Colossians 9b-11
- David Fairchild
- Sep 18, 2005
- Series: Colossians
Gospel Identity at Work (handout)
INTRODUCTION
When I traveled to India recently our group had the opportunity to stay in London for a couple of days. Since this was my first visit to London I was determined to go to the tower of London and drink in the history of that place. It was amazing to hear of all that happened on this piece of property and it was also sobering to realize how much history has already been lived before I ever came along. Sometimes we forget that we’re not the center of the universe and history has a way of humbling our short memories.
As I was viewing the Crown Jewels there is a room that you move through that shows the coronation of the Queen in 1953. This ceremony is incredible as it declares to the rest of the world that this is now Britain’s new queen. As they are declaring everything that she is they place upon her the royal garments and crown her while placing in her hand the royal scepter. What is so fascinating about this is that it is a ceremony to declare to all the world that there is a change of status, a change of identity. The garments are very important because they indicate her true identity. She was not allowed to wear the crown, nor was she allowed to put on the royal robes until it was time for her identity to be changed.
The importance of identity is one that goes all the way to core of a person. The desire to know who you are is one that has motivated philosophical discussion for thousands of years and caused much introspection through human history. Each of us want to know who we really are. Some try to find this identity and significance through family bloodlines. Some try to find their identity in their work, some in their relationships with others. Some try to find their identity in their own positive self-image and find it only leads to confusion and despair since we are prone to error. Some attempt to live as if their identity is not important and yet don’t realize in doing so they are attempting to find their own. We are told to give up and find yourself, try hard and find yourself, and all the while we realize there is something troubling about how we are now and what we inwardly desire to be. There is something man that beckons us to something better but the voice is so muffled we usually can’t discern the message. Man is a beautiful and horrific creature. For those that know the biblical message we see that man is created in God’s image and yet because of sin this image is terribly marred. Man then is without an integration point to connect him to what he is supposed to be. The only part of you and I that can communicate with God is stillborn and this destroys our ability hear from God what we are truly meant to be. Our status is one of an orphan, one who is lost and dead, one who stumbles through this world attempting to act as our own functional messiah but realizing we really are hopelessly unable to simply pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and be better. When there is no tether connecting us to the living God, what would be “better” anyway?
Today we talk about identity, status, and the outfit we wear which declares to ourselves and the world who and what we are and what team we’re on.
Last week Paul taught us to throw off our old garments, our old sinful lifestyle, and this week he tells us that we are to put on a new self, to slip into the robes made for us by our King. In order to do this, we must first understand our position, our identity, our identity as God sees it.
STUDY
Verses 9b-10a…since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10a and have put on the new self
Since indicates that the transition of putting off the old self has already been accomplished.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Romans 6:6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
Romans 5:12-21 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-- 13 for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. 18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. 20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through Adam came sin and death; through Christ comes grace and righteousness. Through Adams disobedience all people were made sinners; through Christ’s obedience, people are made righteous. This is so beautiful because though sin came by way of mans disobedience, and death as the result, it can not be remedied by mans obedience, but only through grace found in Christ which results in righteousness. God did not send Christ into the world to make disobedient men learn how to be obedient, that would be works. God sent Christ into this world and because of Christ’s obedience grace is extended to those who trust in Him and they are made righteous.
There is not middle ground before God, two men and their offspring will stand before God- Adam and his offspring and Christ and His offspring. We are either children of Adam or Children of Christ. We can only have one head- Adam or Jesus. One or the other represents us. It is impossible to be in Adam and in Christ at the same time, it is also impossible to have your identity as the old self and the new self at the same time. You are either one or the other.
The old self is the former manner of existence in Adam. It is the old, wretched, depraved, sinful self. It is that which was replaced by the new self. We can’t have both, we are not half-breeds.
The new self is the self which believers are in Christ. Why do we at time resemble the old self? Because we are still at war with our sinful desires. The old self is dead, but still we carried the stench of the carcass around with us and when we pursue those things which our self desired in sin, we give off the stench of this old dead self.
The old man isn’t converted because he cannot be, he isn’t renewed, he cannot be. He can only be replaced by the new man. Salvation is transformation not addition.
2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Verse 10b- who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--
Having a change in status and a new identity does bring us new life and a new way of being human, but it doesn’t bring instant spiritual maturity. The flesh dangles its garments in front of the new man and urges him to put them on. The battle will continue until we are given new bodies that have our sinful nature totally removed. Therefore, our new quality of life causes us to be continually renewed as the old self continues to decay.
We are renewed to a “true knowledge” (Gk. Epignosis). This means a deep, thorough knowledge. There is no growth in a Christian unless there is a growth in the knowledge of God. The source of this knowledge of God is the Bible. The goal of this knowledge is that the new self will become progressively more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ who created him. It is God’s plan to make believers like Jesus Christ: Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
The new self will continue to progress until the Lord returns or we die and come into His presence. The image of God which was marred in the Garden is then shown forth in the children of God.
Verse 11- a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
This has implications world wide and certainly in the church. Because of our change in status and identity, the old barriers that separated people are torn down. There is no place for prejudice or cultural snobbery. God has united us together in Jesus.
This was stunning in the first-century because the racial, cultural, religious, and social barriers separating people were deep in insurmountable.
The Greek and Jew, one who was circumcised and the other not, were separated by racial and religious barriers. They would have nothing to do with each other. Jews refused to enter a Gentiles house. They wouldn’t eat meals cooked by Gentiles, or buy meat prepared by Gentiles. But the Gospel broke down those barriers and Jews and Gentiles became one in Christ.
Ephesians 2:13-16 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
This is a stunning passage for those living in the time of this letter. But these barriers were not unique to Jews and Greeks. They were also pervasive in the ancient world. The Greek and the Jew looked down on the barbarian or Scythian.
To be a “barbarian” was to be inarticulate simpletons who stammered when they spoke. They were thought of as crude and ignorant. The Scythians, even above the barbarians, were the most hated and feared. They were nomadic, warlike people who would invade land they wanted. They were considered the most savage people.
A fellowship that would include Greeks, Jews, and Scythians, was totally out of the question in the ancient world. Yet this is exactly what happened in the church. Christ destroyed the cultural barriers separating them. Look at our fellowship, the same has occurred here.
A social barrier also occurred between a slave and a freeman. The slave was viewed as a “living tool.” Yet both slaves and freemen were saved by Christ and became brothers. They were all “baptized into one body, whether Jew or Greeks, whether slave or free” (1 Cor. 12:13). We are all one in Christ.
This unity of slave and freeman was dramatically shown in the arena of Carthage in 202 A.D. Perpetual, a young woman from a noble family and Felicitas, a slave girl, face martyrdom for Christ. As the wild beasts entered the arena to devour them, they joined hands. Slave and freewoman died together for the love of the same Lord.
There is no place for man-made barriers in the church since Christ is all, and in all. Because Christ indwells all believers, all are equal. He breaks down all racial, religious, cultural, an social barriers, and makes us all into one new man.
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