Colossians 2:20-23
What is your self-evaluation based on? Most of us stop and examine ourselves,
for some it is daily, and for others it may be when a storm comes into our
lives, it may be weeks or even years between the process of evaluating your own
character, work, or achievements.
The apostle Paul asked this question: “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 not handle, Do not
taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used) –
according to human precepts and teaching?”
Being somewhat a bottom-line type, it comes down to not what
I believe, but do I believe the Scriptures? Because if I believe the Scriptures it is clear that when I
entered into Christ, I entered into His death, and I also entered into His
resurrection, His time line is now my time line. It may be helpful to refer to Romans 6:6, where we are told
that our old self was crucified with Christ and that sin no longer has power
over us. You might want to go to
Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ
and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” In 2 Timothy 2:11, “Here
is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him.”
Then why do we submit to these regulations? The Baptist for years taught people not
to dance and not to drink, but while taking that stance they said nothing about
the deacons who smoked on the front steps while greeting the members. That has changed in many Baptist
churches, now the message is be moderate in your drinking and when it comes to
dancing they do it on stage at special times. For my many Catholic friends, you are no one to throw
stones, for years you could not eat meat on Fridays, and then one day it’s
Ok. Not one of the examples above
came from God, they were manmade, it was men best effort to earn goodness and
it was by rules, not faith.
The apostle Paul goes on to state in verse 23, “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.” It comes back to the flesh; flesh is your will
outside of the will of God. Flesh
is how you learned to get your needs met, and flesh likes to look good and
religion is a great place for flesh.
The Scripture is clear that our flesh is in a battle with the Spirit, it
does not want to submit to the Spirit.
Now let me ask a question that I often ask myself; can a
dead person show desires? No, they are without life, and yet we
have been told we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. “The life I live in the body, I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians
2:20b) Often I ask for faith,
faith to believe the truth that I know, faith to trust God and not men, faith
to stop and act on the knowledge God has shown me in His word. If you are in Christ you have been
freed from the control of sin, but you must let Jesus do it all for you. But how do I do that? Colossians 2:6 has the answer: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as
you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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