I am not a big TV watcher, but every time I go to the dentist, the TV there is on. I’ve had a lot of dental work done in my life, and watching TV is a good way to be distracted from the task at hand, usually involving my mouth and several sharp instruments. Reading Colossians this week, with its commands to “put off the old and put on the new,” reminded me of a TV show I watched during a recent appointment. The show was called What Not to Wear. Have you seen this? A person is nominated to be on the show by a “loving” friend who notes them as a walking fashion disaster. In order to participate, they have to agree to pitch everything in their closet. The show hosts go through each article of clothing and remove them, one by one, often in the midst of giggling over how disastrous and out of fashion is this wardrobe. Then, they bring in a few choice outfits to show the person how to choose their clothes with more wisdom, including colors and fashions that will look particularly good on them. Then they are given $5000 to hit the boutiques of New York City in search of a new wardrobe.
This show came to my mind this week as I thought through Colossians 3, and it is quite fitting to this passage as we see a list of sins to avoid and character traits to exhibit. As women I think we can identify with the clothing illustration. Every morning we stand in front of our closets, making decisions about what to wear and what not to wear! Spiritually speaking, we must stand in front of the closet of our inner lives and take inventory. Are you ready for some spiritual closet-cleaning? In Colossians 3:1-17, we learn the life of Christ in us grants us power to adorn our inner lives. We’ll take this in two sections today. Verses 1-4 are the power of the Christian life, and 5-17 are the adornment of the Christian life.
Colossians 3:1-4: The power of the Christian life
“If then, you have been raised with Christ,” is how Paul begins Ch. 3. It is easy to quickly read past these words, but this is the hinge on which the second half of the book swings. We have been raised with Christ. Paul is picking up where he left off in Col 2:12 when he says believers are “buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Have you taken time to ponder the implications of being raised with Christ? Upon receiving Christ, the Christian dies to the sin nature (verse 3 reads: you died) and is raised to new life in Christ. While the sin nature continues to be a part of us, the power of that nature has been broken. We are not to go on living as though we are still alive to sin when in reality, we are not. Now, we are empowered for godly living by the resurrected, ascended, glorified Christ. With new life comes a new focus: our thoughts are to be on Him.
How are we to fix our thought on Christ and things above? When Paul tells the Colossians to “seek the things that are above” and to “set your minds on things that are above,” these are really two different phrases. In the first verse, “seek” means to” strive for earnestly” much as an Olympic athlete will seek a gold medal. In verse 2, “set” means to “concentrate”. I think the NIV has a good sense of this when it says to “set your heart” and then “set your mind” on things above. It is parallel to the command to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. When Paul says to “set your mind on things above, not on earthly things,” this does not mean we are to ignore our earthly responsibilities. Instead, we are to bring a heavenly, Christ-centered perspective to everything we do on earth. Think of a submarine, which must navigate through the water. Yet the eye of the captain is constantly trained to the periscope, because the well-being of those inside depends on his knowledge of what is above. How will you train your mind and heart to be preoccupied with the risen Christ who is your life?
Colossians 3:5-17: The adornment of the Christian life
Verses 5- 11 give us a list of “what not to wear” as Christians. Paul first says to “put to death therefore what is earthly within you”. The Greek tense here suggests a decisive action in which you are to destroy the strength, vitality, and functioning of the earthly nature and to do it now, with resolution. This is not something to be done in our own strength, for that is the asceticism Paul warned about at the end of Ch. 2. This is done by understanding the old nature is dead in Christ, and by denying sin its power to rule us. There is power in our union with Christ, and power in His word, so in these things we find the power to overcome sin.
Paul lists some things that should not adorn the inner life of a believer, including sexual sins and sin of covetousness. Isn’t it interesting that as much as we may blush (and rush) over the list of sexual sins, right alongside them is placed this sin of coveting, which is said to be idolatry? We live in a land that is very blessed materially, and it is vital that we consider the sin of covetousness with more than a passing glance. Do we blush in shame over our greed, and understand how it takes the place of God in our lives? Then Paul lists the sins of anger and deceit. One thing I notice about this list is that Paul was specific about naming sin, and even named nuances for the sins of anger. What specific sins are stashed away in the closet of your heart? How do you plan to deal with these sins?
So what should adorn the inner life of a Christian? This is listed in verses 12-14. Here are some things we should start putting in our closet! In our lesson today we considered each one: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, long-suffering, forgiveness, and the virtue that ties all the others together: love. These are the characteristics that make for a beautiful inner life, and reveal our pursuit of Christ. They involve conscious choices and effort, a godly focus rather than self-focus, and a response rather than a reaction. As you consider this list, which of these spiritual garments will you choose to begin putting on this week, and how can you do so?
If you are wondering how to go about this putting off and putting on, I can give you some ideas to get started. Romans 6:1-14 goes into more detail about being dead to sin, and alive to Christ. Memorize and meditate on passages like this! You can look up scripture that specifically deals with sin or with a Christian characteristic you want to see displayed in your life, arming yourself with God’s Word. Pray and ask God for help to apply these things to your life, and to grant the power for change.
Verses 15-17 list the results of a beautiful, well-adorned inner life. We know this because though they are commands, Paul uses the word “let.” Christ’s peace will rule, or “umpire” (the literal meaning) your heart, showing what is right and good. Christ’s word will dwell, or live in us, and be poured out in teaching and praise of God to others. Thankfulness is mentioned three times, another byproduct of Christ-centered living. And best of all, all of our actions and words will be done in the name of Christ, showing forth His reputation to others.
How does your life reflect the power of the risen Christ? Do you have some closet cleaning to do? I know I do! Paul is very practical, so much so that it is uncomfortable. Mark Twain expressed this well when he said, “Most people are bothered by the Scripture which they cannot understand; but as for me, I always noticed that the passages in Scripture which trouble me the most are those which I do understand.” What Paul instructs us to do here is not hard to understand. Yet it will not be easy to do—it takes a diligent, concentrated effort as we focus on the risen Christ. It is His power that makes it possible to live a life that shows forth His supremacy.
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