Raised with Christ

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (vs. 1-4).

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:1-10 ESV).

In order for us to be raised with Christ we first of all must have been crucified with Christ in death to sin. Then we can be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Therefore, we are to not let sin reign in our mortal bodies, to make us obey its passions. For if sin is what we obey, and not obedience to our Lord, and not walks of righteousness and holiness, it will lead to death, not to life eternal with God (Romans 6:1-23).

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily, and follow him. And when Jesus took up his cross it was to put our sins to death. So when we take up our cross daily, we die to sin daily. And to follow him is to obey him and to do the kinds of things he did and said, i.e. to emulate him, and to follow his leading in our lives. For if we hold on to sin and to living for self, we will lose our lives. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and walk in obedience to him, in practice, we will save our lives for eternity (see Luke 9:23-26).

For we are not saved from our sins, forgiven all sins (past, present, and future), guaranteed heaven when we die, and promised that nothing can take that away from us merely on a once in our lives profession of faith in Jesus Christ. The Scriptures do not teach that. They teach our salvation as progressive sanctification. So we must now walk (in conduct, in practice) no longer according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, in walks of holy living and in obedience to our Lord (see Romans 8:1-14).

For we are to no longer live like the ungodly do due to the hardness of their hearts. We are not to become callous, giving ourselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. That is not the way we should have learned Christ if we have been taught the truth that is in Christ “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (see Ephesians 4:17-24).

So, when this says here “If then you have been raised with Christ,” this is a conditional phrase. It is not assuming that you have been raised with Christ, and what follows only applies to those who have been raised with Christ. And this goes back to Romans 6:1-23 where it teaches us that we must first be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and then we will be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So death to sin must come first!!

And this isn’t just about Jesus putting our sins to death, which is obvious by these other passages to which I referred, and many others with a similar message. Death to sin on our part, by the grace of God, must precede us being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Then only are we able to seek the things that are above and not the things of this earth. For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24).

But then what follows is our walk of faith in Jesus Christ. We are to be those who seek the things that are above that are of God. This means that our lives are surrendered to Jesus Christ to walk in his ways, and so we are those who are in fellowship with him daily, studying his word, and letting him speak to our hearts in applying the truths of his word to our daily lives. And if we are seeking what is of God, we will hear him call us to his service and we will follow him in ministry in sharing his gospel and in encouraging the saints of God in their walks of faith in our Lord Jesus.

And we are no longer to have our minds set on the things of this world and on the things of the flesh and what is selfish and self-indulgent and is all about us. For we will be those who desire to do the will of God. And so we should be those who have put behind us such things as sexual immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and the like. We are to be those who have put off the old self with its practices, and who have put on the new self in Christ Jesus, which is being renewed in the knowledge after the image of its creator (cf. Ephesians 4:17-24; Luke 9:23-26; Titus 2:11-14).

And then when Christ appears, we will also appear with him in glory. We have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God. But all who have not died to sin and who are not living for God, but who are still living for self and in self-indulgence and in sinful practices, and who are not walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands (New Covenant), and who are not living holy lives pleasing to God, they will die in their sins. They will not inherit eternal life with God regardless of what their lips profess. So don’t be among them but be followers of Jesus Christ now and forevermore.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Video Talk

https://youtu.be/aGzYhwvubLI

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Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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