Practicing Justice

Practicing Justice

Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Colossians 3:5-17

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ¹¹ Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

¹² Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

          In verses 1 – 4, prior to our lesson today, Paul is telling the Colossians, if you have been raised with Christ, then seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.

          In Colossians 2, he had been telling them that man-made religion appears to be wise, but has no value against fleshly indulgence. Their dependence should be on a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The believer’s life is a life risen with Christ.

          Our modern world has as strange an idea about heavenly deities as did the early men and women.  I’m reminded of the woman who claimed the world rested on the back of a gigantic turtle, which then stood on the back of an elephant.  When asked what the elephant was standing on, she replied, “Oh no you don’t, it’s turtles and elephants, all the way down.”

          Well, if those of us who believe the world is still where God created it, are then risen with Christ, we are a product of dual citizenship. The things on earth will fade away, but the things above are eternal. Now is the time to seek, pursue, search for, and desire those things which are not earthly, but are above. Christ sits in the seat of authority on the right hand of God, so being raised from the dead, in Him then we conquer death, and are raised to new life because of being in Him.

          Then in verse 4, Paul tells them that Christ is now our life, and He gives us power to help us live; and He gives us hope for the future. This is where our real lives are lived—through Him.  And one day, Christ will be returning to earth. And if you are a Christian, whether your body died or was "raptured", you will return with Him. You will be revealed in glory, even as He is.

          So that lays the groundwork for today’s lesson…..

3:5  Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

          We’re talking here about sins of the body and its members:

          · Put them to death quickly.

          · Fornication: illicit sexual intercourse between unmarried partners; similar to, but not identical with adultery.

          · Uncleanness: impurity in thought and speech, dirty mindedness, indecency.

          · Inordinate affection: depraved passion, uncontrolled lust, an evil desire.

          · Evil desires, strong sexual desires; wicked craving and sensualness beyond natural expression.

          · Covetousness: greedy desire to have more; entire disregard for the rights of others.

          · Idolatry: the worship of false gods, putting things in place of God.

          Since we have died with Christ, we need to consider our bodies as unresponsive and dead to the idolatrous pursuit of evil (the things I’ve just  listed). The flesh must be kept in the place of death. It must be kept nailed to the cross. This is never easy, so we must make a conscious, daily decision to live according to God’s values and to rely on the Holy Spirit’s power.

          Therefore consider the members as alive to God and dead to sin. The point is: There is the fleshly nature, and there is the spiritual nature. The contrast is easy to understand. The fleshly nature causes sin to rise. God does not regard sin with indifference. Sin is sin whether we call it "little" or "big" sin.

          The spiritual nature is where the Spirit urges us to put to death, "sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."

3:6  On account of these the wrath of God is coming. — Paul is talking about those things described in verse 5 that are not to just be looked over. They are to take notice that the wrath of God is coming upon those unbelieving disobedient children (unbelievers) that don’t want to listen; giving way to wrong passions.  It is because of these things that come from the old flesh nature that the wrath of God will come upon the children of disobedience (unbelievers). The Greek word for “wrath” means anger associated with punishment. The verse is clear that God will punish the children of disobedience.

3:7   In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. -- Yes, they once walked in and practiced being immoral and greedy, lustful and impure. But now as Christians, they are not to be present in their lives. Does this mean that you are not tempted?  That your body doesn't have immoral desires?  That your mind isn't tempted by money?  Not at all! However, your response to those temptations should be very different than they used to be.  Choose to put them to death (cut them away).

          They are to be destroyed and do not entertain them!

3:8   But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth

          Now we’re talking about sins of emotions and the tongue:

          · Anger: uncontrolled temper, a deep seated emotion of ill-will, a settled feeling of habitual hate, revengeful resentment.

          · Wrath: boiling agitation, fiery outburst of temper, violent fit of rage, passionate outbreak of exasperation.

          · Then there is malice: vicious disposition, depraved spite, willful desire to injure, cruel malignity which rejoices in evil to others.        

          · Blasphemy: slanderous talk, reviling, evil speaking, railing insults, reckless and bitter abuse.

          · Filthy communication: obscene speech, shameful speaking, foul-mouthed abuse, dirty epithets, unclean stories.

          Whoo!  I feel like I need a shower after all that!

          The sins we had to put to death in verse 5 were of the body. Now, we have the sins that are done with spiteful actions toward others. Paul urges them to "put off, lay aside, and rid themselves of" the sins that they now practice and he lists these sins as follows: temper, angry outbursts, ill-will toward fellow Christians, malicious gossip, and vulgar speech coming out of their mouths.

          If you just refuse to watch the nightly TV news you shouldn’t have any problem.

          This list is a bit different from the one Paul gave directly before it. Paul was appealing to the commitment the believers had made in their baptism and urging them to remain true to their confession of faith. The point is: these Christians had already put away many sins in their lives, but they still had many sins in their lives that they still needed to give up.

          The picture is that of putting off or stripping off clothes; taking off dirty clothes and throwing them aside. Paul's point is that we are in the new man of the last Adam, which is Christ. We have already put off the old man, which of course is the old self, which represents the body of the first fallen Adam. In salvation, we are in the one new man which is the body of Christ, that Christ established in Himself.  

3:9  Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices  —  Now, some of us might be tempted to say Paul has left off preaching, and he’s gone to meddling.  One temptation that we find so easy to give into is to lie to one another.  We lie for many reasons: to protect our reputation, to make things easier for ourselves, or to stay out of trouble.  Paul is calling this to the attention of the Colossians, telling these Christians to stop lying to each other, since they had put off the old man or the old nature.

          The Colossian Christians were to tell the truth in every situation. If we slip and tell a lie, we are convicted by it; we are to repent and get cleansed by the Holy Spirit.  Some Christians today will tell a lie without the slightest feeling of guilt.  Many Christians do not even comprehend that lying is a grave sin.  “Oh, it’s okay, he knew I was lying to him.”  Or,”well, I didn’t want to tell her truth and hurt her feelings!”  But, the truth of the matter is, when we lie to one another, we're really lying to God. There is no difference in a little lie or big lie, a lie is a lie.  We have to put on the new man.  In Christ, there is no lie.

3:10  and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  — In addition to "putting off the old man", the Colossians had also "put on the new man", which is a reference to the new life in Christ. The new man is the person you are, after being saved.  The new man is received from Christ, at the time of the second birth, and is the regenerated man, the new nature.  The new man is the nature of Christ and must be renewed in knowledge in the believers who have decided to follow Christ.

          "Renewed" speaks of a continuous action. Salvation leads to the process of sanctification. It affects both character and conduct to be fashioned after the image of Jesus Christ. It requires perseverance and tenacity to realize the salvation of the soul, and it is not complete until the point of death or rapture. This battle of the new man occurs in our minds.

          That is why your mind must be renewed in the full knowledge of the New Covenant in Christ.  When we renew our minds with God's revealed knowledge, we hold our heads up high and dwell on heavenly things; we practice, review over and over His Word; and we learn and obey His Will.

          The “new man” does not lie but speak the truth. It is the old man or the old flesh nature that causes us to lie. The new man that is being conformed to the image of Christ is trustworthy. You can count on Him to speak the truth. Becoming more like Christ will take a lifetime. No Distinctions: We Are All One Body in Christ

3:11  Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

          As a Christian becomes conformed to the image of Christ, all distinctions or differences disappear.

          · Race and birth (neither Greek nor Jew) — No National distinctions.

          · Religion and ritual (circumcised or uncircumcised) — No Religious distinctions.

          · Education and culture, neither one (neither Barbarian nor Scythian) — No Culture distinctions.

          · Social class and wealth and property (bond servant or free) — No Economic or social distinctions.

          Jews referred to all people outside the nation of Israel as Greeks. We are all one when we walk in Christ. National, religious, cultures, economic and social distinctions disappear when Christians become conformed to the image of Christ. It is important to understand that Christ is absolutely everything.

3:12   Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, These are the attire; the garments of the new man.

          · Bowels of mercies refers to a heart of compassion, mercy in action, and heartfelt sympathy for the less fortunate.

          · Kindness: thoughtfulness of others, unselfishness, sweetness of disposition, gentleness, and graciousness. This is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and refers to the inner attitude.

          · Humbleness of mind: This refers to the outward expression of that inner attitude. Humbleness is modesty, it places self last, and regards self as least (Eph.2:8).

          · Meekness: not weakness, but lowliness; delicate consideration for others.  It is the opposite of arrogance and self-assertion.  Pride has no place in the Christian life.

          · Long-suffering: patient under provocation. This denotes the restraint which enables one to bear injury and insult without resorting to retaliation. It accepts the wrong without complaint. Long-suffering is an attribute of God (Rom.2:4) and a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal.5:22). The new man must not be left naked; he must be clothed, so, he puts on his spiritual wardrobe of practical righteousness.  There were eight commands in verses 12-13: mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and love. These garments are now true of all who come to faith in Christ under the New Covenant.

          Notice that the same way we're to put off those negative things, we are to put on the positive ones.  Paul urges the Colossians as born-again believers who have been set apart and loved by God, to “put on” the “bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.”  The “bowels” spoken of here are, of course, the intestines, the heart, the lungs and the liver, and the Hebrews considered the “bowels” as the seat of the more tender affections of kindness, benevolence and compassion. These affections are not automatic upon spiritual rebirth, but they must be “put on” as a Christian would put on new clothes that are fresh and clean.

3:13  bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

          · Forbearing one another is to put up with things we dislike and get along with those who disagree.  Christians can disagree without being disagreeable.

          · Forgiving one another: the word forgiving is built on the same Greek root as the word grace and means to bestow favor unconditionally. The Christian not only forgives, he forgets.

          · When the verse speaks of disagreements, we’re talking about a cause of blame, a ground for complaint.  He thinks himself angry. The key to forbearing, forgiving others is remembering how much God has forgiven you.  With these two garments of love and forgiveness upon us, there would be no room for quarreling, instead we hold back under His control, imitating Christ’s merciful, forgiving spirit.

3:14  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  If these are merely things that we are trying to follow without being saved, then they are just outward expressions of a written commandment, and so Colossians 3:12-14 just becomes another law list to follow in the lost flesh.  “No Parking – No Speeding – No Bad Language.”  They appear like the real clothing, but they are fakes.  But, for us who have put on the new man in the Spirit, to put these things on in Christ is to put on Him, and so the key to what Paul is saying is that which ties all this together as the main outer robe, that is, like the layers of clothing that people would wear in the time of Paul.  On top of these things, like an outer garment, put on charity, love.  Love is the basis and cloak of all the graces.  Love is the bond that binds the others together; the bond of completeness; full grown and mature.  The love of Christ is that beautiful outer robe that covers all the other manifestations, and brings it all together. This kind of love is not an emotion. This is action love, of commitment, and caring, stronger than any emotion. It keeps on going even when emotions die or change.

          To often we think of love as some magical emotion.  Like the little girl playing in Mommy’s make-up, and Mommy walks in on her.  Mommy says “What are you doing!?”  And the child whirls around with a face full of lipstick and eye shadow and says, “I love you, Mommy.”  No, the love of Christ is no emotion.

3:15   And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 

          Jeremiah 17:9 tells us the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked….desperately wicked.  But now we’re going to consider three things about a heart when the peace of God rules in it.

          First, it is a choice that the heart is ruled by love.  And the reason is because we are one body.  The body does not war against itself.  And finally the response to this is that we are to be thankful.

          The Christian who has the love of God ruling in his life also has the peace of God ruling in his heart.  The choice of peace is up to the believer whether he lets the peace of Christ rule or not. He has to be willing to lay aside all the differences and circumstances, and let Christ handle them through the rule of His peace.  For again, we are one body.

3:16   Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 

          The heart where the peace of God rules is rich with the Word of Christ.  Again, it’s a choice—let the Word of Christ dwell, to teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, evidencing in us a singing spirit.

          The Word of Christ is to feel at home in believers. We are to allow it, make room within the heart by making that choice.  "Let" the Word of Christ saturate us and remain in us as a rich treasure, and by doing so, we teach and admonish one another not in man-made traditions, but in songs from the book of Psalms, hymns and other songs of praise, and in spiritual songs that affect your spirit by faith.

          We can’t teach what we don’t know. That’s why we have to dwell richly in all wisdom.  Together, we give praise and thanks to our great and glorious God. We do all of this as the one body, operating the way we should--connected—in unity—and focused.

          And finally, verse 17   And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

          The point is that a heart ruled by the peace of God does all in the name of Christ, and again, it’s a choice—do all, giving thanks.

          Paul sums up the point by telling the Colossians that whatever they speak or do, they should do it in the name of the Lord Jesus.  This means that every word and act of a Christian should be said or done in the power and authority of Jesus Christ.  This Christian does not speak and act in accordance with his flesh nature, but he speaks and acts in accordance with the Holy Spirit and the nature of Christ.  

          Our example to follow would be in the footsteps of Christ. Our new nature reaches toward God’s Spirit. If we find there’s no love, no peace, we still have some growing to do, until its right.

          Questions?  Comments?  Do Paul’s words make sense to you?

          If no questions, let us close by reciting together the prayer in your lesson book on page 96.

          O God, what a vision You offer for our life with You!  Grant us the grace and the strength to give ourselves away and to be filled and clothed with Your gifts and grace.  We pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.