Our New Life in Christ
Text: Colossians 3:1–17 ESV
Good morning. We have a lot to cover this morning. My main point is that those who are united to Christ will put sin to death and live like Christ.
Here’s my general outline:
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Christ, Our Life (vv. 1–4)
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Putting Sin to Death (vv. 5–11)
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Walking in Newness of Life (vv. 12–17)
During preparation I wrote half of a sermon on the first four verses, but I believe the Lord has something different for us this morning. We’ll spend most of our time in the specifics of each of the things Paul calls us to put off and put on. So I will try to summarize verses 1–4 more quickly than I had originally planned. Let’s go!
Christ, Our Life (Verses 1–4)
The last time we were together we heard about things that have the appearance of wisdom but are actually of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh (Colossians 2:23). What does have value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh, Paul? What can help us put our sin to death? He’s glad you asked.
Paul tells us to seek the things that are above, where Christ is, and to set our minds on things above. Paul isn’t calling us to simply think big thoughts, as if maybe, if we think about these heavenly things long enough, we might be inspired to live differently. Paul is not an idealist here, someone who represents things as they might or should be rather than as they really are. He is being a realist. We are being called to occupy our minds with heavenly things, but not so we can be inspired to something greater than we are but so that our eyes might be fixed on who we actually are, citizens of heaven whose lives are hidden with the crucified and risen Lord. Table Rock, we have the power to defeat sin because we are united by faith with the Christ who defeated sin. As death and sin no longer have dominion over him, it no longer has dominion over us who are in him. And we have the power through his Spirit to live in newness of life because we are united to the Christ who has risen from the grave, never to die again, and is reigning in a glorified body.
Without the power given to us through our union with the crucified, risen, and reigning Lord, we have no business trying to put our sin to death or to walk in new life. We would still be slaves to sin and without hope to stop the indulgence of our flesh. We have everything we need in him; it can’t be found anywhere else. Christ is absolutely supreme in this way. Jesus has given us new selves so that we might rid ourselves of all that is contrary to his nature and clothe ourselves with what represents him to each other and to the world. May this church be marked by our zeal to reflect Christ—who is our life—in all that we say, do, and desire.
Paul gives us two lists here. The first is a sort of diagnostic tool to help us identify strands of our old life we must put away, and the second as a sort of compass to guide all of our Christ-like life together as a church. I say compass because this list is not meant to be exhaustive. It is meant to give us all of the main ingredients or principles that will guide us in living like him in everything.
I pray that as we walk first through these things that God hates, that we would grieve rightly at that which we find still at work in ourselves. May we be honest, and may we go before him in repentance and confess our sins to one another that we may be healed. I pray that my inability to be exhaustive in dealing with each of these things Paul discusses will not keep any one of us from feeling a license to go on doing what we know we should not. Holy Spirit, shine a light on our hearts, that we might see them clearly. Amen.
Putting Sin to Death (Verses 5–11)
“Put to death therefore, [Table Rock], what is earthly in you; sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (Colossians 3:5 ESV)
Sexual immorality and Impurity
Sexual immorality and impurity are closely related, both dealing mainly with our sexuality, so I will take them together.
Brothers and sisters, do you use sex in an immoral or impure way? When I say you, I mean “we,” but I want us all to feel directly addressed in all of these things. Do you indulge in sexual activity, whether on your own or with someone else, outside the context God made it for, marriage between a man and woman? If you are married, do you mostly take and don’t give? Do you pursue sex solely for your own gain and without regard for how your spouse feels? Do you pursue sexual activity apart from your spouse?
Passion and Evil Desire
Rather than hating what is evil do you frequently have strong desires for dishonorable things, things which our Lord has condemned as evil? Remember, there were a lot of things the Pharisees never did outwardly, but they were rebuked by Jesus for things like their greed for dishonest gain, boasting in their performances, trampling on the weak and the poor, and enslaving people to human tradition out of a craving for superiority and control. Is your heart filled with desires such as these?
Covetousness, which is Idolatry
“And [Jesus] said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’” (Luke 12:15 ESV)
Do you crave and hoard possessions as though your abundance of possessions is where true life is found? Do you withhold resources from those who are in need? Do you take advantage of people, profiting off their misfortune or making things hard for others so that you can stay ahead? Do you crave power and adoration from men? Do you fight for control over friends, co-workers, family, spouses, or children?
Do you have desires that are so over-the-top for good things that you make them God things—things that you worship and preoccupy yourself with so much that God and his ways get pushed out of your life and mind? This is why Paul equates covetousness with idolatry here. He does so because of what Jesus says in Matthew 6:
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21 ESV)
Jesus ought to be your greatest treasure. He is the greatest treasure in the universe and every good gift comes from him. Do you exalt good things over the giver of those gifts, desiring the benefits of his kindness but having a cold heart toward him?
We’ll skip verse 6 for now and mention it at the end of this list.
“In these too you 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.” (Colossians 3:7–8 ESV)
Anger and Wrath
I will take these together since the word for wrath here focuses a little bit more on quick-temperedness or outbursts (more explosive forms of anger).
Are you slow to become angry? Do you cause others to fear how you will respond to them if they bring up hard things or even normal things?
Do you look to avenge yourself if you are wronged, or do you leave it to God who will judge everything perfectly?
When life is hard, do you take out your frustration on others—punishing them—whether you feel they deserve it or not?
Malice and Slander
Malice and slander go together in the sense that they consist of a desire to inflict harm on another person. Whereas slander deals mainly with speech that harms another’s reputation, malice is broader and includes physical or emotional attempts or desires to harm another person.
Do you say untrue things, or partially untrue things about others, whether in their presence or not, out of a desire to damage their reputation in the eyes of others? Do you find that you are quick to share with others something unsettling you heard about someone else without knowing much of the facts at all? And if you have what you believe to be true information about someone else—that is negative toward their reputation—do you share it with others who have no ability to help or aren’t helped in any way by you sharing it? What might be the reason you are sharing in these ways?
Are you violent with family members of friends that you are angry or frustrated with? Are you a hateful person?
Are you abusive to your children, your spouse, or others in your life, physically, emotionally, verbally, or spiritually?
Obscene talk from your mouth
I don’t want to debate about swearing here. But is your speech needlessly crude, so that it easily offends others or places images in your own or another’s mind that might encourage more impure thoughts? Do you participate in crude joking with friends? Do you talk about men or women in a way that objectifies them or sexualizes them? Is what comes out of your mouth, as Ephesians 4:29 says,
“good for building up, that it may give grace to those who hear?” (Ephesians 4:29 ESV)
“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.” (Colossians 3:9–11 ESV)
Do not lie to one another
Do you tell falsehoods or stretch the truth? Do you let your embarrassment about something you did disrupt your ability to be fully truthful to others? Do you stretch the truth to save face? Do you tell falsehoods in order to get others in trouble or to feel superior to others? Do you purposely mislead others? Do you seek to hide your sin?
Paul reminds us again, in verses 9–10, that we ought not do these things because we have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. He mentions in verse 10 that this new self is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. This is a reminder that these sinful behaviors are a departure from the image of God that he created us to display. But there is also good news here, we are reminded that God is committed to our sanctification; he is renewing us back into his image.
In verse 11, where Paul says here there is not Greek and Jew, I believe he is referring to the new self. So here, in the new self, there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
So I think lastly, this verse leads us to ask: do we think about or treat brothers and sisters of different ethnicities or backgrounds or socio-economic statuses in such a way that inhibits our quickness to embrace them? As a pastor named Sinclair Ferguson so helpfully put it, “Christians, in their new selves, ought to say, If Christ is not ashamed to indwell them, I will not be slow to embrace them.” Do we dehumanize any group of people, thinking of them as inferior to others?
The Wrath of God is Coming
Now we take up verse 6.
“On account of these things the wrath of God is coming.” (Colossians 3:6 ESV)
Friends, Paul intends to shake us awake and remind us that the king of the universe is angered by these things. They destroy the things that he loves. His just wrath will come to punish those who deface his image in these ways. Scripture is clear, such as 1 Peter 4:17, that even believers will face a sort of judgment for their wrongdoing, though thanks be to God that for those who have repented from their sin and trust in Christ’s saving work this judgment will not be lasting.
But Paul has a more severe warning for those who will not repent of their sin.
“Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10 ESV)
Here Paul is talking about those who do not grieve their sin and will not turn away from it despite what our king says.
Friends, Christ has so decisively transformed those who repent and believe in him that to consistently, willingly remain in the ways of our old selves is impossible. So let us show we are in him by fighting to put these things away. May we not seek to have Christ and our favorite sin. If we repent of our sin, he will be faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That will be true for any of you if up to this point you have refused to repent from sin in your life. Repentance is more than feeling sorry or sad, though this is extremely appropriate. Repentance is also a turning away, a leaving behind. May we commit to helping one another do this.
Putting on the New Life (Verse 12–17)
Finally, we’ve come to the things that smell like Christ. Our new life is mainly about the glorious privilege of putting on the life and mind of the Christ we worship. As we walk through these things, may we be reminded that Christ has built his church right here and he calls us, Table Rock Church, to interact with one another in these ways as we live out his purposes among one another and the world around us. Just as he has purchased for us the ability through his Spirit to put sin to death, he has purchased for us the ability to walk with the same humility, love, and grace toward each other that he has shown us. May we pursue this life together out of the joy of knowing that he has chosen us, Table Rock. We are dearly loved by the king of the universe; we are set-apart children. As we consider these fruits of the new life, may we see in them the Christ that we love and long to live like him with one another.
The first thing God calls us to put on is compassionate hearts.
Compassionate Hearts
1 John 3:17 captures this perfectly.
“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart (or compassion, same word) against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17 ESV)
So John connects compassion directly with the character of God and calls us to show the family resemblance. So, Table Rock, will we have hearts, like Jesus, that are affected by the need of one another? What needs do others have in this community? If we know about their needs, are our hearts stirred to respond? What might that look like?
Kindness
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” (Luke 6:35 ESV)
We will be sons and daughters of the Most High when we are kind like the Most High. Family resemblance. This passage reminds us that true kindness is not partial toward one person or another. It is a disposition of our hearts that flows out toward people whether or not we think they deserve it. In Titus 3 we’re reminded of the kindness Jesus showed us, his enemies, who were once foolish and disobedient.
“When the goodness, and loving-kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.” (Titus 3:4–5 ESV)
So the question is, will we have hearts like Christ that show kindness even to those who have wronged us or who we might feel are inconvenient to show kindness to? Will we be like Christ who was so often interrupted by people but instead of getting agitated by their distractions he responded with warmth and showed kindness to them?
Humility
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3–4 ESV)
So the opposite of humility is selfish ambition and conceit, which basically means being consumed with our image and with what benefits us. We are being called here to look like Jesus, who, though he was God, came to earth in the form of a servant, working for our good, for our greatest joy. Will we look like Jesus in our relationships with one another, counting others more significant than ourselves and often showing one another we care about each other’s interests? Who are we willing to spend time with? Will we ever consider ourselves too good for engaging with someone else? Jesus didn’t.
Meekness (Gentleness)
We’re taught to correct our opponents with meekness or gentleness in 2 Timothy 2. We’re taught in Galatians 6 to restore those who are caught in sin with a spirit of gentleness. We’re taught to receive the Word of God with meekness in James chapter 1. A near opposite of meekness is being contentious, having a quarrelsome nature coming from pride or impatience. Meekness does not mean you should not correct your opponents or even that you should not be firm, but it does mean correcting in a way that displays the truth that if the Spirit of Christ had not opened your own heart, you would be just as blind as the person you’re trying to correct. So meekness is a lot like humility. Similarly, when we are confronted with the Word of God, may our demeanor toward it be one of humble deference, showing that we don’t think we’re above it but that it truly has authority over us and is a help for us.
Patience
Paul himself was an extraordinary recipient of the perfect patience of Jesus. He says so in 1 Timothy 1.
“Formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent...But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost [of sinners], Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:13,16 ESV)
Paul is claiming that the depth of his sinfulness testifies to the depth of Christ’s patience. Paul knows that without Christ’s patience, he would have been destroyed, and he would have deserved it. Will we reflect the patience of Christ with one another, with our families, with our co-workers, with our friends? For patience to be exhibited, there usually is something testing our patience. Do you lean on the example of Christ to help you keep from being quickly irritated when things don’t go your way? If we cherish the patience Christ has shown us, let us cherish our ability to exhibit the same to one another.
Bearing with one another and Forgiving one another
These two actions are a sort of offshoot from patience. Those who are patient will display their patience in these two ways. First, they will bear with one another or endure one another. As we live life together, there will be some things about one another that grind our gears a little bit. There will be times we might get tired of a certain thing someone does or says. Do we let these things completely define how we see one another and how we treat each other? Will we purposely avoid those who bug us a little bit? And then there will be times where we are sinned against by another brother or sister here. Will we resent one another and allow bitterness to fester in our hearts, or will we forgive each other and seek reconciliation quickly? Paul repeats himself here for emphasis in verse 13.
“As the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.” (Colossians 3:13 ESV)
Jesus takes this incredibly seriously. In Matthew 6 Jesus says,
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14–15 ESV)
When we forgive those who have wronged us within this community of believers and outside, we bear witness to the life transforming work of the Christ who forgave us. If we truly love his forgiveness and do not take it for granted, we will forgive. If we refuse to forgive, we are guilty of hypocrisy, refusing to do for others what Jesus willingly did for us and we gladly received.
Love
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:14 ESV)
Paul is probably saying here that love is the driving force behind each of these things we just covered. If we do not have love for one another, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness will not characterize our relationships with one another. Let’s just take one of these for example. Bearing with one another. How many of you enjoy feeling like someone merely endures you or tolerates you? If love is the dominant demeanor of our hearts toward one another, then frustrating things we encounter from one another won’t capsize our relationship. If we are the children of a God whose love caused him to send his son to his death so that we would be reconciled to him, we will show our family resemblance by loving one another in such a way that our habits and even our offenses against one another will not destroy our relationships.
Peace of Christ
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” (Colossians 3:15 ESV)
This basically means that peace ought to be the umpire or arbitrator in our relationships. An arbitrator is someone appointed to settle a dispute. So Paul is saying peace shall settle any disputes in your hearts toward one another.
In a world filled with divisions and hostility, the church will be a place where dividing walls of hostility are broken down, where different kinds of people are made into one new man, where nobody is a stranger or alien but is a fellow citizen with the rest, all members of the household of God. There ought to be no divisions here. Jesus Christ, who himself is our peace, has purchased this for us. It’s a beautiful thing.
The Word of Christ
“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.” (Colossians 3:16 ESV)
As the word of Christ dwells in us richly, we will know him more fully, love him more deeply, and resemble him more closely. “The Word of Christ” probably means the teaching about Christ, perhaps specifically the gospel of Jesus Christ—his death and resurrection for the salvation of sinners. May this gospel dwell in us richly. May it be the guiding principle behind our gathering and our relationships. May our gathering be “gospel-shaped” as it were.
Paul provides two main ways to make that happen in verse 16. One is teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom. Teaching is the positive form of instructing one another. Admonishing is the negative form of instruction, warning each other away from things that are contrary to the gospel. This is done from the pulpit, but it is also done by each one of us as we get deeper into one another’s lives so that we have an up close and personal view of how the gospel relates to what we are encountering in our day to day lives.
The second way Paul suggests the word of Christ ought to dwell in us richly is through singing—singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs—with thankfulness in our hearts to God. I don’t have time to talk through this extensively but one of the reasons our congregational singing is set up the way it is is so that we can rehearse this gospel that Paul says should dwell in us richly. I hope to talk about this more in the future. Today is not that day.
Whatever You Do
And so we’ve made it to the last verse, a good summary of all that we have covered this morning and what we have not covered.
“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 3:17 ESV)
I hope it has been clear that what is at stake in all of our putting off and putting on of these things is the reputation of Christ. We are a community of believers who claim to follow him. So whatever we say and do, may we be able to faithfully represent him as we do so. Everything we do says something to each other and the world about who he is. And let us be thankful, knowing that it is because of Christ that we have a Father in heaven who dearly loves us, and it is because of Christ that we can live the lives we now live, set apart for his glorious purposes.
As we prepare for communion, I want to remind us of verse 3. Christ went to the cross for us so that we might be hidden with him, safe and secure from all the wrath we deserve for our many sins and set apart as those who, though living on earth, are citizens in heaven. And if any are discouraged this morning by sin they see in their hearts, know that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.
If you have not yet trusted in Christ, out of love for you I want to remind you that his wrath is coming for all the sin you’ve committed against him, and his just punishment will be eternal for those who do not repent. Turn to Christ!
His body was broken for us and his blood poured out for us, so that those who trust in him are safe and secure from all alarms, as the hymn says, safe from the eternal judgment that we deserve and made citizens of a kingdom that cannot be shaken.