In the book of Colossians, I want to bring your attention to one of my favorite chapters in the New Testament. Colossians 3, where we see instructions to the disciple on pursuing Holy Living. There are some keywords in the text that will help each of us in our focus, attention, and details to pursuing God and His Holiness.
First, we see where it all begins and comes from: If we are saved, that is, if we have been raised with Christ, then first we need to seek God. We need to seek the things that are above where Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of the Father. Next, we have to set our minds on those things above, not on the things that are on earth. This reinforces the disciple to the text of Romans 12, where we are told to renew our minds - a kingdom mind.
Now that we are seeking and setting (Kingdom perspective). We are now called to put to death what is earthly in us: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness (which is idolatry). The importance of this is that we once walked in this or were guilty of this in our old self (our old sin nature). We must put them all away (any form or behavior of the “old sin nature”): anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from our mouth. This results in a call for us to be truth-tellers, not to lie to each other. We know that Jesus is the truth, the way and the life. We also know that this truth, the ultimate truth, will set us free.
After this, we are called to dress ourselves accordingly. Put on the, 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 us, so we must also forgive. Above all, these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
This results in letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, to which indeed we were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in us 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 we do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
When we strive, as disciples, to live a life worthy of Jesus Christ, it doesn’t mean that we have arrived or that we can by any means do what Jesus Christ has done for us - laid his life down for us. Jesus is the only way to Heaven. There is no work, no measure, no bar, and no standard by which we can achieve these things. The price that Jesus paid comes at a cost to us - to submit and obey his commands. We need to change our mindset to that of the old sin nature and to be the new creation that we find as sons and daughters adopted into his family. When we start to understand this mindset, we know that we will never be perfect; we will never arrive to that place of holy living that Colossians calls us to. Rather, we realize that death no longer owns us. Sin no longer defines us as enemies of God. Instead, we are a new creation adopted into his family through the propitiation of Jesus’ finishing work on the cross. When scripture says that what Jesus has done, scripture means - IT IS FINISHED.
So what do we have to do? Change our mindset, change the excuses of what we used to be defined by our lawlessness. In other words, Esse Quam Videri - To Be Rather Than To Seem. Instead of trying to do a works-based faith, just be. Instead of trying to be a living hypocrite (we still sin), just be. Instead of be fake, be real and vulnerable and transparent with others. This is the process of sanctification that we are called to live in.
Esse Quam Videri - To be, rather than to seem!!!
Ready, Set, Go!!!
