Weekly Devotional 9-16-13 Living in Newness of Life
Colossians 3:1-3 ( NKJV ) “1If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
The tense of Paul’s words, “raised with Christ” is the past tense and denotes a single completed action indorsing the truth that salvation was a finished work, that nothing else needed to be done nor could have been done. The “born again” Colossian was a saved person and had already been made a citizen of heaven. Because of that citizenship, Paul encouraged the Colossian Christian to focus on the things of heaven, not on the things of earth. This of course is true for all “born again” persons.
“For you died” goes along with the idea of being born again. That is, being set apart from the old nature of the flesh to a new spiritual nature that has been created in Jesus Christ. When a person is thus transformed, according to the Holy Spirit who inspired Paul, he (or she) is to put to death those things that the old nature fixates upon, i.e. “fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry, also; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language and dishonesty.” Because the Colossian believers had been spiritually born again their fixation was to be on the things of heaven and what the knowledge of Christ would produce in them. (See Colossians 3:5-10).
Paul wrote, “12Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:12-17).
The new life that the Colossians had entered into was the work of God the Holy Spirit (John 3:1-8), but living according to that new life was not automatic, thus Paul’s encouragement. They were to put off the old man and put on the new man.
In another letter (his letter to the Ephesians) Paul wrote, “17This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.20But you have not so learned Christ, 21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:17-24 NKJV).
Paul writes that we who have been born again are no longer to walk as the unsaved walk (vs.17), but are to walk in the knowledge of Christ. What a blessing it would be if Christ were to return today and find you, find me, living in newness of life.
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power / The Work of God on Behalf of Man