Sunday, November 1, 2020

Colossians 3:1 Raised with Christ

Christianity is different from all the other religions of the world.

I know when I say that that a lot of Christians will insist that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship.

But the word ‘religion’ can rightly be used to describe this whole system of belief about God.  All the teachings about God, life, human beings that make up Christianity is the Christian religion. 

But what makes Christianity unique among all the world religions is that very point, but even that point isn’t enough.

Christianity is not merely that we now have a relationship with God.

We are united with God in ways other religions can only dream about.

In ways we humans do not fully understand, we died with Christ (Colossians 2:20) and we were raised with Christ (Colossians 3:1).  All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, and we are being made full in Christ. (Colossians 3:10)

We don’t know all that means, but our lives are no longer ordinary and insignificant.  We are in some unimaginable way partakers of the Living God, the creator of the world and life.  Our lives are now hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). 

So Paul says that we are to seek things above, where Christ is.  (Colossians 3:1)

But what does that look like?

First of all, don’t let your lives be run by your passions, especially covetousness.  Always wanting things, and more things, and things that belong to other people.  (Colossians 3:5-7)

Then, as people chosen and valued by God (Lit. loved by God), put on compassion, kindness, humility, patience, all things that have to do with how we relate to other people.  And then he caps it off by saying ‘love,’ like it’s the sum total of the whole thing (Colossians 3:12-15).

Why is this so important? 

Life is full of things.  People are not things.  If a person is a Christian, they too have died and were raised with Christ and are being made full in Him.  People who are not Christians are people for whom Christ died that they too might be made full in Him. 

So don’t let things or your passions run your life.  See the bigger picture.  Value the things that God values, which are not things at all, but fellow-creatures made in the image of God.

There’s a lot more here, but life is learned one step at a time.

 

 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment