Colossians 3:1-11
Thursday, 28 December 2023
“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” -Colossians 3:10 [NLT]
Guidelines for godly living in line with our identity in Christ are given in our text today. Paul begins with “if you have been raised up with Christ…” What does it mean? To be raised up with Christ, we should first have died with Christ. Through baptism we declare that the old sinful man in us is dead and buried with Christ and we have been raised up to newness of life in Christ (Romans 6:3-5 & Colossians 2:12). It is only by being one with Christ in His death that we can be united with Christ in His resurrection. This is the very essence of our Christian faith.
Our very identity as children of God is hidden with Christ in God. We have been justified, redeemed and sanctified and our daily living should reflect our new status in Christ. The very hope of sharing in the glory of Christ in His Second Coming should motivate us to abandon all sinfulness and live for God. Our new identity in Christ calls for a few actions from us:
Seek Heavenly Realities (Vs 1-2): “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21). Is your heart focused on the eternal heavenly treasure or is your thought lost in the temporal wealth and pleasures that the world offers? Matthew 6:33 says “Seek first the kingdom of God!” As one joined with Christ, we are to be heavenly focused - desiring to have the mind of Christ, seeking a daily deeper relationship with our Heavenly Father, living a holy life that pleases God. As we seek God and His desires, let us “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14)
Put to Death the Old Self (Vs 5-9): The attributes of the old sinful man born of Adam are listed in Colossians 3:5-9 like anger, malice, filthy language, covetousness, etc. They are traits of our old fallen condition, before accepting Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Do we still indulge in some of those traits and in the ways of the world? If you do, confess it today! Ask the Lord to cleanse you and strengthen you with His Holy Spirit to overcome every sinful habit.
Put on the New Self (Vs 10-11): In Christ, we are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). This regenerated and renewed nature is created in the image of God, in righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:24). The new nature portrays a “heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” bound by love (Col. 3:12&14). As we put on the new self created in Christ Jesus and mature in the knowledge of our Creator, the Holy Spirit will continue to renew us, transforming us to be more like Him daily. That takes a willful decision and action from our side, day by day to develop Christ-likeness.
As we stand at the threshold of a new year, can we pause to evaluate our Christian walk in the year passing by? Have we at times been worldly-minded, straying from our identity in Christ Jesus? Come back to the focus of Christ and His goals for you. Remind yourself continually of the saying by Oswald Chambers: “Remember whose you are and whom you serve.” Let us spend some time in prayer as we renew our identity in Christ!
Prayer: Father God, forgive my backsliding. Strengthen me by thy Holy Spirit to put to death every sinful habit and to embrace the new nature that transforms me daily into the image of Your Son. In Jesus’ name. Amen
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