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Colossians 3:1-10 - Violent Piety

  • Writer: Chad Werkhoven
    Chad Werkhoven
  • 1 hour ago
  • 4 min read

It's not just about making better decisions, it's about changing your mindset.



Colossians 3:1–10 (NIV)


3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.


5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature [Sarx]: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Canons of Dordt

Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints


Article 2: The Believer’s Reaction to Sins of Weakness


  1. Hence daily 

    1. sins of weakness arise, 

    2. and blemishes cling to even the best works of saints, 

      1. giving them continual cause 

        1. to humble themselves before God, 

        2. to flee for refuge to Christ crucified, 

        3. to put the flesh to death more and more 

          1. by a spirit of supplication [prayer]

          2. and by holy exercises of godliness [piety / Spiritual Disciplines], 

        4. and to strain toward the goal of perfection, 

      2. until they are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven.


Summary


I wonder how many billions of decisions we each make over the course of a lifetime. There's a few big decisions along the way, like who to marry or what career path to follow. But those major choices are easily eclipsed by the countless mass of decisions we make, often without even thinking about them.


The problem comes when we begin to consider our Christianity just another decision we've made. After all, as the old song goes, I have decided to follow Jesus. It's a big decision for sure, even the most important, but still it's one decision amongst the billions you continually make.


And we're really good at compartmentalizing our decisions. After all, we make big decisions at the ballot box, but most of us keep those decisions stuffed away with our other political opinions (most of the time, at least). You make big decisions at work, but don't drag them home with you, and vice versa. So it's so easy to keep our decision to trust Christ stuffed in our church box.


Paul here applies some corrective theology to this situation. It's not just that you've decided to be a Christian, rather you have been raised with Christ. In other words, your entire reality got transformed, not by a decision you made, but by the One seated at the right hand of God! So you can't just compartmentalize it; you must set all of your heart and all of your mind on things above, not on earthly things.



  Dig Deeper  


Setting your heart and mind on things above has earthly ramifications. Your behavior needs to reflect the reality you have been raised to. This means more than just making better decisions; much more... much more violent! You're called to put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature. You're called to continually kill Sarx (the Greek word for your sinful earthly nature).


The Canons provide the two primary weapons you've been given for this mission. First of all, you kill off Sarx with a spirit of supplication. That is, you're continually in a posture of prayer. Certainly this doesn't mean your hands are always folded and eyes tightly shut. Rather, it means that your heart and mind are continually set on things above. You're to live in an ongoing conversation with your Father through His Spirit who is in you.


Your second weapon is described as holy exercises of godliness. To recover a long lost word that's fallen into disuse / misuse, you must be pious. A newer phrase has taken its place: you need solid Spiritual Disciplines, like the ongoing prayer just mentioned, daily Bible reading, gathering with God's people on the Lord's Day, and a myriad of other Biblical habits.


Sarx is a formidable enemy who will ruthlessly battle against you until you're freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven. You'll lose many of these battles, so thankfully your life is now hidden with Christ in God. But you can - you must - take up your weapons in a spirit of supplication and keep straining toward the goal of perfection.


Then, when Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory and Sarx will finally be put to death for the last time.



  • ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose wrath is coming because of the wickedness of sinful earthly nature;

  • ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for a spirit of supplication and for the resolve to daily strengthen your holy exercises of godliness (piety / Spiritual Disciplines).;

  • ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 3 John

 
 
 

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