Colossians 3:5-17
This section of verses talks about the attributes that we are to put on and off. In verse 5, Paul says to consider the members of your body as dead to evil. Literally that sentence translates "put to death the members which are upon the earth." This again is a refutation of Gnosticism. The body of the Christian should no longer participate in fleshly desires, but only the desires of Christ. Paul goes on to say that the evil that he has listed leads to idolatry. This is because the flesh becomes god, and the one who falls into these sins is solely trying to fill the desires of the flesh. The flesh is put before God. God cannot allow anyone or anything to take the throne. Thus those who worship anything, but Himself will suffer His wrath. This is who we were before Christ. We did not seek God, we did not worship Him, and we were subject to His wrath. In verse 8 Paul says "But now." But now that you are in Christ, you must put off anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech, lying, and the old self with all it's evil practices. I once heard this idea of putting on and putting off explained this way: When you go to the gym and work out, you get all sweaty and stinky, right? Let's say after you're done at the gym you're going to go hang out with some friends. Well, instead of showering and changing clothes, you decide to put a clean shirt over the dirty one. Now, is that going to remove the stench? No! You have to shower and take off the old dirty clothes, and then put on new ones. This is how it is for us as Christians. We have to completely remove our former life, and be washed in the blood of the lamb. It is not possible to live with the dirty shirt (or the old self) hiding underneath the new self. The old self must be considered dead, and if we don't take it off, or we try to put it back on, we're going to stink, and those around us are gonna smell it.
Now in verse 10, Paul talks about what we are to put on. We are to put on a new self, a clean shirt. Because of Christ's death and resurrection we are new creations, 2 Cor 5:17. In this new life, we are all the same. There is no difference between race or gender. We are all one in Christ. Therefore, we must not allow ourselves to show partiality here on earth. This goes back to James 2. Now in verse 12 we see that we are to put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We are to bear with one another. The Greek word for bearing with means "to hold up against something, to bear with." This means that we are to hold each other up against the pressures of life. Like in Galations 6:2 where we are called to bear one another's burdens. We are also to forgive each other as the Lord forgave you. When the Lord forgives, does he bring the past back up to you? No, he has settled your account and no longer holds it against you. So it should be between believers. When you have forgiven, you must not allow yourself to hold that sin against them ever again. Above all we are to put on love. Love is the perfection of Christian character. If we are loving God and loving others, we will not sin. Unfortunately, we still sin, but perfect love is something we must strive for.
Christ is peace and when we let Him rule in our hearts, we will have peace. The fact that God has given us salvation, and the ability to grow and strive toward perfect should make us thankful. In all things we should be thankful because we who deserve nothing, have been given everything! Verse 16 says to let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. We must read the word, but we cannot just read it. We have to let it penetrate our hearts and become a part of who we are. We cannot just know it, but we have to live it. This is what it means to have the word of Christ dwell within you. How is it to dwell in you? With wisdom, teaching, and admonishing. The Word brings wisdom, with this wisdom with should be teaching and encouraging those who are younger in the Lord. We are also called to admonish one another. This word in the Greek means "to caution or reprove gently." When we see a believer caught in sin, we are commanded to humbly and gently bring the sin to their attention. If we fail to bring correction, that brother or sister may fall further into sin and bring others with them. It is out of concern for them that you should admonish someone. This is something anyone can do to any fellow believer. If the person caught in sin is an authority over you, you can still go to them, but make sure that it is truly sin and that you have a biblical basis for it. In all situations of admonishing you need to come with a heart of humility and compassion.
Finally in verse 17, Paul calls us to do all things in the name of Jesus. We are representatives of Christ. When unbelievers look at us, they are watching to see how we live. If we are not living well, then they will see Christ as a fake and a hypocrite. If we live well by the grace of Jesus, then they will see who Jesus really is and perhaps want to know what we have that is different. I pray for each of us, that we would be true representations of Christ, no matter where we are or who we are with.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Set Your Mind
Colossians 3:1-4
Paul begins the chapter by calling believers to "keep seeking the things above." What are the "things above"? They are teh things of Christ. The action, attitudes, and doctrine that flows from true knowledge of God. Thus the only way to persue the things above is to pursue knowledge of God. In verse 2 Paul tells us to set our minds on the things above. First we must seek, then we must set. The work for "set your mind" in the Greek means "to exercise the mind," and is a derivative of a word meaning "to reign in or curb." This then gives us the picture of diliberate actions mean to improve strength and health, and in this case, spiritual health. As we are running the race of life, we must focus on the goal. Make sure you are "storing up treasures in heaven" and not focused on the treasures of earth. This world is passing away, but heaven is eternal. Why must we as believers set our minds on the things above and not of the earth? Verse 3 answers that. "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." This means that our old self, our desires, our goals are gone. Now we are covered in the righteousness of Christ and we must follow His lead. Like Psa 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart." It is not that our fleshly desires will be fulfilled, but that God will place in our hearts, His desires so that they become our own. As Christians, we have become one with Christ. Verse 4 demostrates this when it says, "Christ, who is our life." We have become one with Christ and can no longer separate our life from His. Therefore, when He is revealed in glory, we will also be revealed with. This unseparatable character is why gnosticism cannot work. It separates the body from the soul, but if Christ is our life, then our body will also display Christ's character. I will discuss this further in the next section.
Paul begins the chapter by calling believers to "keep seeking the things above." What are the "things above"? They are teh things of Christ. The action, attitudes, and doctrine that flows from true knowledge of God. Thus the only way to persue the things above is to pursue knowledge of God. In verse 2 Paul tells us to set our minds on the things above. First we must seek, then we must set. The work for "set your mind" in the Greek means "to exercise the mind," and is a derivative of a word meaning "to reign in or curb." This then gives us the picture of diliberate actions mean to improve strength and health, and in this case, spiritual health. As we are running the race of life, we must focus on the goal. Make sure you are "storing up treasures in heaven" and not focused on the treasures of earth. This world is passing away, but heaven is eternal. Why must we as believers set our minds on the things above and not of the earth? Verse 3 answers that. "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." This means that our old self, our desires, our goals are gone. Now we are covered in the righteousness of Christ and we must follow His lead. Like Psa 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart." It is not that our fleshly desires will be fulfilled, but that God will place in our hearts, His desires so that they become our own. As Christians, we have become one with Christ. Verse 4 demostrates this when it says, "Christ, who is our life." We have become one with Christ and can no longer separate our life from His. Therefore, when He is revealed in glory, we will also be revealed with. This unseparatable character is why gnosticism cannot work. It separates the body from the soul, but if Christ is our life, then our body will also display Christ's character. I will discuss this further in the next section.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Chapter 3 Again
So, apparently, we were all busy last week. I didn't even get a post up. Thus, we shall try chapter 3 again. Please post this week and then answer the questions for chapter 2. How are you guys doing? Allie, I haven't heard from you in a while.
Heather
Heather
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Busy week
Well, I don't know about you guys, but this week has been very busy. Thus I haven't written on here until today. Continue on to chapter 3. My last post for chapter 2 has some questions I would like you to post answers to. How'd ya'll do with last weeks goals?
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Dead to the Flesh
Colossians 2:8-23
Verses 8-15 are specifically refuting the doctrine of Gnosticism. The Colossians were being told that the body and soul were separate and that it didn't matter what the body did since it could never be redeemed. However, Paul reminds them that Christ was fully God and fully man. Therefore, they could not argue and say that the flesh is only evil because if it was, God could not dwell in it. He also says that they have been circumcised in Christ. Meaning that the flesh has been removed and should be considered as dead. They are now living for Christ and not for themselves. Paul also conveys this truth in Gal 2:20 where he says, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the {life} which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." This passage reflects that verse as Paul goes on to talk about being buried with Christ, and raised to life. This is a spiritual dying of the flesh and raising of eternal life in Christ. Verses 13-15 reminds us of the incredible nature of this gift. Christ died for sinners, not when they had repented, but before while they were still enemies of God and doers of evil. Christ died for me before I surrendered my life to His will. Christ died for you before you had put off the flesh. And now His death and resurrection brings forgiveness of our sins, past, present, and future. This act demonstrated that He was ruler over all.
Because of Christ's love and forgiveness towards us, because of He is ruler over all, we don't need to fear man and His rules. The Christian life is not about rules and regulations, it is about faith and love for Christ which results in obedience. The Gnostics were submitting to man's rules about what to eat and drink and touch, but they were neglecting some God's laws. In Galatians 4, Paul tells the Galatians that if they desire to be under the law for salvation, they must keep the whole law. That is, the only way the Law can save you is through perfection. This of course is impossible therefore, we must not be focused on man's rules, but God's commands and His will for our lives.
I want you guys to help out with application.
Can you think of some ways that Gnostic thinking is demonstrated today?
What is legalism? Why is it wrong?
Is there any trace of Gnostism in your thinking?
Do you base people's spirituality on their obedience to certain rules that are not found in scripture?
Verses 8-15 are specifically refuting the doctrine of Gnosticism. The Colossians were being told that the body and soul were separate and that it didn't matter what the body did since it could never be redeemed. However, Paul reminds them that Christ was fully God and fully man. Therefore, they could not argue and say that the flesh is only evil because if it was, God could not dwell in it. He also says that they have been circumcised in Christ. Meaning that the flesh has been removed and should be considered as dead. They are now living for Christ and not for themselves. Paul also conveys this truth in Gal 2:20 where he says, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the {life} which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." This passage reflects that verse as Paul goes on to talk about being buried with Christ, and raised to life. This is a spiritual dying of the flesh and raising of eternal life in Christ. Verses 13-15 reminds us of the incredible nature of this gift. Christ died for sinners, not when they had repented, but before while they were still enemies of God and doers of evil. Christ died for me before I surrendered my life to His will. Christ died for you before you had put off the flesh. And now His death and resurrection brings forgiveness of our sins, past, present, and future. This act demonstrated that He was ruler over all.
Because of Christ's love and forgiveness towards us, because of He is ruler over all, we don't need to fear man and His rules. The Christian life is not about rules and regulations, it is about faith and love for Christ which results in obedience. The Gnostics were submitting to man's rules about what to eat and drink and touch, but they were neglecting some God's laws. In Galatians 4, Paul tells the Galatians that if they desire to be under the law for salvation, they must keep the whole law. That is, the only way the Law can save you is through perfection. This of course is impossible therefore, we must not be focused on man's rules, but God's commands and His will for our lives.
I want you guys to help out with application.
Can you think of some ways that Gnostic thinking is demonstrated today?
What is legalism? Why is it wrong?
Is there any trace of Gnostism in your thinking?
Do you base people's spirituality on their obedience to certain rules that are not found in scripture?
Walking in Christ
Colossians 2:1-7
In this chapter, we again see Paul's heart for ministry. He cares so much about the Colossians and desires their growth even though he hasn't seen them. He rejoices in their triumphs, grieves over their sin, and admonishes them in love. This is also seen in verse 5 as he tells the Colossians that he is with them in spirit. Paul's encouragement in verse 2 is that they "attain to all the wealth that comes from full assurance" and results in "true knowledge." The word for knowledge is again epignosis. Paul's desire is for the Colossians to not just have head knowledge of God and His Word, but to have an understanding of who God is, what He is like. (If you haven't read J.I. Packer's book, Knowing God, you should. It's a good one.) Again, this is to refute the Gnostic teaching that body and soul are two separate entities. Paul is trying to teach them correct doctrine so that if someone comes bringing false doctrine, they will be able to discern it.
Verse 6 is a transition verse. Paul goes from encouraging them to admonishing them. He tells them to "walk in Him [Christ]." When I see this word walk, I think of several things. The first is that walking is an action. This means that we need to be constantly moving toward Christ. It doesn't say, "sit in Christ," it says "walk"! There is no time to take a break from the Christian life, every moment we need to be living it out. The second thing I think of when I see the word walk, is the direction I am headed. To explain this, we must go to the book of Ephesians. "Walk" is pretty much the theme of this book. Verses 8-10 in chapter 2 give us a call to walk. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, {it is} the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." So from these verses, we understand that God has prepared good work for us and that we are to walk in them. What are the specifics of that calling? Well, we must go on to chapter 4. Eph 4:1 is a transition verse from doctrine to practical application. In this verse, we are called to "walk in a manner worthy of the the calling with which you have been called." What calling? That was what chapters 1-3 described. What is a manner worthy of the gospel? See verses 2-16 of chapter 4. Verse 17 contains our second "walk." We are to "walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk." Explanation? verses 18-32. 5:1 contains the next "walk." This time we are called to "walk in love just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us." Whew, that's a tough one. Love as Christ, completely, unconditionally, and sacrificially. More explanation follows in verses 1-7. Verse 8 of chapter 5 contains the final call to walk. "Walk as children of light." This theme is carried through the rest of the book where Paul teaches on submission and the armor of God. (Eph is one of my favorite books, can you tell?) Going back to Col 2:7, we are able to walk in Christ because we are firmly established, rooted in our faith. Now Christ is building us up to completion. I think of construction on a house and how you have to lay the foundation and then piece by piece, wall by wall, the house comes together. So it is with us. Sanctification is a process that takes time, but day by day, week by week, year by year, Christ is being formed in us. The thought of God's grace and His sanctifying work in our lives should make us overflow with gratitude.
Now it's time for some more application. Going back to the beginning of the chapter, we see Paul's love for all believers. It is something that should clearly be demonstrated in our lives. We should be tuned into what's going on with believers all over the world, and rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, and pray for all of them. As Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35 The second application that I wanted to bring out was to make sure that we are spending time getting to know God. It takes time and energy to get to know someone, thus we need to put our time and energy into getting to know God. This means spending time in prayer and in the Word is essential! The rest of the application is scattered throughout the above paragraphs. I'm excited to hear, well, read, what you guys are learning.
In this chapter, we again see Paul's heart for ministry. He cares so much about the Colossians and desires their growth even though he hasn't seen them. He rejoices in their triumphs, grieves over their sin, and admonishes them in love. This is also seen in verse 5 as he tells the Colossians that he is with them in spirit. Paul's encouragement in verse 2 is that they "attain to all the wealth that comes from full assurance" and results in "true knowledge." The word for knowledge is again epignosis. Paul's desire is for the Colossians to not just have head knowledge of God and His Word, but to have an understanding of who God is, what He is like. (If you haven't read J.I. Packer's book, Knowing God, you should. It's a good one.) Again, this is to refute the Gnostic teaching that body and soul are two separate entities. Paul is trying to teach them correct doctrine so that if someone comes bringing false doctrine, they will be able to discern it.
Verse 6 is a transition verse. Paul goes from encouraging them to admonishing them. He tells them to "walk in Him [Christ]." When I see this word walk, I think of several things. The first is that walking is an action. This means that we need to be constantly moving toward Christ. It doesn't say, "sit in Christ," it says "walk"! There is no time to take a break from the Christian life, every moment we need to be living it out. The second thing I think of when I see the word walk, is the direction I am headed. To explain this, we must go to the book of Ephesians. "Walk" is pretty much the theme of this book. Verses 8-10 in chapter 2 give us a call to walk. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, {it is} the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." So from these verses, we understand that God has prepared good work for us and that we are to walk in them. What are the specifics of that calling? Well, we must go on to chapter 4. Eph 4:1 is a transition verse from doctrine to practical application. In this verse, we are called to "walk in a manner worthy of the the calling with which you have been called." What calling? That was what chapters 1-3 described. What is a manner worthy of the gospel? See verses 2-16 of chapter 4. Verse 17 contains our second "walk." We are to "walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk." Explanation? verses 18-32. 5:1 contains the next "walk." This time we are called to "walk in love just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us." Whew, that's a tough one. Love as Christ, completely, unconditionally, and sacrificially. More explanation follows in verses 1-7. Verse 8 of chapter 5 contains the final call to walk. "Walk as children of light." This theme is carried through the rest of the book where Paul teaches on submission and the armor of God. (Eph is one of my favorite books, can you tell?) Going back to Col 2:7, we are able to walk in Christ because we are firmly established, rooted in our faith. Now Christ is building us up to completion. I think of construction on a house and how you have to lay the foundation and then piece by piece, wall by wall, the house comes together. So it is with us. Sanctification is a process that takes time, but day by day, week by week, year by year, Christ is being formed in us. The thought of God's grace and His sanctifying work in our lives should make us overflow with gratitude.
Now it's time for some more application. Going back to the beginning of the chapter, we see Paul's love for all believers. It is something that should clearly be demonstrated in our lives. We should be tuned into what's going on with believers all over the world, and rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, and pray for all of them. As Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35 The second application that I wanted to bring out was to make sure that we are spending time getting to know God. It takes time and energy to get to know someone, thus we need to put our time and energy into getting to know God. This means spending time in prayer and in the Word is essential! The rest of the application is scattered throughout the above paragraphs. I'm excited to hear, well, read, what you guys are learning.
Colossians
Ithink I did the first post wrong? maybe im doing this one wrong too? i dont know, Heather, you can fix it if its wrong.
Colossians 2
I think that verse 2 of this chapter was really cool. In verse one Paul is talking about those who He hasn't seen face to face, and then in verse to He says that their hearts are knitt together. I just thought that was a cool picture of how we show be with belivers all around the world. our heart should all be knitt together. In verse 6 Paul is encouraging the Colossians to walk in Christ and to be firmly rooted, because some false doctrine was going around and folling people. So Paul tells them in verse 8 to be careful and not let anyone lead them astray from what they know is true. just like the Colossians we also have many false doctrines spreading around we also need to be careful not to get caught up in any of them. Paul then continues to encourage them and lays out the gospel for them again reminding them of what they know what is true. In verse 16 He says not to let others judge us according to food or their traditions. People can get so legalistic and caught up in a tradition or idea and then they lose the real meaning to being a Christian, love. Verse 19 is cool too. It talks about holding fast to the head/Christ. We need to be holding on to Jesus, because He is all that matters. It is not the traditions of man that are important, but Christ.
Colossians 2
I think that verse 2 of this chapter was really cool. In verse one Paul is talking about those who He hasn't seen face to face, and then in verse to He says that their hearts are knitt together. I just thought that was a cool picture of how we show be with belivers all around the world. our heart should all be knitt together. In verse 6 Paul is encouraging the Colossians to walk in Christ and to be firmly rooted, because some false doctrine was going around and folling people. So Paul tells them in verse 8 to be careful and not let anyone lead them astray from what they know is true. just like the Colossians we also have many false doctrines spreading around we also need to be careful not to get caught up in any of them. Paul then continues to encourage them and lays out the gospel for them again reminding them of what they know what is true. In verse 16 He says not to let others judge us according to food or their traditions. People can get so legalistic and caught up in a tradition or idea and then they lose the real meaning to being a Christian, love. Verse 19 is cool too. It talks about holding fast to the head/Christ. We need to be holding on to Jesus, because He is all that matters. It is not the traditions of man that are important, but Christ.
Colossians 1
hmm...I'm not sure if we are supposed to do our post here or not but oh well....
As I read chapter 1 verses 4 and 10-12 really stuck out to me. Verse 4 was just encouraging to me because the Christians in Colossae were known for their Faith in Christ and their love for all the saints. That is something that I want to be known for and I know right now I could improve my love for all the saints.... As Paul is encouraging the colossians in verses 10-12 to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord I was convicted. I need to always walk in a manner that will honor God no matter what. I know that I spend way too much time on my self and thinking of myself instead of thinking about others or what God wants me to do. So I pray that God would strengthen me with all power as verse 11 says. This verse ends with joyously meaning that we need to do all things joyously. That is definately a struggle for me. =) To me it is truely exciting that God would qualify us to share in his inheritance of eternal life, because i know i am so unworhty of everything Christ has given me. He delivered me from Satan and has forgiven me all my sins, and yet many times I take all that for granted. In verse 16 Paul speaks of how powerful Christ is. He made everything and He holds all things together. Through Christ we are reconciled with God. Without Him we are nothing.... In verse 24 Paul says He rejoices in His sufferings. That is one of the hardest things for me to do. All I want to do is complain and as we have been trying not to complain these past few weeks I have seen how much i really do complain. It is very hard to stop!!! Anyway I'll wrap up this collection of bunny trails with verse 29 "And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me." Sorry that this is a little scatter brained......
As I read chapter 1 verses 4 and 10-12 really stuck out to me. Verse 4 was just encouraging to me because the Christians in Colossae were known for their Faith in Christ and their love for all the saints. That is something that I want to be known for and I know right now I could improve my love for all the saints.... As Paul is encouraging the colossians in verses 10-12 to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord I was convicted. I need to always walk in a manner that will honor God no matter what. I know that I spend way too much time on my self and thinking of myself instead of thinking about others or what God wants me to do. So I pray that God would strengthen me with all power as verse 11 says. This verse ends with joyously meaning that we need to do all things joyously. That is definately a struggle for me. =) To me it is truely exciting that God would qualify us to share in his inheritance of eternal life, because i know i am so unworhty of everything Christ has given me. He delivered me from Satan and has forgiven me all my sins, and yet many times I take all that for granted. In verse 16 Paul speaks of how powerful Christ is. He made everything and He holds all things together. Through Christ we are reconciled with God. Without Him we are nothing.... In verse 24 Paul says He rejoices in His sufferings. That is one of the hardest things for me to do. All I want to do is complain and as we have been trying not to complain these past few weeks I have seen how much i really do complain. It is very hard to stop!!! Anyway I'll wrap up this collection of bunny trails with verse 29 "And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me." Sorry that this is a little scatter brained......
Monday, February 4, 2008
Moving On
This week we are going to up our time in the Word to 10 mins a day. We are also moving ahead to chapter 2 in Colossians. I have updated the goals section to reflect the new week. It would be nice if you guys posted too, but I would at least like you to respond to my posts. Respond to this post and let me know how you are all doing with the goals and if you have any prayer requests.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Check Up
So, girls how's it going this week? How are those posts coming? Did you write those notes to mom...Court and Becca? Have you been reading your Bible everyday this week? I missed reading yesterday. :( How's the 5 minutes going? Can we up it to 10?
I really want you guys to start posting, ok? This weekend you must post something on Col 1 cause we are moving on to Col 2 next week. You don't need to write a lot. Just what you think the passage is saying and how you can apply it to your life. I would like you to respond to my posts after you have posted one of your own. Sound good? I will post on Sunday to give you instructions for next week.
I really want you guys to start posting, ok? This weekend you must post something on Col 1 cause we are moving on to Col 2 next week. You don't need to write a lot. Just what you think the passage is saying and how you can apply it to your life. I would like you to respond to my posts after you have posted one of your own. Sound good? I will post on Sunday to give you instructions for next week.
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