An Identity Change

Hello friends.

I hope you are keeping warm in this cold weather and that you have not caught a cold, the flu or COVID-19. If you have, you will understand how bored one can get when sick at home. It isn't great, but your body needs time to recuperate and rest. It'll be over in no time. Until then, you can read this blog post YAY.

I also hope you are enjoying the book of Colossians. I have to say I feel like I've gotten a lot out of this short book. I can see God's word shaping the decisions I make and my prayers. It's kind of cool to see this happen.

Let's continue reading Colossians 3.

Colossians 3

3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

¹⁸ Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

²⁰ Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

²¹ Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ²⁵ Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

Okay, so I realised that I skipped over a significant portion of Colossians 2 (the hardest bit, really), but it be like that sometimes. Sometimes a part of a chapter will stand out to you more than the rest, and that's okay! But for those who feel a little jipped, let me reassure you that I will address it eventually.

For today's passage, my biggest tip for you would be to:

Tip #4: Look at the flow of the passage

To help understand the structure of the argument, you can break the passage into chunks and look at the connective words (e.g. before, after, then, since and therefore). Paul will usually support his main points with examples and reasons, making him a great lawyer in another lifetime.

I've broken up this passage into different sections - three truths, three commands and two sections that feel out of place to me.

Three truths

These are the three truths that Paul reminds the people of:

1. ...you have been raised with Christ (v 1)
2. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Then Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (v 3-4)
3. ...you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all (v 9-11)

All these three truths come back to this question of identity. Who are you? This question is important because, for Paul, it seems like your identity is synonymous with how you live.

These three truths remind the believer of the change of identity that occurs when they accept Christ into their life. Paul reminds them that they have died with Christ and have been raised with Him. As people who have new identities, they no longer look at their differences (their race, culture or position) but instead look at Christ, who unites them as one.

Three commands

As Paul urges them to remember their identities, he also gives them three commands on how to live as God's people:

1. ...set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (v 1-2)
2. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry...But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. (v 5, 8)
3. ...clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (v 12-14)

As I read this passage, I thought about what it looks like to 'set your heart on things above'. As you grow older, you tend to have more responsibilities, more people to look after, and more bills to pay. You tend to worry more about money - how to make more of it, which decisions are better investments and how to spend less of it. You also think more about your priorities and how you want to spend your time. You cut out things you don't enjoy, people you don't like and things that waste your time. While none of these things is inherently wrong (except for maybe, cutting out people you don't like), they propagate the idea that life is all about money or all about you.

This passage challenges that perspective, the lens through which you look at your life. If you have died with Christ and risen with Him, your life is not about being financially free, buying property and retiring young. It's not about having the most experiences and living your best life. It's not even about finding 'the one' to spend the rest of your life.

It's about setting your heart on eternity. Life is seen through the lens of the gospel, remembering that it is by grace you have been saved. You understand this life will eventually pass, and your future is secure with God. You realise that not everyone around you will share this secure future, and you do everything to let them know. When your heart is set on the things above, everything you do points to this reality. Consider what your heart is set on and whether it is on the things above.

Two sections that feel out of place

1. Initially, I thought v 15-17 felt a little out of place:

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

After re-reading it, I think Paul elaborates on what it looks like to live with a new identity. The peace of Christ characterises your attitude, the message of Christ dwells among you, and everything you do is for Jesus' glory.

2. So v 18-25 also feel out of place, and um I can't say I know how it all fits together, but it's there, so it must be important. I just haven't figured it out yet, and that is okay. We'll get back to that eventually.