The Lion, the Witch, and My New Wardrobe
Scripture:
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 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,
Colossians 2:11-13
And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Colossians 3:10
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; gas the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:12-14
Context:
Paul in his letter to the people of Colossae begins to teach them about the nature of redemption using the metaphor of clothing, something someone takes off and puts on. He also wraps his teaching about redemption in the metaphor of circumcision. To us this is just a metaphor that says the taking off process is painful and permanent. To the Jews and the people in the first century the metaphor of circumcision was huge. Circumcision in the first century was one of the three pillars of faith: Sabbath, circumcision, and dietary laws. Paul chooses to use this metaphor not just because it portrayed the permanent nature of God’s redemption process, but rather to prod into the midst of the Judeo tradition. This metaphor was meant to radically change and challenge the Judeo perspective of faith.
First a believer is supposed to permanently take of the flesh, the things of this world, our sinful nature. Second a believer is supposed to put on the new self, which is the image of God. This second part is interesting because this new self comes with a renewing of knowledge after the image of its creator. In the Garden of Eden man was created in the image of its creator, yet betrayed that image when their lust for knowledge led them astray. This idea of knowledge is at the very forefront of the fall of man, and yet a renewed knowledge is at the forefront of redemption. This new self is a restoration to the image that man was created originally.
Reflection/Application:
So after reading these passages I draw to a question, and that question is, is there anything in my life that is of the old self that I need to permanently remove? And the answer to that question is yes. There are things from my past some that I hold onto out of comfort and some that cling to me out of fear and regret. But the bible tells us that we are new creations, that we must take off our old selves and put on the new self. As a believer I need to embrace this promise and take off permanently my old self. God has redeemed us, given us a new start, I need to take it completely.
I think one of the reasons that I have had such a hard time letting go is that for better or worse I define myself by who I was, and not by who I am. Ya, I used to walk in the flesh everyone used to, but I no longer live it is Christ who now lives in me.
In Christendom it has become chic to have a crazy testimony, and for me I do not know how to have a testimony and still let go completely of my old self. I retell and relive the old me in conversation, almost in a spiritual pissing match about the good old days. Maybe it is time to just let go and let my testimony be about what God is doing in my life and not what life used to be like?
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for everything you have done, continue to do, and will do in my life. Let my life and testimony be about you and only you, not about the old me that no longer exists (seeing that I am a new creation). Amen…
Sanctifying Statement:
Say it loud I’m redeemed and I’m proud!
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 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,
Colossians 2:11-13
And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Colossians 3:10
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; gas the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:12-14
Context:
Paul in his letter to the people of Colossae begins to teach them about the nature of redemption using the metaphor of clothing, something someone takes off and puts on. He also wraps his teaching about redemption in the metaphor of circumcision. To us this is just a metaphor that says the taking off process is painful and permanent. To the Jews and the people in the first century the metaphor of circumcision was huge. Circumcision in the first century was one of the three pillars of faith: Sabbath, circumcision, and dietary laws. Paul chooses to use this metaphor not just because it portrayed the permanent nature of God’s redemption process, but rather to prod into the midst of the Judeo tradition. This metaphor was meant to radically change and challenge the Judeo perspective of faith.
First a believer is supposed to permanently take of the flesh, the things of this world, our sinful nature. Second a believer is supposed to put on the new self, which is the image of God. This second part is interesting because this new self comes with a renewing of knowledge after the image of its creator. In the Garden of Eden man was created in the image of its creator, yet betrayed that image when their lust for knowledge led them astray. This idea of knowledge is at the very forefront of the fall of man, and yet a renewed knowledge is at the forefront of redemption. This new self is a restoration to the image that man was created originally.
Reflection/Application:
So after reading these passages I draw to a question, and that question is, is there anything in my life that is of the old self that I need to permanently remove? And the answer to that question is yes. There are things from my past some that I hold onto out of comfort and some that cling to me out of fear and regret. But the bible tells us that we are new creations, that we must take off our old selves and put on the new self. As a believer I need to embrace this promise and take off permanently my old self. God has redeemed us, given us a new start, I need to take it completely.
I think one of the reasons that I have had such a hard time letting go is that for better or worse I define myself by who I was, and not by who I am. Ya, I used to walk in the flesh everyone used to, but I no longer live it is Christ who now lives in me.
In Christendom it has become chic to have a crazy testimony, and for me I do not know how to have a testimony and still let go completely of my old self. I retell and relive the old me in conversation, almost in a spiritual pissing match about the good old days. Maybe it is time to just let go and let my testimony be about what God is doing in my life and not what life used to be like?
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for everything you have done, continue to do, and will do in my life. Let my life and testimony be about you and only you, not about the old me that no longer exists (seeing that I am a new creation). Amen…
Sanctifying Statement:
Say it loud I’m redeemed and I’m proud!
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