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Pastor Alcenir
Portuguese Language Ministry at the First Presbyterian Church Richmond, CA
July 5th, 2009
Col 3:1-5 NIV
INTRODUCTION
In chapter one, Paul makes a follow up of the life of the church in Colossae, he
makes a review of the life of that church. Then, he makes a theological lecture about the
Supremacy of Christ pulling it down to practical life affirming that this supremacy comes
down to earthly things and reaches out for his main creation. Humanity was alienated
from God. Then, we are called for reconciliation.
In chapter two, he announces his concerns about the struggle of the church with
heretical philosophy of the time. The danger was the of the nature of Christ. He affirms
that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form”. Not only Christ is God
in human form, but also gives us fullness in Him.
The fullness, holiness, perfection which was the purpose of the creation, which
we lost in the fall, is given back by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
After dealing with the Gnostics, Paul turns to the Jewish members of the church
and says that the so highly praised earthly, human, bodily circumcision they resented not
to be practiced in the Church as the highest requirement of a submission to God, is
completely accomplished in Jesus Christ.
Here we are introduced to the main subject of the today’s meditation: “in him you
were also circumcised, in the PUTTING OFF OF THE SINFUL NATURE, not with a
circumcision made by hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ”.
He proceeds saying how it was accomplished: “having been buried with him in
baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him
from the dead”.
With this Paul is confronting the second greater theological conflict in the
Church. First was the nature of Christ and, second, the belief that we should do
something else other than believing to be saved. Not only by grace through, but also
through circumcision made by hand.
After being through with these two main subjects, he keeps going to hit hard on
another matter that made his exhortation skills to show up: legalism.
We understand from this letter and from research that the Colossian Church was
composed in its majority of Jews. They used to argue about the practice of Jewish rituals,
celebration and the search for wholeness or fullness for life on earth.
He then affirms that Jesus nailed all those regulations to the cross, and he
triumphed over the authorities that preached it. They were based on human commands
and teachings and were destined to perish.
In Chapter 3 he states the real rules for a Holy Living.
Paul now is concerned with how the church is dealing with those issues he
approached in the previous chapters.
Those are signs of a “recurring old human nature”.
What is this?
By confessing Jesus Christ as our redeemer, he forgives all our sins. We are now
redeemed, brought back from under the domain of sin and the sinful nature. We have a
new spiritual life through Christ.
However, we are not yet freed from our human nature. This process will be
completed with the second coming of Christ.
We are forgiven, but the scars of sin are still in us. These scars are memories of
the past, the attraction we constantly have to earthly and sinful things for bodily
gratification, to satisfy our bodily needs or to fulfill our desires in worldly way.
This is our OLD HUMAN NATURE trying to get back the command of our lives.
That is when temptations show up. James 1:13-15 says that “… each one is
tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. The, after desire
has conceived, it gives birth to sin …”
We can imagine Paul crying out to the Colossians: I urge you to OVERCOME
THE OLD HUMAN NATURE!
How? …
This is the question Paul is answering.
He says:
• now that you are newborn in Christ,
• now that you died for the earthly things
• now that Jesus bought you
• now that you belong to the family of God, adopted in Jesus Christ
• now that you are a citizen of the Kingdom o Christ
• now that you have been raised with Christ from his death through the baptism
• Now that you are a new being …
• We would say … NOW WHAT?
• Now, aim at the things that are above;
• Now, direct your efforts in searching for the things above;
• Now, be always intending, planning and aspiring to get to the things above
He goes on saying THINK OF the things above, not the earthly things.
WHY? Because your life is hidden with Christ in God. This is your spiritual life,
the eternal life, the life in the world to come.
Conclusion
In our modern days it is very hard to keep our old nature under control. We are
constantly offered good things, but we are also offered a bunch of trash. However, good
or bad things are intended to satisfy our desires and our needs. They are big temptations.
If we are weak, we may fall to them.
What are the tools we need to overcome our old human nature? I would like to
point to four ways.