团契与门徒训练

Being Transformed into Christ's Likeness (Col 3:1~17)

2017.06.25Jacob Jeon

You have died and been raised with Christ, so you must put off the old self and put on love, peace, and the word of Christ, so that Christ himself is seen in your life.

Raised with Christ, you must first die with him (1-4)

The passage is Colossians 3:1-4, where Paul says that if you have been raised with Christ, you should seek the things above, where Christ is. Many of us remember that Christ died for us but forget that we too must die before we can be raised with him. Our sins and our old self died on the cross with Jesus, and so we should live as those who have died and been raised. Being a Christian means living a life worthy of Christ, who owns our lives. To set your mind on things above is to set your mind on Jesus Christ. Those who have been forgiven through him cannot remain the same as before. If the Christian life looks no different from the world's, there is no difference in becoming a Christian at all.

Put to death the old self, its desires, and its words (5-9)

Paul tells us to put to death what is earthly in us: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. A dead body does nothing, feels nothing, and says nothing, so living as if we were not dead is cheating on God. Like a husband whose mind keeps going back to a former love, a Christian whose heart is still attached to the world's habits is unfaithful to God, even while worshiping. Our standard is not only whether an action is morally right, but whether it seeks Jesus Christ. Our anger must also be controlled by Christ, so that we grieve over the persecution of the church, such as the 15,000 North Korean Christians killed in the last fifty years, rather than over small personal inconveniences. We must also put off lies, cursing, and abusive speech, because language shows whose kingdom we belong to.

Put on love, peace, and the word of Christ (12-17)

Paul tells us to put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, and above all, love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-14 is similar to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, where love is described in the same way. The love of Christ forms the church and makes the kingdom of God visible on earth. Next, the peace of Christ must rule in our hearts, and as one body we submit to his lordship and show the world that Jesus is King. Finally, the word of Christ must dwell richly in us, and it produces teaching, admonishing, singing, and thanksgiving, which is worship. Whatever we do in word or deed, we should do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, so that people see Christ in us.

Let Christ live in us and shine through us

Being transformed into Christ's likeness means more than acting like a Christian. We must have Jesus truly living in us, so that what people see, feel, think, and say is what Jesus does, feels, thinks, and says. Without Christ we are nothing, and only when we acknowledge that we are raised with him do we live a life that glorifies God. The question left to us is how Christ is doing in our hearts, whether we are letting him speak, feel, and act in us, or whether we are going back to our old self and doing whatever we want.

Apply to Life

  • Let us set our minds on Christ, not on earthly things, and check whether each of our actions seeks him.
  • Let us put to death the old habits and desires of the world that keep us attached to our former life.
  • Let us let the anger in our hearts be governed by Christ, and let us grieve over the persecution of the church.
  • Let us put off lies, cursing, and abusive words, and speak the language of the kingdom of God.
  • Let us put on love, peace, and the word of Christ, and let Christ be seen in whatever we do in word or deed.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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