus as our great King. I don't know about you, but that sounds awesome to me.

This probably should have been added to the previous post: I also absolutely believe that our being hidden with Christ in God talks about our total security in Him. Jesus knows His flock and He secures their salvation; as He says, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28). After we died with Christ, our lives were hidden in Him, away from the sin and evil of this world in a sense. We of course struggle with sin on a daily basis, but we don't need to give in to it anymore, because we are no longer its slaves. We are free from sin, and our lives are safely hidden with Christ. We will only appear again when our sinful bodies are transformed into immortal, glorified bodies. And again, it's going to be awesome.

How does it fit with this passage?

I was wondering this myself when I was originally trying to figure out what to write about this verse. It obviously talks about the last days, but how does it fit into this passage that so clearly talks about the days we live in now? Well, I believe that the commands given here are a foreshadowing of the coming perfection that this verse talks about. And when we follow these commands, we are displaying to the world what things will be like in Jesus' Kingdom.

Think about it. In this passage we are told to put off the old self and put on the new self (vv. 9-10). In the end, our old self will be expunged totally by Jesus and replaced with a new, sinless self. In those same verses we are told that we are "being renewed in knowledge after the image of [our] creator." Again, in the end, we will be fully renewed in Christ's image. This is a total foreshadowing of the great things to come! The only difference is that these are things we are told to do, and we can't follow them perfectly since we are still sinful. But in the end, Jesus will transform us through no work of our own. Of course we can't even follow them on our own; we need God to enable us to follow Him and His decrees (Col. 1:9-13). But even so, we follow them imperfectly. In the end, we will follow Christ perfectly. And once again, it's going to be the greatest thing ever.

Read the rest of this series:

1. Introduction
2. Appearing with Christ in Glory
3. Put Off Sexual Sin
4. Put Off Sins of Anger
5. Obscene Talk
6. As Fits the Occasion
   
7. Christ is All, and In All (Part 1)
   

Put On the New Self, Part 1: Introduction

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 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 dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

(Colossians 3:1-17 ESV)

This passage of Scripture is a very informative and helpful one. While at first glance it seems to be just a “do this and don’t do that” legalistic rule-oriented passage, it is not that at all. Like the entire book of Colossians, this is very Christ-focused. In fact, it’s all about Christ. What this passage does for us is detail the proper response to our salvation in Jesus.

The first verse makes this clear to us. “If then you have been raised with Christ…” This is the whole reason for this passage. We have been raised with Christ. Earlier in Colossians, Paul talks about how we have died to earthly things. We were “buried with him” (ch 2:12). After that, we were “raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God.” Chapter 2 also says we “died to the elemental spirits of the world” (v. 8), which means the demonic forces working in our world. The Greek word used for “elemental spirits” here was widely used as a term for spirits in Persian religious texts and other mystical writings. In other words, they are not of God, and thus demonic. But we’ve died to those spirits! We don’t have to submit to them anymore. Romans 6:2 says we’ve “died to sin.” In fact, the entirety of Romans 6 is about being freed from sin and talks greatly about having died to it. Romans 6:7 says, “[O]ne who has died has been set free from sin.”

But we haven’t only died. We have also been raised with Christ into a new life. Colossians 2:13 says, “God made [us] alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.” Again back in Romans 6, a chapter which connects with this part so greatly, Paul says in verse 4, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Paul also says, “[Y]ou … must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11). Isn’t that incredible? We have died to sin, set free from its evil grasp, so we could be made alive in Christ. This means we “walk in newness of life.” Our lives are no longer enslaved to sin, which is an evil, oppressive and deceptive master. We are now “slaves of righteousness” (Rom. 6:18) and “slaves of God” (Rom. 6:22), which mean the same thing. We have a great, glorious and good Master in Christ whom we are called to follow. That is what this passage is about. This incredibly practical portion of Scripture tells us exactly what our old, dead selves did and what our new, living selves must do. It tells us how to walk with Christ in clear terms. Instead of just saying “Walk with Christ,” this passage tells us how to actually do that.

And we aren’t just doing different earthly things. The commands here that we are to follow, the “new self” as verse 10 puts it, are “above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” These are not just cold laws. These commands are from above, the righteousness that we are to seek after. This is true righteousness we are called to embody here, and our death and life in Christ is what enables us to do that.

I don’t want this to sound like some kind of works salvation, because that is absolutely not the point. The next two verses make that very clear. “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (emphasis added). The word “for” indicates a causal relationship between two points. We are to set our minds on things that are above because we have died and because our lives are hidden with Christ in God, not the other way around. In other words, we walk with God because He saved us first.

Read the rest of this series:

1. Introduction
2. Appearing with Christ in Glory
3. Put Off Sexual Sin
4. Put Off Sins of Anger
5. Obscene Talk
6. As Fits the Occasion
   
7. Christ is All, and In All (Part 1)