1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Paul begins this chapter with a “since”. He is referring back to chapter two, in which he discussed an idea of succession: if you have been rescued by Christ, through his resurrection and the salvation He offers, then why would you enter back into the world view, the very life that you have just escaped from? If God has changed your heart, then there is a fundamentally better place that you can aspire to.
This place is with Christ. He says to set our hearts on the things above. With Christ at the head of our life, then practical living takes on an entirely new perspective. Back in the days of darkness, we were driven by the lusts of the flesh. We were selfish and self-absorbed. Now, with the perspective clear, we can move toward a higher understanding of what life is really about.
This is the basis of eternal thinking. When we have an eternal mindset, thinking first of Christ before all else, we’ve set the perspective as the servant rather than the master. Our master, in Heaven, is who we aspire to emulate. When we remember that, and the sacrifice that was incurred to save us, then there is a blessing on us, a new perspective that can shine for others to see. The blessing of this union, this relationship, is especially important when judgment comes. Christ will not judge us with the harsh wrath we deserve, but with the mercy that flows freely from Him.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
With the new identity we have in Christ, we must not just put away, but put to death (nekrosate) the very things that we lived for in the former life. That earthly nature - sexual immorality, greed, idolatry - must be dealt with. Each one of these things, in their own way, turns us away from God. They create barrier between us and Jesus, and that barrier rises when we choose to indulge and shun the accountability that God offers.
Our earthly nature is strong. We have desires that attempt to rule us, to pretend that they are the way to freedom and happiness. Our flesh is in constant battle with our spirit - they want different things. The flesh can be likened to our earthly impulses, those things that feed our selfish nature. We feed the flesh through much of our lives. But when God intervenes, He brings an accountability we’ve been trying to outrun much of our existence. It is in that accountability that we see the folly of our ways and have the choice to turn into the accountability instead of away from it. It we choose accountability, then we will deal with God’s mercy in the end.
If we choose to turn away from the choice for God, then we must deal with God’s wrath. This is the path away from God, the path toward our own human desires. When we take this path it always plays out the same: we choose our own truth, we find ways to call that truth good, and we bring it into our lives, nurture it, grow it, until it has the ability to overtake us (James 1:13-15).
8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
In these verses, Paul presents another strata of sins which are unlike the first batch. Originally, he said we need to “kill” sexual immorality, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. These sins are sins of things we do. But the second list are sins of things we say. Are they lesser sins? No. All sin is a separation from God. Some sins become acts of the flesh (sexual immorality), while others are sins against others (anger, slander, etc). If we are to identify with Christ, then we must identify what Christ stands for. Paul says to take off the old self and put on the new self, which is a great analogy for this life change. If we are to put on the new self, then what’s the point of allowing ourself to belong to any of the old self? The old self returns us to a time of disobedience and shame. The new self to a place of peace and contentment. In that new place we have given God the permission, so to speak, of refining us so that we begin to resemble him more than the world of which we once belonged.
In all of this, Christ is supreme. He is in all and He is for all people.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Continuing with the clothing analogy, Paul tells us what to put on for this new self. First, we must understand that we are His chosen people. Those who follow God through Jesus Christ are adopted into the family of God, heirs to the kingdom, servants willing and able to do His work. With this great privilege, Paul shows us how to conduct ourselves in a fallen world.
1. Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience: These are relational qualities. How we treat others matters. Harsh judgment is not where a Christian should live. At the heart of human judgment is legalism. But at the heart of a follower of Jesus must be the care and support that each human being craves. It shows the spirit at work in us (Galatians 5:22) and shows others the heart of God.
2. Be patient and forgive one another: As God has forgiven us, we are to forgive others. But in the forgiveness God has given, we might forget His patience with us. How long did you walk in darkness? How long did you harbor ill feelings? The forgiveness, like patience, must be looked at in retrospect. How patient was God with you? How long was it before the forgiveness happened? It was long. So in the same way we must be patient with others, forgiving them when the time is proper.
3. Love binds them all together in perfect unity: This is the motivation. All of these godly attributes only works if the motivation is correct. Love is always the baseline of our motivation. Without love, it is an empty function.