New Humanity in the Gospel

I still think this is one of the best sermons I've ever heard.

What Rules Your Heart?

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts..."

Colossians 3:15

I don't know about you, but everyday there is contention as to what I let rule my heart. I often let stress, anxiety about school and work, insecurities, and false hope rule my heart. This verse was a great reminder to me this past Sunday at church that as an adopted son of God, I can now receive and live under this peace. Regardless of circumstance, whether rich or poor, busy or at ease, up or down, I can rest assured in God's boundless love and gracious care as my Heavenly Father. So today, whatever you or I have going on, let's recognize our need for this peace that we so desperately long for, and turn to our loving Father who delights to restore his children by giving them the peace only Christ can give. 

Easter Weekend

Below is an update on my Easter weekend. It was originally posted to the Rebirth: East St. Louis blog (where I work). Enjoy reading it. For the full posts, and some sweet pictures and video, check out:
An East St. Louis Easter
Video and Pics

I hope everyone had a good Easter weekend. Mine was a particularly good Easter. I was able to go home, be with family, see friends and enjoy some really good food! What made it even better, is that I had the unique opportunity this weekend to share all of those things with a couple of our East St. Louis guys, Cortez Spencer and Luther Wright. Yes, that is correct. This weekend I had the privilege of having Cortez and Luther come up and spend Saturday and Sunday with my family and me. The weekend was an awesome experience on many different levels.

 First, the weekend was a great chance to simply spend some quality time with Cortez and Luther, continuing to build our relationship and get to know them better. We were able to play some pickup basketball, meet several of my teammates from college, cookout on Saturday night, go to church on Sunday, and have an Easter feast with the rest of my extended family. I really think the weekend, and being in a different context, allowed for several unique conversations about God, life, circumstances, etc… As you can imagine, an entire weekend along with a 4.5 hour car ride is a great chance to share in some good conversation.

 Also, as I reflect back on the weekend, I think it was a great picture of reconciliation. In the gospel, Jesus breaks down all the existing barriers and walls that both separate us from God, and that separate us from each other. Because of Good Friday (Christ’s death) and Easter (Christ’s resurrection), these barriers are completely shattered. The gospel reconciles us to God, and also reconciles us to each other. For those who don’t know, I grew up in Wheaton, IL, which, socio-economically, may be the polar opposite of East St. Louis. It’s affluent, the crime rate is nearly non-existent, and the population is mostly white. Having Cortez and Luther up was a huge reminder of how Jesus unites us. Only the gospel can bring together a random guy from Wheaton, IL and two sophomore high schoolers from East St. Louis together.  As the Apostle Paul writes, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” In other words, Jesus breaks down the religious, racial, ethnic, geographic, and economic barriers that would otherwise separate us. He completely shatters the hostility that exists between us (Ephesians 2). I think Cortez and Luther coming up to Wheaton was a picture of how Christ has broken down certain barriers for all of us. It was a beautiful scene to be sitting around a table, sharing meals with each other, learning from one another, and mutually enjoying good fellowship with one another. There are many differences that exist between us, but in Christ, we are one. We are united under the good news of Jesus. Praise God for the way he not only reconciles us to God, but also reconciles us to each other!

 I think the coolest thing about the weekend was simply the opportunity for Cortez, Luther and I to mutually share in each other’s lives’. Shane and I spend a great deal of time in East St. Louis. We are at the school, in the kids’ neighborhoods, on the football field. We have tons of opportunities to share in their life. This weekend was such a great chance to have two guys share and be a part of my life. I can’t even describe how blessed I have been through guys like Cortez and Luther, and in particular, how much of a blessing it was to have them spend the weekend with my family. This weekend wasn’t a one-way exchange. I can recall how Cortez was able to play the piano with my nana (Grandma). At one point, she was improvising Amazing Grace on the piano while Cortez was belting out the words. Imagine that! An 86 year old Italian women from the south side of Chicago collaborating with a 17 year old African-American from East St. Louis to play a rendition of Amazing Grace. It was priceless! It was also cool to see the way in which Cortez and Luther were able to encourage the many people they met this past weekend. Their stories, and the evident ways in which God is working in their lives were such a blessing to those who they met. This weekend certainly was not a one-way exchange. Rather, I’d argue Cortez and Luther were much more of a blessing to my family and I than we were to them. Their courage in traveling up to a completely foreign place, to stay with a bunch of strangers is not only commendable, but is an inspiration. I am thankful for these guys!

New Ethnics in Christ Sermon

Ok, I know this is a 55 minute sermon that I doubt most people will take the time to listen to, but this was preached at the Church I go to (The Journey) this past summer. The person preaching is Leonce Crump, a former NFL player who is currently a pastor in Atlanta. This is one of the better sermons I've ever heard. If you have time, please listen.

The Gospel: Better Than A Second Chance

Sunday, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the graduation ceremony for the January class of 2012 from the Vincent Gray Academy, in which I was able to see one of our students receive his high school diploma. The Vincent Gray Academy is an alternative high school which provides free, private education for students who live on the margins of poverty in East St. Louis. For many students in East St. Louis who have fallen through the cracks, this place provides a 2nd chance in life....


Read the rest of the post here: The Gospel: Better Than A Second Chance

The Gospel Journey

"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."

Colossians 2:13-14

As Tullian Tchividjian puts it in his book, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, this is the Gospel journey. It is a journey from being dead, to being made alive. It is a journey of being under the guilt and shame of our trespasses, to being forgiven. The Christian life is not primarily one of trying to fix ourselves so as to make ourselves look clean. Rather, it is realizing we are not clean, and trusting solely in the work of Jesus on our behalf. The Christian life is gazing more intently upon the One who canceled our debt that stood against us and who triumphed over the powers of evil. The Christian life is growing in gospel-awareness. At the cross, Jesus accomplished our forgiveness, our life, our deliverance. He did what we could never do ourselves. 

I don't really like new years resolutions, so I'm not going to call this a new years resolution. But, as we begin this new year, I am making it my aim to grow in a deeper heart understanding of this Gospel. I want to know more fully the all encompassing sufficiency of Christ's work on my behalf.  All the acceptance, security, approval, status, love, and life that I consistently long for, in Christ, I already have. My hope is to become increasingly saturated with this truth. 

The New Reality

"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of of your flesh, 

God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. 

This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."

Colossians 2:13-15

In verse 13, Paul identifies two problems for the unsaved person. They are spiritually dead and they are spiritually unclean. In other words, since birth,  our hearts are spiritually dead, and we are stained by our own sin. This is a hard pill that most people will not swallow. In fact, most of people spend their entire lives trying to cover the fact that their hearts are dead to the things of God, and to ignore the stain which sin has left upon their lives. As people, we go to great lengths to bury these realities. We want to believe that we are spiritually good, and that our sin is not that bad. But the Bible's testimony against man cannot be ignored. The Bible is forthright in its assessment of man. The reality is that since birth, we are spiritually dead, sinful people deserving nothing but God's wrath. 

Yet, Paul goes on to describe the glorious remedy which God has provided for those who are dying. God gives us new life and he forgives our sin. He gives us a new reality. He does this through his substitutionary work on the cross. This is something received, not earned. Being made alive, or having our sin forgiven is not something we can earn, or something we do, but rather it is something God did. God made us alive. God cancelled the record of debt that stood against us. He disarmed and defeated the power of evil in our lives. We are the recipients of God's marvelous work on the cross. 

God calls each one of us to live in this wonderful new reality; from dead, guilty, enslaved, hopeless sinners to born again, forgiven, redeemed saints. Today, I am thankful as I am reminded of this amazing new reality. I am thankful that some 6.5 years ago God called me out of the dark reality and made me spiritually alive, awakening me to the forgiveness that's in Christ. 

The Concept of Justification

Over the next 10 days, I will be posting 10 observations from the concept of justification. In large, each of these observations will be taken from Anthony Hoekema's chapter on justification from his book on soteriology, 'Saved By Grace'. While these concepts may be simple in nature, my hope is whether we are visiting these beautiful truths for the first time, or revisiting them, that God would give us a deeper understanding of Christ's justifying work on our behalf, and that as a result, we would love Jesus more, and see Him as exceedingly glorious. I pray God would renew a sense of awe, wonder and joy in us for the doctrine of justification.

In his book, Hoekema defines justification as "that gracious and judicial act of God whereby he declares believing sinners righteous on the basis of the righteousness of Christ which is credited to them, forgives all their sins, adopts them as his children, and gives them the right to eternal life".

Observation # 1:

The Doctrine of Justification presupposes a recognition of the reality of God's wrath. 


The need for justification stems from God's holiness. Inherently, the word holy means to be 'set apart' or 'separate from'. In the biblical sense, it means that God is perfect. He is sinless. He is 'other' from us. He stands alone in His holiness. The Bible is clear in its teaching that because is holy, he cannot tolerate sin. Darkness cannot stain the perfect light. The prophet Habakkuk puts it this way, "Your [God's] eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong" (Hab. 1:13).

In order for the gospel to be good news, we must understand what we are saved from. Our state of sin demands God's wrath. Because He is holy, because He is perfect in all His ways, God cannot simply overlook sin. Rather, Sin deserves God's wrath.

Some observations from verses describing God's wrath:

God's wrath abides on those who reject Jesus (John 3:36)
We are all by nature, objects of God's wrath (Ephesians 2:3)
God's wrath comes upon those who are disobedient (Ephesians 5:6)
Because God's wrath abides on us, we are alienated from God (Colossians 1:21)
Christ saves us from God's wrath (Romans 5:9)

So, the first observation of the doctrine of justification is that it presupposes the reality of God's wrath. Because God is holy, and we have sinned, we deserve His wrath. This fits in line with God's perfect justice. We would not say it is unjust for a judge to give a fair punishment to a criminal. How much more  perfect is God's justice than an earthly judge. Our rebellion against God, our turning away from him rightly and justly demands His wrath. Therefore, in order to have any understanding of justification, we must understand what we are justified from, and why we need to be justified.

Truly Human

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" Genesis 1:27

God is the creator of all life. All of creation is a masterpiece made by God. As Genesis reads, everything that God had made was 'very good'. But of all creation, Man was the only thing that God made in his image. We were created with God's stamp imprinted on our soul. We are made to know God in a unique way. We were formed with the intent of being infinitely intimate with Him.  Being made in God's image, we were created to reflect His glory in all of creation. We were called to be image bearers. This is what it is to be truly human.

Yet, even though God is the glorious maker and giver of life. Though He graciously entered into relationship with His creation, Man went his own way. We rebelled. We failed to be His image bearers. We chose the path of autonomy and rebellion over intimacy with our Creator. What was the result of this? The intimacy was lost. The purpose for which we were created was thwarted. Instead of experiencing the perfect delight of knowing and cherishing our Creator, as we were created for, our hearts are restless, insecure. We feel shame (Genesis 3: 8-12). Because we are separated from God, because we don't properly live as His image bearers, our relationships are broken. Because we were created with God's image stamped in our souls, our lives are broken unless that image is restored, unless God is at the absolute center. What's the solution?


"He is the image of the invisible God" Colossians 1:15

In Genesis, God identifies this problem as sin. Sin is what thwarts our image bearing. Sin dehumanizes. To be human is to know and enjoy God as we, as humans, were created to. But Sin is a cancer that derails the true essence of our humanity. So what's the solution? How is our relationship restored? How is our image bearing renewed?

One of the most beautiful verses in the Bible is Genesis 3:15. Right after Adam and Eve fall, condemning themselves, along with all their descendants (us), God makes a marvelous promise. Even though they have turned their backs on Him, God so loved us that He promised that one day He would make things right again. He promises that He will crush Sin. Even more amazing is the way in which God does this. God sends the True Image Bearer. God sent His Son Jesus, not as someone made 'in the image' of God, but as 'THE image of God'. The Son himself was God, but became man, living in human flesh. His mission was to defeat Sin, thus redeeming Man from its curse, and restoring them to that which they were created for, knowing and enjoying God. Jesus defeated Sin by absorbing the full weight of its curse, death and shame on the cross, and then resurrecting, thus displaying His victory over the power of Sin.

The Bible says that those who truly believe in Jesus have been 'born again' or 'given new life'. That's because we are given life in 'THE image bearer'. Before we were under Adam, who failed to be an image bearer, who was under sin. Now we are under Christ, who redeems from Sin, in order to restore us to a relationship with God. Through our union with Christ, we are being conformed to His image. We are being restored. Where Adam failed, and Sin crept in, Christ's victory and grace abounded. The only way to be truly human is to be given new life through faith in Christ. And as Jesus said, He came to give abundant life.

Of No Value

"If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations-"Do no handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"(referring to things that all perish as they are used)-according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh" Colossians 2: 20-23

Paul writes to the Colossians asking why they are still falling under the 'elemental' spirits of the world. The phrase 'elemental spirits' comes from a word meaning 'order', specifically, 'alphabetical order'. So in other words, Paul is asking why the Colossian Christians are following the ABC's of the world, as if the orders or regulations of the world can give life. What are the ABC's of the world? What is the world 'order'? Given the following verses, I think Paul is referring to the worlds system of religion. Religion is obeying God in order that He will accept you. Religion is trying to climb a ladder to heaven. Religion is finding comfort in your goodness. Religion is sin management. It's like putting a band aid on a gaping open wound. Religion is lifeless.

In verse 23, Paul states that the ABC's of the world, mans system of being right with God indeed has the appearance of wisdom. It looks good. They have the appearance of piety. Yet, as Paul goes on in chapter 3, true life comes from our union with Christ, wherein we are given a new self. Because the Colossians are united to Christ, just as he has been raised, they too are raised to newness of life. Because Christ died to sin, so they too are dead to sin. Their lives are hidden with Christ. (ch. 3). Why then would they spend their time following the ABC's of the world, trying to get to God by religion? It is of value. They must look to their union with Christ. They must look at the work of another. Everything in the Christian life flows from this.

This makes me ask myself, in what ways am I looking to self-made religion in order to move closer to God. Am I depending on the ABC's of the world for my justification, sanctification, redemption and wisdom? In what ways am I using religion as a cover up, to give the appearance of asceticism? In what ways do I try to look good so people and God will approve of me? This is of no value. This is lifeless. What is of value is Christ. He is the only one who can give life to a dead corpse. True life is found in Him only. And, we aren't to just look to Christ for our 1 time conversion event, where we are given new life. We are to look for Him for life everyday. Our present union with Christ is the grounds for everything in this Christian life. 

Jeremiah 31:31-34 Fulfilled in Jesus

 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, 

   “when I will make a new covenant  with the people of Israel 

   and with the people of Judah. 

It will not be like the covenant  I made with their ancestors 

when I took them by the hand  to lead them out of Egypt, 

because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them declares the LORD. 

 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel 

   after that time,” declares the LORD. 

“I will put my law in their minds  and write it on their hearts. 

I will be their God,  and they will be my people. 

No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ 

because they will all know me, 

   from the least of them to the greatest,” 

            declares the LORD. 

“For I will forgive their wickedness 

   and will remember their sins no more.”

God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah of a New Covenant that He would make with His people. It would be a new and better covenant. Whereas with the Old Covenant, God gave His people the law. Yet, they were never able to obey. They're hearts were sinful. They needed a heart transplant. With the Old Covenant, sin caused a separation of intimacy between God and His people. Though God was their husband, though He brought them out of Egypt, and gave them a King (David), and the prophets, Israel repeatedly turned from knowing God in an intimate way, as we were all created to know him. With the Old Covenant, God's people had to constantly atone for their sins through repeated sacrifices. They needed animal sacrifices and the work of the high priests for forgiveness.

However, the in the New Covenant, God fulfilled these things in Jesus. Through the New Covenant, we have a new experience of obedience, a new experience of intimacy with God, and a new experience of forgiveness. The Son came from heaven to earth, taking on human flesh, died on the cross, and resurrected in order to give us this new experience; in order that He would be our God, and we would be His people. 

In the New Covenant, we are united to Christ, and are therefore indwelled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us a new heart and new life. In our old life, we loved sin. We lived according to the flesh, according to the world. Our taste buds were for sin. Our delight was in sin. Yet, through Jesus, the Spirit dwells in us. The Spirit gives us new hearts; hearts that desire and long to obey God. The Spirit gives us new taste buds. Whereas in the past, sin tasted so good to our souls, it now is disgusting. Our taste buds long to feast on the things of God. We live according to the Spirit. God's law is no longer a burden, but it is a delight. It has been written on our hearts. (Romans 8)

In the New Covenant, we are united to Christ and therefore have an deep intimacy with God. Whereas before, sin and death inhibited us from having fellowship with God. Now, Jesus is our covenant representative. We have access to God through Christ. We were once enemies, but have been made friends. We were once fatherless, but are now called Sons/Daughters! The natural intimacy that Adam and Eve had with God before they rebelled can now be experienced. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me" (John 10:14), and "If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." (John 14:7)

Lastly, in the New Covenant, we have a new experience of forgiveness. This forgiveness is different from the Old Covenant in that it is COMPLETE. It is complete in that this sacrifice was once for all. It was for ALL the sins of His people. No longer would God's people have to look to repeated sacrifices of atonement for forgiveness. Rather, with the New Covenant, they would look to their New Covenant representative for forgiveness. The Son came to earth, and died as the all time sacrifice for sins. Our sin greatly angers God. Our sin deserves wrath. It deserves punishment. That is why in the Old Testament, people had to constantly atone for their sins. Something had to pay the price. God is just. Sin can't go unnoticed. But the gospel tells us that God has made a new Covenant, where He would do the most radical thing. His Son would come to earth, and take the once for all punishment for our sins. Even though we have been unfaithful from the beginning. God so loved the world that He (the Son) sacrificed himself on the Cross for His people's sins, once and for all. Let's look at a few verses from Hebrews and Romans...

"he (Jesus) entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats or calves, but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption."  Hebrews 9:12

"But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Hebrews 9:27

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith" Romans 3:23-25

"having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross." Colossians 2:13-14

Completely Defeated

"having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in the cross"

Colossians 2:13-15

         In writing about the record of debt that stood against us, and the powers and authorities that we battle against, Paul is acknowledging their reality. Paul is acknowledging the existence of sin and evil in the world, and their power. His encouragement isn't that they don't exist, but rather that they have been dealt with. They have been COMPLETELY defeated. The record of debt stood against us in that it brought condemnation. It is the record of debt that calls us 'sinner', 'law breaker', 'criminal'. The record of debt that rightly says we deserve death. This debt was true. Also, the rulers and authorities of evil are real. They once had dominion over our lives. We once belonged to them. We were once their slaves. 

        But thanks be to God, that through the cross, there is no more condemnation. Christ took the record of debt that stood against us and nailed it to the cross. The righteous punishment that we deserved for our law breaking, for our sin, for our wickedness, Jesus took. He absorbed the legal debt that stood against us. Jesus took the punishment of condemnation so that we could be free from its grip. More so, through the cross, the power of sin has been completely defeated as well. The word that Paul uses for 'disarm' renders a meaning of 'completely stripping something' or a 'complete disarm'. In other words, every power that sin had over us in our former life, has now been COMPLETELY STRIPPED. In his death and and resurrection, Christ's victory was so decisive, so complete, that Sin, that once powerfully ruled us and had tyrannical dominion over our lives, is now put to open shame, stripped naked of its power, and displayed publicly as defeated. This victory was decisive. It was complete. 

        Also, when we ponder the way in which God accomplished this victory (the cross), we can see how great His love is for us. The Son, though being infinitely powerful, became man, subjected himself to life on earth, and emptied himself of power, being hung on a cross. He became powerless, in order that through faith in him, he could empty sin over its power in our lives. On the cross, Christ became a curse, taking the punishment of a condemned criminal. He did this, so that we, being condemned criminals, could be free. Lastly, Christ died the most shameful death, being put on public display on the cross, in order to defeat the power of sin in our lives, and put sin to open shame by publicly displaying it as defeated. 

What God Has Done For Us in Colossians

"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might" Colossians 1:11

"who has qualified you to share in the inheritance" Colossians 1:12

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son" Colossians 1:13

"in whom we have redemption" Colossians 1:14

"But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death" Colossians 1:22

"in order to present you holy and blameless" Colossians 1:22

"the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints" Colossians 1:26

"God chose to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery" Colossians 1:27

"and you have been filled in him" Colossians 2:10

"in him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature" Colossians 2:11

"having been buried with him in baptism" Colossians 2:12

"you were raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God" Colossians 2:12

"And you who were dead in your trespasses....God made alive together with him" Colossians  2:13

"having forgiven us all our trespasses" Colossians 2:13

"By canceling the record of debt that stood against us" Colossians 2:13

"He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame" Colossians 2:13


He has strengthened us, qualified us, delivered us from darkness and transferred us to light, redeemed us,  reconciled us, he presents us holy and blameless, he has revealed the mystery of the gospel to us, he has chosen to make himself known to us, he has circumcised us with a true circumcision, we've been buried with him in baptism and raised with him in faith, he has made us alive, he has forgiven us our sins, he has cancelled our debt through the cross, and he has disarmed the rulers and authorities of this world.

All this good news in just two chapters of one book.

Absent in body and in spirit?

"For though I am absent in body, 

yet I am with you in spirit, 

rejoicing to see your good order 

and the firmness of your faith in Christ."

Colossians 2:5

A quick observation about this passage. Throughout Paul's letter to the Colossians, he expresses his deep pastoral concern for them. Earlier in the chapter Paul mentions how he has gladly suffered for the sake of the Colossians and how he struggles for them. He even says he struggles and suffers for those whom he has never even met! He is deeply connected to these people. Looking at the verse at hand, we again see Paul's deep connectedness to his people. Even though he is not there physically, his heart and thoughts are with them. He is with them in spirit. 

I bring this up because we live in a culture where most people are often absent both physically and in spirit. In this digital era, our attention is more likely to be grasped by a screen than by people. Even when we are with people physically, we really aren't 'all there'. We might be with people, but our spirit is absent. We are with our cell phones, and laptops, and TV's. Our 'physical' presence is more likely to take the form of text messaging, or facebook than it is a deep spiritual connectedness. Even when Paul wasn't physically there, he was still deeply connected in spirit. In our culture, we lack to be present in both. We lack physical presence in each others lives. Parents get divorced. Kid's don't spend time with their families. People spend more time watching TV than connecting with people. Everything is privatized. And like I said, even when we are 'with people' half the time we are usually texting someone else who isn't even there. We are absent both physically and spiritually. We are all guilty of this. 

So how do we get back to this deep connectedness that Paul seemed to have? It all starts with the Gospel. The Gospel gives us a deep connectedness to God. In turn, we then will have a deeper connectedness to people, because we are united in Christ. The Gospel unites us as believers as we share in the same Spirit. Also, the Gospel gives us the only real motivation to reach out and connect and love people in a deep way, the way in which Paul did. The motivation is this. When we were disconnected, Christ reached out in the ultimate way to re-connect us to the Father. The Son reached out by coming to earth, taking on human flesh, living the perfect life, dying the death that we deserved for our disconnection, and then resurrected, so that our original connectedness that we had in the beginning (Adam and Eve) can be restored. When we were far off and disconnected, God died for us to connect us. To bring us back in. That is beautiful. That is why the Gospel transforms community in a radical way. That is why the Apostle Paul has such a deep connectedness to the Colossians. This verse is an encouragement for me to pursue real relationships. To be deeply connected to people, not facebook. Legitimate connection is found and motivated only in the Gospel. In the words of Jim Elliot, 

"Where ever you are, be all there"

So It Was Thought

"Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,"

Luke 3:23

Who was Jesus? The second chapter of Matthew's Gospel ends with Jesus growing up in Nazareth. Nazareth was known as a town from which nothing good could come. In fact, the word 'Nazarene' may actually have been a nickname or slang meaning for something that was insignificant.

So what does Luke 3:23 tell us about who Jesus was/is. The phrase 'so it was thought' reveals that to human eyes, Jesus was the son of an unimportant carpenter from insignificant Nazareth. His human resume was not one to boast in. Yet, in reality, Jesus was the beloved Son of God, in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

"This is my Son, whom I love, the one in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him" Colossians 1:19

In God's sight, Jesus was the Beloved Son. This was His true identity. In the same way, our human resume is nothing to boast about. There is nothing great about us. Our identity in ourselves is rather insignificant in the big picture. Yet, when we are in Christ, the reality of our identity is radically different. In God's sight, we are beloved children with whom He is well pleased. This is our true identity.

Alienated Enemies

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in yours minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation"

Colossians 1:19-22

These verses reveal such a great deal about the Biblical story as a whole.

First, in verse 19, we get a glimpse of the cosmic scope of redemption. God is reconciling ALL things to himself, whether things on earth or in heaven. If we recall, God is the creator of all. He is sovereign over all. All of creation displays His glory and His greatness. In the beginning, God created the earth, the heavens, day and night, the land and sea, plants and animals. They were all good. Lastly, He created man. Although God loves His creation, and His creation was 'good', man had a special place in God's heart. To reflect His very presence on His created earth, God made man in His own image. How amazing is that? We were created in His likeness. We were created with a special capacity, to know and be intimate with our creator. We were created with a special capacity to reflect His glory, to love and be loved. We walked with God in harmony. We were created to be the caretakers of His creation, to mediate His presence. It was very good.

Secondly, these verses present the magnitude of the fall. While God's creation was good, and He so freely and lovingly made man in His own image, and graciously walked with man in utter harmony, Man rebelled. Man turned. But, the fall of man didn't just effect one man (Adam), it effected the entire creation. The Woman (Eve) would experience pain in child bearing. The ground was cursed, and Adam's work would bring him pain and toil. Harmony was broken between Man and God, between Man and Woman (relationships), between Man and earth (nature). That is why 'ALL' things are to be reconciled. Not just individual souls. The Gospel is about God bringing about a complete restoration or reconciliation to 'ALL' things. God redeeming a people for himself is the center of this complete restoration.

It is important to notice the words Paul uses to describe our previous fallen state. He says that we were 'alienated' and 'enemies'. When Paul says 'enemies' he isn't merely stating a passive disruptance between us and God. It is not 'God hated you', where we have passively received this conflict. Rather, we are actively enemies. The fall shows our rebellion. It is us turning our backs on God, not God turning His back on us. We are actively hostile towards God. It has been that way from the beginning. The Bible tells one story, where time after time, this theme of restoration is found. I'll probably make another quick post in a few days trying to show how, from since creation, to the fall, God through various covenants has been bringing about the restoration, or re-creation of His original good creation.

Thirdly, this passage shows the magnificent means by which peace is reestablished. Given that we have openly rebelled against God, and whether we think so or not, have declared in our hearts our autonomous hostility towards God, it is amazing to think that God would even try to win us back. But that is why the Gospel is so amazing. We play the part of the undeserving. The Bible tells time and time again, of God begging His people to turn back to him, to believe unto Him, to follow his guidelines. Yet, just like in the garden, when God told Adam not to eat the fruit, we repeatedly choose to disobey, we repeatedly choose to rebel. This is open hostility.

But, along the way, God promises us something unbelievable. He says,

³¹ "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ³²not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. ³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

God promises to make a way to re establish peace. It will come through a new and better covenant. Whereas before, God's people, Israel, repeatedly broke the covenant, God says in the new covenant, He will put His law on our hearts, and that they will truly be His people again. He will forgive their iniquity and forget their sins. This is the Gospel. From the beginning, God had a marvelous plan to restore His people once and for all. Jesus was the answer. The Son came to earth, and lived the perfect life, and died the death in order to forgive our sins. He died the only death that could possible bring peace. More so, God gives His Spirit to His people, so that they are continually transformed. The law of God no longer condemns us, but is written on our hearts. This is reason to praise God. Though I was in constant rebellion, constant hatred towards God, though I never upheld my end of the bargain, though I was unfaithful to my call to bear God's image, Jesus died to reconcile me. I was at war with Him, yet He crossed enemy lines and took the sting of death, so that there would be peace. Praise be to God!

Walking in a Manner Pleasing to Him

"so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. ¹¹May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." Colossians 1:10-12

What does it mean to walk in a worthy manner of the Lord, in a way that is pleasing to him?

According to God's Word, it means.....

1) Bearing good fruit

2) Increasing in our knowledge of Him

3) Being strengthened by His power

4) Giving Thanks

Moreover, Paul writes that it is God who qualifies us. We bear good fruit because God's seed has been planted in us, and we are new creations. We now live by the indwelling Spirit, who produces good fruit in us. We Increase in knowledge according to what He lovingly reveals to His children. We are strengthened by His power according to His glorious might. We give thanks because of what He is doing in and through us.

Yet, we are to walk this way. We are called to act. We are to press on to live a life pleasing to God. But we do this by looking to God himself, as the source and qualifier of our faith, who, by His grace, will enable us to bear good fruit, increase in knowledge, be strengthened and give thanks.

Under A New Domain

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:12

Paul seems to make a pretty weighty statement here. Christians are not just brought from a state of darkness to a state of light. Rather, we have been delivered from a domain. Darkness is not just a state, it is a kingdom, it is a domain, it is a stronghold. When we are under the domain of darkness, we belong to this kingdom. Our citizenship belongs to darkness, to the Evil One and we are under his rule. Yet, God has delivered us. He has completely transferred us. Reality has completely changed. Our citizenship is no longer in the kingdom of darkness, but in the kingdom of Jesus. The new kingdom reverses the affect of darkness.

Whereas before, when I lived under the domain of the Evil One, under the kingdom of darkness, my life was defined by the one who ruled me. But now, having been delivered from the darkness, into the glorious kingdom of Christ, my life is defined by my New King. I am under His rule. My citizenship is in Heaven. I belong to Him. I am defined by what my New King has accomplished, which Paul states so plainly saying, 'in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.'

This verse encourages me to live under the reality of my new domain. I am no longer under the allegiance of sin because I have transferred kingdoms. My allegiance, my life, my everything is with Christ. What a glorious truth! I once was a slave, under the oppressive rule of darkness, but Jesus died to redeem me, to set me free from my bondage. Now I am free. And in my freedom, I gladly bow to my New King.

Through our Union with Christ

Through our Union with Him, Christ is our:

Head (Colossians 1:18, 2:19)

Source of Life (John 14:6)

Light (John 8:12)

Fullness (Colossians 2:9-10)

Goal (Romans 10:4)

Source of growth and unity (Colossians 2:19)

Wisdom

Righteousness

Sanctification and

Redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30, Colossians 2:3, Ephesians 1:17)