Category Archives: Faith

anxiety, Faith, Kingdom of God, Money, sin, The Ten Commandments

Commandment #10 – Do not covet

Opening Question

Name 3 things that you already have and are thankful for.

Exodus 20:17

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

In the beginning (5 mins)

Once again we turn our minds to Genesis 1-3 and consider what is there that speaks to covetousness. What do we see is our focus in life?

Genesis 1:31-2:1 – God made everything very good. It was complete and full of life.

Genesis 2:7-9, 15-18 – God continued to bring everything into being. He made man from the earth and gave him everything to enjoy. He was not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The big idea here is that mankind did not create, establish or struggle for existence and plenty. God created and gave generously.

Genesis 3:6 – they took and ate after they looked and considered how good it looked. They wanted what was not theirs to take and what they did not need.

*God created all things to be dependent on him and to live in harmony with his order and will. Life is not defined by objects but by relationships, especially to God and his will

The command to Israel (5 mins)

What is listed as things to potentially covet in the 10th commandment?

House, wife (or husband), slave (or Jim’s lawnmowing service), ox or donkey (or VW Tiguan), or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Israel’s history (10 mins)

Read Psalm 49. What is the conviction of this Psalmist? See also Ecclesiastes 2:1-11.

Wealth may look appealing but it will not defeat the grave. Note verse 16 tells us not to be in awe of the rich and verse 18 warns us against being seen by others as successful. You can’t take it with you. What is most valuable, according to this Psalm is understanding.

The Gospel (10 mins)

Jesus warned against giving our hearts to riches on earth that are stolen and fade in Matthew 6. He did so also in Luke 12. Read the following and discuss how easy it is to be living like the rich fool (12:20) and pagans (12:30)!

  • Luke 12:13-21
  • Luke 12:22-34

The command is to not covet. What is the cause of coveting according to Verse 32? 

Fear. Jesus said, ‘do not worry’ in the Matthew 6 account. 

What do we replace coveting (or fear) with according to Luke 12:28,31,32?

God has already given us the kingdom. We already have everything we will ever need. For today, we will need to exercise our faith and trust him. In this life, we may see others with more and apparently easier lives (a lie) but our hope is not for heaven right now. We have a Father who loves us, a Lord who gave his life for us and a kingdom prepared for us and promised. 

Christian Living (15 mins)

We know that God created life and everything in it. We know that turning to Christ is about receiving a kingdom that can never perish spoil or fade. And we know that our greatest test is to put our trust in God (faith) and live for the kingdom. 

The New Testament throws reason after reason to stop hoping that this world will deliver and turn our hearts to God who has promised us everything we need. Either read through the following three passages and turn them to prayer or focus on 1 Timothy 6:6-12a.

Ephesians 1:3-10 lists out how much we have received in Christ!

1 Peter 1:3-9 reminds us that we have been given new life into a living hope through the resurrection. The time of struggling is only or this world and is there to mature us as we learn to lean on God and love him more and more.

Read 1 Timothy 6:6-12a and turn it into prayer. Being the final week on the 10 commandments, it might be appropriate to consider how we need to repent and turn back to God and live our lives for him.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life.

Colossians, Faith, Firm Foundation

Firm Foundations – Study 7 – Colossians 3:18-4:1

The new you: Put on faith

Topic covered: Making godly decisions
Glossary: submission; good works; favouritism.

Discussion Question

The gospel is about the forgiveness of my sins and should not impact my lifestyle. Discuss.

Context

The letter to the Colossian church is an encouragement to all its readers to continue in the faith that they received when they put their trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Jesus is the creator of all things, the saviour and foundation of the church, and the point of the whole bible! You see, the great mystery of God is revealed in Christ. We grow up, or mature, in the faith by increasing our grasp on who Jesus is and learning to trust him with everything. This is life changing and it is the firm foundation of our faith. That is why the gospel is powerful, because it produces change in people.

We pursue faith and love by putting to death sexual immorality and putting away the misuse of our mouths. Everything we do and think from now on must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. Not to earn his love and acceptance but because we are already loved and accepted. The gospel, you can say, restores humans back to the image of God. As we continue in Colossians, we will see what looks like rules for Christian living. What follows are not rules but illustrations of how the gospel is powerful to restore our relationships with one another. The gospel of grace restores humans back to the way God meant for us to be.

Read Colossians 3:18-4:1

18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. 

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 

21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. 

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism. 

4 1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

What did you see?

Structure

  • Family relationships (18-21)
    • To wives (18)
    • To Husbands (19)
    • To Children (20)
    • To Fathers (21)
  • Business relationships (22-4:1)
    • To Slaves (22-23)
      • Because you trust God (24-25)
    • To Masters (1)
      • Because you know God (1)

Family Relationships (18-21)

As inferred in the CONTEXT, this is not a list of commands that are to be obeyed or else you will not be saved. That is not how grace works! We respond to the gospel because we understand a) God is our creator and so we need to listen to his wisdom b) God is our saviour who has given us eternal life, therefore, we no longer fight for self because we’ve already been given the kingdom! But c) because we are made in the image of God and although sin has produced hatred and quarrelling and disharmony in this life, the gospel of grace will defeat it!

“Wives…” Let’s be clear: this is a message to wives and not to husbands. Let wives read these words and meditate on the purpose and the reason and the implications of it. Let the men read it with understanding but with no desire to enforce it! Likewise, this is not a line for all women, but to wives. The greek word here can mean woman or wife but the context makes it clear that it is about wives.

“…submit yourselves to your husbands…” Please refrain from a knee-jerk reaction and meditate on what is being asked. The word does not mean to be put into submission by someone else by order, but is a directive (imperative actually) to submit yourself. That is, in the marriage relationship, the wife is asked to approach her relationship to her husband as not someone fighting for control or domination. It is not a competition. It helps to recall that God himself, the most powerful being in the universe, submits himself. The Son, submits himself to the Father, although they are both equally God. The Son submits himself to death, even though he is eternal! Submission is not about weakness or inability or small capacity. The bible does not teach that women are less than men, only that there is a relationship in marriage where the woman places herself under the headship of the man. Next comes a further qualification…

“…as is fitting in the Lord.” Some may object and say that Paul is talking about the culture of the time and that if he were writing this all over today he may not include this section, or write it differently. But ‘as is fitting in the Lord’ suggests that Paul is promoting a Christian culture that reflects the goodness of God. To best understand the point of the submission passage here, we should remember (or learn) what it is that the gospel is correcting here. We’ll do it in brief bullet points.

  1. Genesis 1:1 – God is the creator of heaven and earth – we exist only because he first created.
  2. Genesis 1:27 – God created mankind (in his own image) being male and female.
  3. Genesis 2:15 – God instructed the male to take care of the world.
  4. Genesis 2:18 – God observes, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” We see that men and women are both created in God’s image and they are created for purpose and that they are created to have a good relationship. The woman is not placed to compete but to help.
  5. Genesis 3 describes the moment when the male and the female consciously acted in rebellion against God. It was such a small act but a giant moment for mankind.
  6. Genesis 3:16 is part of a longer curse as a result of sin now in the world and it describes the relationship between the male and the female in terms of desire and rule rather than as help and cooperation.
  7. In Christ, and by the grace of God, we can see relationships afresh. You see, in Christ, it is possible to remove the language of ruling over one another. It is fitting, in the Lord, for the wife to not be threatened by her husband but to willingly submit to a man who also, in the Lord, will choose to love his wife. 

I will say that again: It is fitting, in the Lord, for the wife to not be threatened by her husband but to willingly submit to a man who also, in the Lord, will choose to love his wife. Now, in this life, neither the husband nor the wife will always get it right. And in fact, there will continue to be the effect of sin in this world. But, the grace of God challenges us to live afresh, convinced by faith that we can actually begin to trust one another. See also Ephesians 5:22-24.

“Husbands…” See the note above on wives and apply it appropriately to the husband.

“…love your wives…” This is a message to all the husbands (plural) to love their wives (each husband has one wife!) If the wife is being guided to submit, how wonderful that all husbands are being guided to love! The Godhead expresses this nicely when we read that each ‘person’ of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) loves the others selflessly and so the Holy Spirit and the Son are delighted to submit to the Father in everything! What Paul is reflecting on in these verses is what a change the gospel makes to a life! It is by the power of the gospel of grace that we can learn to understand submission and love without importing danger and struggle into it. Men and women are created equal. Men and women, ideally, can move forward together in harmony without submission meaning repression and without love being a weakness. Husbands are to think about the needs and wants of his wife and to think sacrificially. Read Ephesians 5:25-33 for an expansion on this. God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

“…and do not be harsh with them.” If a wife is going to submit to her husband, then it is important for the leader to not abuse his position. Marriage is the union of two consenting adults where the wife will submit herself without any strongholds and the husband will choose to love always without harsh language or treatment. The bible never ever condones domestic violence. No person is compelled or forced to stay or put up with an unsafe relationship. In Christ, a man and a woman can possibly come together and voluntarily live with the other’s best in mind and this is the power of the gospel. In this life, it can easily be misapplied or one sided or simply abused. This is why we treat these verses, not as rules, but as a celebration of what can be possible by the power of grace. Can two people, inspired and taught by the grace and love of God, live selfless lives together? In Christ they can.

“Children, obey your parents in everything…” Yes, children should be taught to read the bible and learn lessons like this. I would add, though, that we are all to read these verses and ask, if it is God’s intent that a child obey their parents – but they do not – then this is a symptom of the child living in a fallen world. Sin is prevalent right from the birth of a child. We don’t have to be taught how to be selfish. We need saving and we need to learn what grace and mercy and love looks like – as is fitting in the Lord.

“…for this pleases the Lord.” Just as there is a godly approach for husbands and wives, there is an ordained and designed system for children and parents. In God’s design, he has given every child (unless tragedy occurs) parents (or singular) to have authority over them. Authority is about care and this is the job of the parent: to care for their child by teaching them and being people worth listening to and obeying.

“Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” Why mothers are not mentioned is unknown. Perhaps is it he men who need to hear this? It does elevate the place of fathers in that God sees them as a good source of encouragement and healthy growth. Just as a husband ought to have love and softness in his approach to his wife, so too, he ought to not create a relationship with his child that creates resentment from them. This will include patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control – all outcomes of the work of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). A parent, and here especially a father, is important for the good growth of a child. Parents have the potential to make or break their child. Be kind to yourself though since every child will need to grow up and probably forgive their parents for one thing or another.

We finish the section on family relationships and let’s conclude with something like: When someone is in the Lord (3:17) then the very relationships that they have in the family will change because their hope is in eternal things and their life is fixed and centred in Christ. Striving will cease. Love will grow and abound. Respect and obedience will flourish. These are words of a trusting relationship. Sin produced hatred and strife but in the end, grace wins.

Business Relationships (22-4:1)

Just as there are different relationships in the home (wives, husbands, children, fathers and mothers), there are also different relationships out in the workforce. In relation to the government, we must recognise their authority over us. In relation to employee and employer, we must recognise a hierarchy.

“Slaves…” Also could be translated servants. There is no room for slave trading in this section. But the position is of a person who has submitted themselves to someone else in order to have a living. I don’t want to waste space here on this but I see a link between slaves and employees here. An employee agrees to submit to their employer in order that they get paid. They will agree to work so many hours per day and per week and agree to deadlines etc. In exchange, the employee gets paid. As soon as the employee no longer needs money, then they would stop working for the manager in a snap! We submit ourselves to masters all the time. It’s called a job!

“…obey your masters in everything…with sincerity…and reverence for the Lord.” Verse 22 is pretty easy to understand. We need to stop being grumpy and whiny employees. Get on board and serve your boss because that’s how God intends the human race to be! We are made for relationship and for working together as helpers and not as a burden to others. Imagine when heaven comes that all the saved ones in heaven will work together without gossip or bickering or slander or revenge or powerplay. And there will never be a shoddy job done.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters…” The gospel shifts our priority. We are not becoming perfect employees because God tells us to, but because we are doing everything in the name of the Lord. 

“…since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” By faith we believe that there is an inheritance coming for us. We don’t need to be bitter that we are not the boss here on earth because one day we will have way more than a business of our own but we will have the kingdom of God. It is our trust in God that will produce a change in our family relationship and our work ethic.

“It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” If only Adam and Eve had kept that in their heads and owned it when the serpent spoke to them in the garden. Forget what the world says and forget selfish ambition and gain – serve the Lord. Have faith in God and let go of all the striving that comes from our desperate desires to be important or noticed or a somebody – you are a somebody in Christ. Do you believe it? Then live it!

“Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favouritism.” By faith we will let things go in this earth because we know that God is just and everyone will get what is coming to them! If you believe this, then you will learn to overlook a lot of wrong-doings. This is not the same as forgiving. It is trusting that God will judge justly and righteously. Nobody will be let off for their wrongs. Those in Christ will rejoice because Christ has paid for their wrongs. Those in Christ will also be progressing in their faith and going from bad to good.

“Masters, provide your slaves…” I happily read ‘bosses’ and ‘workers’ into these words.

“…provide your slaves with what is right and fair…” The master is not to be harsh. Give the people working for you a good treatment. Be reasonable and considerate. If a job will take a day, don’t force them to get it done in half a day. If the job costs $1K, don’t force them to do it for $400 and then yell when they failed. Treat your employees with fairness across the board. Just as God does not show favouritism, don’t give one person all the benefits but be fair.

“…because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” Bosses of this world are not the ultimate Boss. The Prime Minister or the President or the Queen or King are all still subject to our God and creator.

What did we learn?

The gospel has the power to transform our relationships back to the way they were designed to be. But only when we put on faith. It is by faith that we trust God’s way as the best way. It is by faith that we act graciously and in love even when others wrong us. Sin produced hatred and strife in relationships but in the end, grace wins. 

Now what?

Topic A: Putting on faith in the home. Sin twists our relationships and stands us against one another. We fight for control and are opposed to submission. Faith that flows from the kingdom of God, from the eternal hope that we have, gives us courage and freedom to show grace toward one another again. Grace teaches us to love others ahead of ourselves. Faith in the home means learning to trust one another again as we learn to trust our creator. This is a huge concept to grasp. The lesson here is not about dominance, equality or submission – rather, it is about worship and love that come from truly understanding the gospel.

Topic B: Putting on faith in the workforce. The faith and love that spring from the eternal hope will shape the way that we do business. Even if you have no earthly hope for a good inheritance and luxurious retirement, we already know that God has given us his kingdom. Or if you are responsible in the workplace, be ever so conscious that you also work for the Lord. We all work for the same boss in the end.

Topic C: Leaving evil for God to take care of. Colossians 3:25 gives us the pathway to let evil go in our lifetime. Whenever an injustice has been dealt, if it is not exposed and punished in this lifetime we can be sure that it will be dealt with in the next. This is the logic behind Jesus teaching us to turn the other cheek. 

Colossians, Faith, Firm Foundation, Forgiveness, Maturity, Sanctification/holiness

Firm Foundations – Study 6 – Colossians 3:1-17

The new you part 1: Put on love

Topic covered: How do we now live as Christians?
Glossary: sin; fruit of the Spirit; forgiveness; love. Now-but-not-yet.

Discussion Question

Which do you think is better: to be told what not to do or what to do?

Context

In the first half of his letter, Paul has proclaimed Christ to be above everything else. Christ is the source of life and Christ is the only way to or eternal hope. In Chapter 2, he hopes that his readers have ‘died with Christ’ so that every other reality is subordinate to knowing and following him. He has said that we are to continue living our lives in him, established and built up in the faith.

In the next section of his letter, we will hear examples of what this all looks like. Paul will give us some solid applications of what he has laid down in Chapters 1 to 3. What follows is not new thoughts on unrelated issues, but what flows out of our true knowledge of the gospel.

Read Colossians 3:1-17

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: 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. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

What did you see?

Structure

  • Set your hearts on eternal hope (1-4)
  • Walk away from your old self (5-9)
  • Put on love (10-14)
  • Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly (15-17)

Set your hearts on eternal hope (1-4)

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ…” Paul begins his second half of the letter with this brief reminder of what he has been saying so far. Remember that the letter is one flowing argument based on the truth that Christ is the source of life and the giver of eternal hope.

“…you have been raised with Christ…” This is another little gem statement about the gospel. If the free gift of salvation was not complete, then Paul couldn’t say that we HAVE been raised with Christ. He’s not talking about a future resurrection but about a reality right now for those who have already DIED with Christ. Our identity is now paired with him. Our status in life for all eternity is as alive and qualified because we are with Christ.

“…set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” In 2:20, Paul said to stop allowing everyday things to have eternal meaning. He now says it in the positive: set your hearts on what is eternal. The King is on His throne and our destination is with Him. What matters most is to make what matters most matter. Christ, the eternal King, is all that matters. So, lift your eyes sinner. Set your horizon higher dreamer. Give your goals an eternal perspective. Our hearts are our loves and passions. What is it that you desire and long for? Take your eyes off what is fleeting and place it on the eternal and true. Fall in love with the hope that is in you. Believing that Jesus Christ is really seated in heaven at God’s right hand will change your life!

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Not just what we love but our thoughts. The bible speaks to both parts of the person which work together. What we know, we will train our hearts to love. And what we love, that is what we will pursue. Earthly things, refers to everything that is passing away. Our generation (as all that has preceded us) is so fickle and rejoices in short-lived shiny things. But this is the essence of the fight within all of us to sin no more. Sin is about grabbing hold of things that are not worth loving but we do anyway.

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” This is not a new thought but embraces 2:20-3:2. Picture this like boarding a lifeboat. We have boarded the boat, which is Christ, because we see that we need saving and this is our only real option. But boarding the boat means leaving the water or the sinking vessel. Your only future is to stay in that boat and not play around with the danger that you have left behind.

“When Christ, who is your life, appears…” So, this is an important point of view of the Christian. Although we have not seen Christ, we love him and although we don’t see him now, we believe in him and are filled with the joy of knowing him now and anticipating seeing him face to face (1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 3:1-2). A day will come, maybe in our lifetime, maybe not, when Jesus will come again in the flesh and wrap up this earth which is temporal. We live for this future and it affects the way we deal with everything in this world. We are in Christ now, but we will see him for real in the future. This is called the now-but-not-yet reality of now. We are hidden with Christ but we are not yet with him in sight.

“…then you also will appear with him in glory.” It’s easy to talk about God as the glorious one and that Jesus is the one to be glorified and praised but we are also told that there is a future version of us that even we don’t know the reality of. One day, the person who God is working in you to be will be revealed in glory. We will see ourselves for what God, by grace, has made us. On the last day, we will be united with Christ and both he and we will be seen for who we really are. This is what we live for now. So, don’t have a short view of the future. Think about eternity!

Walk away from your old self (5-9)

“Put to death…” Sit on this phrase and soak it in. What follows are things that we need to do away with and not put on a shelf to come back to but to end our relationship with them. Christ is our life, and we are to begin our discipleship by murdering. The examples that follow in verse 5 are about sex.

“…therefore…” This word tells us that what follows comes out of the work that Christ has and is doing in us. Christ is our life…therefore. We are hidden in Christ…therefore. You will appear with Christ in glory…therefore. This is the power of the gospel. We will put to death only because of what Christ has done. Without his work, we are incapable of putting these to death.

“…whatever belongs to your earthly nature…” This phrase in with Verse 2 when he told us not to set our minds on earthly things. But he then goes on to list what they are.

“…sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” We could say that these 5 items here relate to passions of the flesh. Most fall in the category of sex. Greed is related in that it is about taking what we feel is needed even though it is not. John Woodhouse, former Principal of Moore Theological College, argues that all of the items are under the umbrella of the first item: sexual immorality. It is easy to see that the items are to do with passions of the flesh. We see, we want, we take.

Sex contained inside marriage is a very Christian idea. At the time of the New Testament writers, this was not common sense nor the norm. We live in an age again when this is no longer normal. Saving sex for marriage and containing it in marriage seems a very odd thing to do in these days. If one believes that there is no God or that God does not wish to judge us, then we are merely creatures doing what creatures do. But Colossians 3:5-7 teaches us that there are immoral approaches to sex.

“…which is idolatry.” Feeding the passions of the flesh is akin to self-worship. It places sex above God. Just in case someone reads this and thinks I am suggesting God hates sex, clearly the passage is about sexual immorality and impurity, and not everything about sex.

“Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” When we read the bible, we understand that sin is about feeding the flesh in self worship. God’s anger is against his creatures who saw, liked, took and ate – despite the clear instruction against it. The wrath of God is judgment day.

“You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.” Remember that Christians are not good people, they are sinners saved by grace. We used to walk in these ways. We can never look on a Christian and presume that they know nothing of the ‘wild life’ or rebellion and so on. They just don’t tend to brag about them!

“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these…” First we were to put to death sexual immorality. Now there is something we are to put away. Like you put the gun back in the holster. What follows is a list of things that we do with our mouth.

“…anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” A lot goes on between the eyes, the brain and the mouth. It can happen extremely quickly, but self-control is an outworking of the gospel. In the book of James we are taught that if you can control your tongue, then you can control your whole body! See James 3:3-12!

“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.” Here is a great summary of 3:5-8. The old self used to look out for number one. Child development experts note that lying is a normal stage of mental maturity, indicating intelligence. Could it not also be a kind of evidence that sin is in all of us?

The power of the gospel is transformed lives, desires and a trained tongue. We transform our thinking by growing in our knowledge of the gospel and of the true meaning of God’s grace. We reflect on the eternal hope stored up for us in heaven and that alters our wants and desires in the immediate.

Put on love (10-14)

“…and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” We don’t simply kill and put away the old self but we replace it with knew thinking. We learn more and more about our great and perfect Creator. God is referred to as Creator here to remind us that he has made us for a purpose and a reason. We are not made for lies and malice and anger and sexual immorality. We are being transformed to the likeness of God. Sin has turned his creation into a wild mess but grace will win in the end.

“Here there is no Gentile or Jew…Christ is all, and is in all.” Paul rounds out this paragraph under the theme of being images of God in that everywhere around the world, every race and human culture are one when in Christ. We lose our divisions and call one another brother and sister. In the church, there is no division according to race or anything, but we are all being transformed to the image of our one Creator in Christ Jesus.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people…” The title of God’s chosen people originates in the Old Testament when God called Abraham and his descendants to follow Him by faith. This is an element of the doctrine of election which says that we are not saved because we first came to God but that he first chose and called us.

“…holy and dearly loved…” What a way to speak of the people of God! We are not called to be enslaved to God and to serve Him for His own selfish gain – but we are holy because of the sins washed away from us and we are dearly loved, demonstrated by the sacrifice God made for us in Christ (Romans 5:8).

“…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” The gospel produces fruit like this (Galatians 5:22-23). There is a decisiveness to this in that we are to clothe ourselves. Christian growth does not happen entirely by the work of the Spirit but by the cooperation of us with the Holy Spirit.

Compassion: to feel concern for others.

Kindness: often demonstrated with the way we use our tongue but always when we think of how our speech or actions will affect someone else.

Humility: the opposite of boasting and pride. Even an expert in a subject can demonstrate humility toward others – making them feel important too.

Gentleness: a soft word, a quiet approach and a soft touch all stem from compassion, kindness, humility and patience.

Patience: Don’t let your time be the most important. It could be that someone else needs more time to come to an answer or to learn a new skill.

“Bear with one another and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.” This is a truly remarkable difference that the gospel can make. Bearing with one another is about letting things slide at times. It comes from patience. We give others room to make mistakes because you ain’t perfect either. I love it when others bear with me while I work things out or while I have time to repent of my anger or pride. Nobody rebuked me but knew that I had stuff to work on. So, don’t jump on one another every time someone does something wrong. This really helps with road rage! And then there’s forgiveness. After a recognition of sin or fault by someone else and a ‘sorry’, we run to forgiveness. The gospel must teach us this. Just like the gospel itself, forgiveness follows repentance. Without repentance there is no forgiveness of sins (Jeremiah 5:3; Ezekiel 18:32; Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 11:18; 2 Corinthians 7:10).

“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Enough said? Well, forgiveness cost God. Forgiveness is not easy but God believes that it is worth the cost. It can hurt to forgive somebody but this is the way of grace.

“And over all these virtues…” What Paul has listed are examples only of Christian virtues – or virtues found in the chosen people of God. We were created to be like this.

“…put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” When you practice any of these virtues you are showing love and exercising love. Ever wondering what to do in a situation? Put on love. Ever wondering what to say to a person? Put on love.

So we have reflected on where our hearts and minds are to be directed (1-4), we have decided to put away the old man (5-9) and replace him with the virtues of love (10-16). Now we look at what gospel itself does in the community of believers.

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly (15-17)

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” I love the thought of allowing the peace of Christ to do its thing. Don’t resist what God is doing. Allow the gospel to be communicated and meditated on. Let the impact of the gospel dominate your heart and your passions and desires. Allow God to be the greatest treasure to you. We let that happen by putting to death the deeds of the flesh and putting away the old habits of sin.

“…since as members of one body you were called to peace.” The gospel does not bring people together to be enemies but to be friends. We lose our high views of ourselves and surrender to Christ and all of us are on equal terms – one in Christ.

“And be thankful.” Practice being thankful. Make a point of ticking off the things to be thankful for. Christians ought to be thankful creatures. Thankfulness dominates resentment and discontentment.

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly…” Again, let the gospel flow in the Christian community. Let the church be well fertilized by the word of God.

“…as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom…” To teach is to instruct and remind one another of the gospel truth. To admonish is to urge and steer people back to the gospel life. Both are to be done with all wisdom. That means to know when and how to do it. We don’t just speak truth because it’s true. We do it with compassion, kindness and patience.

“…through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit…” So, the teaching and admonishing are part of our singing tradition. The songs we sing ought to be filled with gospel teaching which encourages one another in the truths of God’s word. From the Spirit refers to the content of the songs being from the mind of God.

“…singing to God…” So, our songs are sung toward one another because they are for teaching and admonishing and also sung to God as our proclamation of faith.

“…with gratitude in your hearts.” Be thankful.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Paul ends this section also with a great summary of what he has been saying all along. Our tongues and our actions must be changed by the gospel. Christ is the true King seated at the right side of God and our destiny is to be glorified with him. So let’s get busy transforming our minds and actions and words for his glory now! Put on love and do everything because Jesus is your Lord. Not out of resentment but from a thankful response to the kindness, love and mercy that God the Father has poured on us through Christ.

What did we learn?

Paul ends this section, in verse 17, with a great summary of what he has been saying all along. Our tongues and our actions must be changed by the gospel. Christ is the true King seated at the right side of God and our destiny is to be glorified with him. So let’s get busy transforming our minds and actions and words for his glory now! Put on love and do everything because Jesus is your Lord. Not out of resentment but from a thankful response to the kindness, love and mercy that God the Father has poured on us through Christ.

Now what?

Topic A: Putting to death and putting away. We must remember that our project is not to build up a perfect life but to embrace what God has already done for us in Christ. We are not earning a salvation for ourselves (Christ has claimed it for us) but when we turned to Christ, we became his followers. We are in the race. As runners, we need to get rid of things that don’t fit this life anymore. It is time to walk away from our past habits and embrace new ones. CS Lewis once wrote about Satan’s ploy to convince us that the only was to get rid of temptation is to give into it. This is a lie. Learn to turn up prayer when temptation comes. The temptation will pass and when it does, the deed will no longer look beautiful but pathetic.

Topic B: The fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit of God. They are not good deeds but good character and virtues. The fruit of the Spirit does not grow by focusing on the fruit but by focusing on the foundation which is Christ and His kingdom. Colossians talks about producing the fruit of the Spirit like putting on clothing. In that sense, we can help the Spirit work by practicing and thinking about such things as compassion and kindness. Again, understand that this improvement does not come by building your inner self and strength up but by letting Christ rule in your heart.

Topic C: Forgiving as the Lord forgave you. We’ve heard this before! The Lord’s prayer puts this right at the centre. Praying the Lord’s prayer can help us to meditate on who is the rightful ruler, whose kingdom are we serving and how are we to think about love and forgiveness, temptation and power. The point is to look to God for your motivation and direction. Maturity comes to those who let Christ rule. When faced with the hard choice of forgiving others, ask yourself what Jesus has been willing to do for you.