Made Holy

 

“If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”

Colossians 2:20-23 ESV

 

Our sinful nature controls us, prior to our salvation. It dictates everything that we think, say, and do. However, our struggle with our sinful nature does not end when we come to faith in Christ. It persists even then.

 

Quite often, people tell us, there’s something we can do to gain control of the desires of the flesh. And we easily fall into this mindset. We fall into it because it speaks to the natural tendency of our old nature. It feeds into the idea that there is something we can do to save ourselves and to become holy.

 

For this reason, like the Colossians, we begin to submit to these human teachings and rituals. We submit to various rules, dealing with the things of this world, thinking that they will help. And we do so because they have the appearance of wisdom. We do so because those sharing these teachings seem very convincing.

 

We fail to realize what Paul is communicating in the above verses. We fail to realize that we died to these principles, to these spirits, in Christ. And, because we have died, they no longer apply to us. They have served their purpose.

 

We fail to realize that the things of this world, addressed by these rules, perish as they are used. In other words, they are temporary in nature, and not eternal. Therefore, they can do nothing to help us when it comes to the eternal.

 

We fail to realize that, although these principles have the appearance of wisdom, they promote a self-made religion, asceticism (extreme self-denial), and severity to the body. In other words, it is not from God. It’s not consistent with the faith taught by God in Scripture.

 

And, finally, we fail to realize that these principles are of no use in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. They do absolutely nothing when it comes to overcoming sin. They do nothing when it comes to restraining sin in our life.

 

This isn’t meant to discourage us, as we long to overcome our sinful nature and our struggle with our specific sinful tendencies. Nor is it meant to drive us to despair. However, if this is to happen, we must look not to ourselves. We must look only to Christ.

 

We must do so because, just as we can contribute nothing when it comes to our salvation, neither can we contribute anything to our sanctification. As we are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus, so are we made holy. This is wholly the work of God.

 

Please don’t misunderstand what I’m trying to say. I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t resist the desires of the flesh, nor am I saying that we shouldn’t strive to live according to the Word of God. We must do so with the grace and strength that God provides. And, as we continue to fail, we must live a life of ongoing repentance and faith.

 

When we fail, we’re to confess our sins to the Lord. We’re to recognize our sin for what it is, rejecting it and turning away from it. And we must ask God to forgive us and to strengthen us, that we might live according to his will.

 

As we look to him, he will work in our life. As we trust in him, he will transform our heart. And as we believe in him, he will make us holy.

Do Not Be Judged

 “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”

(Colossians 2:16-19 ESV)

If there’s one accusation that’s routinely lobbed against the church, it’s that we’re judgmental. And, while this accusation is sometimes false, while it’s often thrown out in response to our belief in the truth of God’s Word, it can also be very true. And it most often plays itself out among our fellow church members.

In fact, Christians can be more judgmental toward one another than we are toward anyone else. We judge one another’s faithfulness based not on clear matters of right and wrong. We do so based upon issues that aren’t even addressed in Scripture. And we judge one another based upon ideas that we read into Scripture. 

In the above passage, Paul tells the Colossians that they’re to let no one pass judgment on them in questions of food and drink, a festival, a new moon, or a Sabbath. While it’s possible that some of these customs had Gentile roots, it seems that most of them flowed from the ceremonial law that was observed by the Jews. And this would be consistent with the struggle we observe in other New Testament churches as well.

The Jews observed laws that stated which foods were clean and which were not. In short, they were forbidden to eat certain things. They had various festivals that they were required to observe, in remembrance of God’s deliverance and provision. And they had all kinds of laws that defined what they could and couldn’t do on the Sabbath day.

However, the Colossians were to allow no one to judge them in such matters.  And they weren’t to do so because these were a shadow of the things to come. They weren’t to do so because the substance was found in Christ.

Paul was telling them that all of these ceremonial practices and principles merely pointed the people to Christ. They had revealed to the people, in Old Testament times, that the Christ was coming and what he was to accomplish. And, for this reason, they’d been fulfilled in Jesus.

In other words, they would not be saved by following them. They were not the means by which the people received God’s blessing. All of this was received only in Jesus.

Paul also said that they were to let no one disqualify them, insisting on asceticism, which is a strict self-denial, or the worship of angels. The source of this teaching was not Christ, but the prideful and sensual minds of those who brought it. And it couldn’t contribute in any way to their growth in Christ.

This tells us that, as believers, we’re not to allow others to judge us in these ways. Nor are we to let them lead us astray. We must not do so because it’s in Christ alone that we are saved.

Dead or Alive?

 “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

(Colossians 2:13-15 ESV)

Most of us have been to a funeral. In fact, most of us have been to several. And, for this reason, it’s safe to say that we’ve seen a corpse. We’ve seen someone who is dead.

More often than not, we see such a person at the visitation, prior to the funeral. Or, we see them before the casket is closed at the funeral itself. And one thing we know is that, when a person is dead, he’s dead.

Although we’ve seen horror movies where the dead come out of their casket and terrorize the living, we know that this isn’t reality. We know that a person who is dead is incapable of doing anything. They’re incapable because there is no life in them.

This is the image we need to have in mind as we consider the gospel. It’s this image that we need to have in mind as we read the words of Paul, above. He begins by referring to our natural state. He refers to the condition that results from our sin. And he tells us that we were dead in our tresspasses and the uncircumcision of our flesh.

What this tells us is that we could do nothing. We could do nothing about our condition. And we could do nothing to save ourselves from it. We were absolutely helpless. 

Most of us tend to struggle with this truth, when it comes to our spiritual state. We want to believe that we can do something to help ourselves. We want to believe there’s something we can do to save ourselves or, at the very least, to contribute to our salvation. However, as long as we’re in this mindset, we’re unable to receive the blessing that Jesus has provided for us.

Paul speaks of this in the following words. And he makes clear to us that he’s done everything necessary to save us from our deserved fate. He’s done everything necessary to rescue us from death.

He tells us that God has made us alive together with Christ. He’s done so by forgiving us of our trespasses, and by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. And he’s done so, he’s set them aside, by nailing them to the cross.

Death is the penalty of sin. And because the penalty of our sin was paid by Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross, we’ve been released from this fate. Because our sin is no longer counted against us, we are no longer subject to its penalty.

In this way, also, he’s disarmed the rulers and authorities, putting them to shame. He’s triumphed over them. They no longer have anything that they can hold over our head. And, for this reason,we have been freed from their authority and condemnation.

Our faith, then, cannot be in ourselves. It cannot be in our goodness or efforts. And, if it is, we are forever lost. We must, rather, trust in Christ alone and the sacrifice he offered on our behalf. We must do so because it’s in this way, and only in this way, that we are saved.

Always Thankful

 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

 

It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is almost upon us. This year has, in a sense, rushed by rather quickly. But, in other ways, it seems that it’s drug on and on and on.

 

Even though I see them approaching on the calendar, I don’t find myself quite ready for them. I don’t yet have a sense of excitement for the celebrations that are to come.  I don’t find myself yet in the spirit of Thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

This is partly due to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. After all, this year has been anything but normal. It’s been one of difficulty. It’s been one of hardship. And, for this reason, we’d rather that it just came to end.

 

Difficulties, of course, are completely normal. Because we live in a world of sin, because we live among a sinful people, and because we ourselves are sinful, our lives are full of hardships. And there’s no way to keep ourselves from them. They are simply the reality in which we live.

 

Yet, even though they are normal, and even though they are to be expected, they can also leave us in a state of discouragement, frustration, and despair. They affect our attitude. They affect our mood. They even affect our faith.

 

When this takes hold of us, we’re told by multiple sources that we’re to focus on the positive rather than the negative. We hear this from mental health experts. We hear this from counselors. We hear this from our religious leaders. And, although he doesn’t state it in this way, the apostle Paul says something very similar.

 

In the above passage, he encourages his readers to rejoice always. And because we’re to do this always, this is something that we’re to do not only when we feel like it. It’s something we’re to do even when our circumstances do not seem like a cause to rejoice.

 

He tells us to pray without ceasing. This means that we’re to never stop praying. We are to pray often. We’re to pray regularly. In fact, we’re to be in a continual state of prayer as we live in a constant state of dependence upon God and trust in him. We’re to do so even when we don’t feel like praying. We’re to do so even when it doesn’t seem that he’s working for our blessing.

 

We’re told to give thanks in all circumstances. And, again, because he tells us to do so in all circumstances, this means that we’re to give thanks even when we don’t feel like it. It means that we’re to give thanks even when we don’t feel all that thankful. It means that we’re to do so even when our circumstances don’t give us reason for thanksgiving.

 

This, Paul says, is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. In other words, because of Jesus, and because of the hope we have in him, this is what God desires of us. He wants these practices to be a part of our everyday life.

 

Although we might say that this is easier said than done, and although we might find it easier to grumble and complain, we do have good reason to rejoice, to pray, and to give thanks. We have good reason because, in Jesus, God has provided us with everything we need that we might experience his blessing. He’s provided for us everything necessary that we might receive his forgiveness and salvation.

 

As we, then, approach the holidays, may we keep this in mind. Regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, we have received God’s blessings. Regardless of the difficulties we’re facing, we’re living in God’s blessing. This has been provided for us in Jesus, and it gives to us every reason to rejoice, to pray, and to offer up our thanksgiving.