While in prison in Rome, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church in Colossae, in our Bible’s we call it the book of Colossians. Context is important, let me give you four reasons Paul wrote this letter. First, to fortify the church against false teachers who were trying to impose strict rules about eating and drinking and religious festivals. Secondly, to show the superiority of Jesus Christ over every human philosophy and tradition. Thirdly, to demonstrate how a Christian family should conduct themselves. And lastly, to explain the right way of living as a new creation while in a world full of sin, which is what I want to briefly summarize for you this blog. I want to give you five ways to live as a new creation in a world full of sin.
First, living as a new creation in a world full of sin requires that we set our eyes and our minds on our eternal future, not on the present. Paul said in Col. 3:1-2, “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.” In other words, assuming you are saved & following Jesus, set your sights on the realities of heaven and think about the things of heaven, rather than setting your sights on realities of earth, and thinking about the things of this world. The reason you should set your sights on the realities of heaven and not on the realities of earth, and the reason you should think about the things of heaven opposed to the things of this planet, is because you died to this life, and your real life is now hidden with Jesus Christ. For Paul said in Col. 3:3, “you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Secondly, living as a new creation in a world full of sin requires that we kill everything in us that is of this planet. Paul said in Col. 3:5, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” He says again in Col. 3:8-10, “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.” As a new creation, we are to kill every earthly passion that lurks within us. We are to have nothing to do with the person we used to be. We are to strive daily, with the help of the Spirit, to get rid of everything worldly that abides in us: lying, dirty language, anger, rage, malicious behavior, sexual immorality, lust, greed, covetousness, and evil desires. And the reason Paul gives for killing our flesh is because, according to Col. 3:6, “on account of these the wrath of God is coming.” In other words, on account of these sinful, earthly things, the anger of God is coming, and if you do not wish to be subject to it, kill your flesh, kill your sin nature, and put to death everything that is sinful inside you.
Thirdly, living as a new creation in a world full of sin requires that we live holy, pure, and set apart. Paul said in Col. 3:12-15, “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.” If we are going to live as new creatures in a sinful world then, we must be people who are thankful, tenderhearted, merciful, kind, humble, gentle, patient, peaceful, and we must be willing to forgive everyone, without condition, and without limit, just as God has forgiven us through Jesus Christ. But above all these, what binds all these things together is that we clothe ourselves with the love of God. Without the love of God in us, conducting ourselves according to these things will be difficult and impossible.
Fourthly, living as a new creation in a world full of sin requires that we abide in the Word of God. Paul said in Co. 3:16, “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.” Living as a new creation in a fallen world is impossible, if we do not abide in the Word of God. If we are going to live as a new creation in a world full of sin we must let the message of Jesus Christ, in all of its richness, fill our lives. In turn, as the Word of Jesus dwells richly in us, we can encourage other followers as they seek to live as a new creation abiding in a sin-filled, fallen world.
Lastly, living as a new creation in a world full of sin requires that we do nothing for the glory of ourselves. Paul said in Col. 3:17, “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.” As old creations, we pridefully represented ourselves; we existed to exalt us. But as new creations we do not represent ourselves, we represent Christ Jesus. We are to exemplify Jesus, embody Jesus, imitate Jesus, impersonate Jesus, and boldly speak the message that Jesus spoke. We no longer exist to exalt ourselves, but as new creations we exist to exalt Jesus, make Him known, and share His message of hope and salvation.