The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Colossians 3:9-10,
"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."
Paul makes the point in Colossians 3 that, as believers, we need to take off our old sinful nature and put on a new nature, one that is in the image of our Creator. He says, "Put to death..." verse 5, "rid yourselves..." verse 8, "since you have taken off..." verse 9, all in reference to our old "earthly nature." In reference to a new nature, one that is in the image of our Lord, he says, "you... have put on..." verse 10, "clothe yourselves with..." verse 12, "and over all the virtues put on..." verse 14. Paul paints the picture of a person, now a believer, going into the changing closet, taking off the old and putting on the new.
Some may find changing difficult, but I suspect that is often due to missing his exhortation in his introduction: setting our hearts and minds on Jesus Christ who is seated at the right hand of God, Colossians 3:1-4. Unfortunately, I suspect many hear on Sunday mornings the danger of sin in our lives and the need to turn from it without reference to the much needed prerequisite of focusing our hearts and minds on Jesus Christ.
In any event, the transformation the Lord has determined to work in our lives is to bring change from the sinful to that which reflects the Lord himself. Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love are marks of our Lord. Anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire and greed are marks of the sinful, earthly nature - that nature from which we arrive in the family of God.
In Romans 8:29 we read, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." Before time began, looking ahead to those he would choose for himself - all who will embrace him in faith - God determined he would conform them to the image of his Son.
The character and nature of Jesus Christ is of pristine perfection. The vast sum of the qualities that define his perfections can only be described as a many-splendored glory that projects his majestic and flawless presence that is inapproachable apart from sensing our own sinful condition. I'm reminded of some of the encounters we read of in the Scriptures, "'Woe to me!' I [Isaiah] cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.'" Isaiah 6:5. Samson's father, "'We are doomed to die!' he said to his wife. 'We have seen God!'" Judges 13:22. The apostle John, "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.'" Revelation 1:17-18.
The change Paul speaks of in Colossians is significant, a change that we all will be engaged in by direction from the Lord's work in our lives. While we will never achieve the perfections of Jesus Christ in this life, God is busy moving us in the direction of his nature, culminating in our arrival in the resurrection absent a sinful nature and reflecting the Lord's nature.
I can hear the folks now... "Trevor! I hardly recognize you at all!" Yep, some of us, like me, have a lot of change ahead!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment