The New Identity

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Living a New Life

Colossians 3:1-17

“Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

                  What does it mean to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus?  This is the fundamental question we all must answer.  For some, it means going to church on Sunday and being a member of a local church.  For others, it involves engaging in the social problems confronting our society.  For others, being a Christian is about following religious rules and regulations.  While there are some elements of truth in each of these statements, Paul paints a different picture.  Being a follower of Christ involves a complete and radical shift in our worldview and understanding of life itself.  Before Christ, our focus is on this world.  We focus on our career goals, financial security, and desire for stability and safety for our family.  However, Paul changes the narrative.  To be a follower of Christ is to reorient our whole thought process and how we think.  Instead of focusing on the present and the priorities of this world, we are to focus on the eternal and the priorities of heaven.  It is a complete change in our thinking.

                  This begins by recognizing that we are no longer to live by the morality and values of this world. Our culture is enamored with money, success, sexuality, and pleasure (vs. 5). Instead of bringing peace and purpose to life, these things ultimately bring destruction and division within the world (vs. 8). These priorities are great distractions. They distract us from the pursuit of the important to the pursuit of the insignificant. 

                  To put on the mind of Christ is to prioritize purity over immorality, the identity of Christ over our earthy identity, and the importance of relationships and compassion over personal pride and greed. We are to recognize that our identity is not found in our status, our sexuality, or anything else.  Our identity is to be found only in the image of God, in whose image we were created. This is the foundation of our purpose.  Instead of seeing our image in the values of this world, we are to find our image and identity in Christ.  We are to strive to reflect His character.  This involves loving and forgiving others unconditionally, just as Christ has forgiven us (vs. 13).  Instead of holding a grudge against someone, we are to love our enemies.  Instead of demanding our rights, we place unity above our self-interest (vs 14-16).  

                  To have the mind of Christ is to bring every action, every thought, every word under the umbrella of our obedience to Christ and our desire to reflect Him.  To walk with Christ is to be like Christ and do everything to please Him in every way, for this is at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

 

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