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Understanding Gods Grace
How do we live as Christians? Paul introduces Christians to living by God's Grace.
In Colossians Chapter 2 verse 8 Paul says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
Paul says to not live by the “principles of this world”. What are the “principles of this world”?
In Colossians Chapter 2 verses 20 to 23, Paul explains what the “principles of this world” are when he says,
“Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"?
These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.
Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
Paul explains that rules do not restrain sensual indulgence. God doesn't want Christians to keep a set of rules. God wants to change the attitudes of Christians. God wants Christians to love Him and show it by loving others.
Jesus did not reveal the entire plan of God's Grace. Jesus preached to an audience who were still under God's law because Jesus had not died on the cross yet. But Jesus did hint many times to Grace when He broke rules for the sake of compassion for others. In the Sermon On The mount Jesus added to the law to show people they could not measure up to God's standards, while at the same time he hinted at God's plan of Grace when He said, He came to fulfill the law. And he also said more than once that he desired mercy from his followers, not religion or sacrifice or rule keeping. Jesus spoke in parables. But God revealed the plan of God's Grace to the apostle Paul.
God's new plan of Grace is explained by Paul in Colossians 2 verses 13 to 17 where Paul says:
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
At the cross Jesus cancelled the written code. The system of the world that Paul refers to is the system of law, the system of rules, the system of legalism.
Paul explains what the “principles of this world” are when he says, “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
And yet Paul continues in Colossians 3 to say, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other …”
Does it sound like Paul is saying don't live by rules in Colossians Chapter 2 and then in Chapter 3 he is giving us a set of rules to live by?
There is a difference between the rules Paul condemns and the rules Paul tells us to keep.
The rules Paul condemns deal with conduct. The rules Paul tells us to keep deal with attitudes and character.
Paul condemns rules like “do not eat, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” and I think Paul would include “do not look”. Instead Paul admonishes us to have proper attitudes, to have character.
And Paul explains why we should want to have new attitudes and good character when in Colossians Chapter 3 he says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above …”
Paul brings us back to our motivation for living, for our motivation for controlling our desires. Our motivation is that we are focused on God and furthering God's kingdom, we are focused on “things above”.
Paul goes on to say in Colossians 3, “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
God wants to change our hearts, our attitudes, our perspective on life. The primary way we further God's kingdom here on earth is by loving others and telling others about God's love. This is our mission; our purpose in life. All we do, all the things we buy, all the time we spend should some how further God's Kingdom. God recognizes we have needs and so God allows us to gratify our flesh to the extend that it helps us be more emotionally and physically stable to be able to serve God better.
So instead of having a bunch of rules to live by, we have an attitude of wanting to live for Christ.
As we live for Christ, we will be busy caring about and ministering to others and telling them about Jesus.
What about our own needs and desires? Can we eat, play golf, watch movies, go on vacations, etc? Can we spend time and money meeting our own needs and desires? Are some forms of meeting our needs and desires worse than others?
The Bible teaches we should not love the world and we should control the desires of the flesh. However ministering to our own needs and desires so that you can better serve God and others is fine.
It is our attitude that matters. If we love the world and the things of the world, we don't understand God's Grace.
If we love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as our selves, we will use the things of the world as tools to help us better serve God and others.
Once we have this attitude of living for God and using our time and our money to help others and tell others about God's love, then as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12a ,"Everything is permissible for me”.
Once our attitude has changed and we are living to further God's kingdom, by showing God we love him by loving others, we will demonstrate God's love and live out the fruits of the Spirit in
Galatians 5:22-23 which are, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
So once our attitude has changed and we only feed our flesh to the extend that it helps us better serve God, and we then begin to show God we love Him by loving others, our love will demonstrate God's fruit of the Spirit to others. And when this happens there is no need for a set of rules.
Why? Because as Paul said in I Corinthians 13 verses 4 to 7, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
If we show God we love Him by loving others with this kind of love, there is no need for rules.
God wants to change our hearts. God wants us to not fall back into the “principles of the world” -the law - legalism.
What is a sincere Christian's biggest temptation? To feel that the way they have chosen to live is Godly and then begin to subconsciously condemn others who do not live “as holy” as they do. How can sincere Christians overcome this temptation? The way Christ did. Christ broke the legalistic rules. Jesus over and over broke the rules to minister to those who were sinners.
This is the example that Christ lived. Christ did not sin. Christ knew that breaking legalistic rules for the sake of loving your neighbor is right – not wrong.
Married couples should break the legalistic rules for the sake of freeing their spouse from the addiction to pornography, for the sake of freeing their spouse from boredom, or whatever.
This was also the example in the Old Testament that Sarah and Rebecca lived. Their husbands pawned them off as sisters, and yet they submitted. Now I would disagree with posing as your husbands sister, but Hebrews 13 verses says “the marriage bed is undefiled” and so within the privacy of the marriage bed there is no room for legalism. Legalism only alienates your spouse and makes your spouse vulnerable to things of the world, such as secretly looking at porn.
God wants to free us from the law - from rules, and give us a new attitude. A new perspective on life. It is called “Grace”. God wants us to Love Him with all our hearts. And the way we show God we love Him is by loving others – especially our spouse and family. God wants our love for Him and our love for others to enter into every decision we make during the day.
As our attitude changes, we will begin to ask ourselves these questions. “Will this time I'm spending help me better serve God, minister to others, or help me tell others about Christ?” “Will this money I'm spending help me better serve God, minister to others, or help me tell others about Christ?” “Will this item I'm buying, help me better serve God, minister to others, or help me tell others about Christ?”
As we begin to live to love others to show God we love Him and in so doing further God's Kingdom, will we stop loving the world and the things of the world; we will be able to give up our old set of rules; and we will stop judging others.
We will know that the so called rules of the New Testament, are not rules at all, but admonishments, advice, they are targets to help us know where God wants us to end up at as our attitudes and desires begin to change - then will we understand God's Grace.
But stay tuned because Paul does make some very strong statements that indicate that God will judge those Christians who break the rules. For example Paul says in Colossians 3 verse 25, “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.” And in other places he says that only if you keep your faith to the end, will you be saved. What does Paul mean? Next time we will discuss this topic of “Once Saved Always Saved?”
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