Unchained: Put Off Sin, Put On Christ

Jesus rescues sinners, not with cute religious language, but by stepping into the mess and doing what no person could do for himself or herself. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and salvation is not denominationalism, religion, self-improvement, or human opinion. God gently knocks, and the truth of his word sets people free.

Paul writes Colossians to Christians who need to know who they are in Christ. Colossians 1 anchors identity, because knowing who a person is in Christ frees that person to become what God calls him or her to be. Colossians 2 reminds the church that Christians still live in the world, but they are not of the world. The Christian is not perfect, but the Christian is under new management, and the Holy Spirit is sanctifying, shaping, teaching, molding, and knocking off rough edges.

Colossians 3 says that since believers have been raised to new life, the old way cannot stay in charge. New life means new sights. The realities of heaven now set the focus, because Christ sits in honor at the right hand of God. The old stuff, the old world system, and the old flesh no longer get to dominate the day. The Christian life is not about growing old in Christ, but growing up in Christ.

Paul commands the church to put to death sinful earthly things still lurking within. Sin still lurks because human flesh still battles, but sin does not have to rule anymore. Sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, slander, dirty language, and lying belong to the old life. God disciplines his children not because he hates them, but because he loves them enough to bring them back to the right way.

The word of God becomes the weapon and the mirror. Psalm 119 says that God’s word is hidden in the heart so sin will not win the battle. The word keeps from sin, or sin keeps from the word. The God of the word must fill the life.

Paul then turns from taking off the old to putting on the new. Tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, peace, and thankfulness become the clothes of the unchained life. The body of Christ needs each other, because isolation feeds the drift. Whatever is done or said must be done as a representative of Jesus, because hope has a name, and his name is Jesus.

Salvation rests on the crucified, buried, and risen Christ. Good works cannot save, a church cannot save, baptism cannot save, and a person cannot save himself or herself. John 1:12 says that all who believe and accept Christ receive the right to become children of God. The invitation is not merely to believe facts about Jesus, but to accept him, repent, cross the line of faith, and receive new life.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. New life needs new focus Colossians 3 ties resurrection life to a changed direction of attention. Heaven is not treated like an escape hatch, but like the reality that reorders desire, decisions, and daily battles. The old life loses power as Christ’s honor at the Father’s right hand becomes the center of sight. [40:37]
• 2. Sin lurks, but cannot reign The old nature still has places where it hides, whispers, and waits for an opening. Grace does not pretend the battle is gone, but grace refuses to let the believer confuse temptation with defeat. Christ gives resurrection power so the junk that still lurks does not have to dominate anymore. [43:55]
• 3. Forgiven people extend costly grace Paul grounds forgiveness in the Lord’s forgiveness, not in the offender’s deserving. Grace received becomes the measure of grace extended, which cuts against the instinct to demand mercy personally and judgment for others. Love binds the church together because forgiven people cannot keep wearing revenge like old clothes. [49:27]
• 4. Isolation feeds the slow drift The body of Christ is not an accessory to the Christian life. Drift often starts small, with missed worship, missed group, missed serving, and a quiet step away from spiritual family. Isolation gives sin room to stretch out, while the church becomes one of God’s gifts for staying awake and walking forward. [53:24]
• 5. Belief must become acceptance John 1:12 presses beyond knowing facts about Jesus. Hell has no unbelievers in the sense of ignorance, but salvation belongs to those who believe and accept Christ on this side of the grave. Repentance turns the direction of life, opens the heart, and receives the risen Savior as Lord.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:47] - Saved Means Rescued
• [30:11] - Freedom Found In Christ
• [33:32] - Jesus Came To Save
• [34:50] - Identity Under New Management
• [38:22] - Raised To New Life
• [40:37] - Set Sights On Heaven
• [43:31] - Put Sin To Death
• [49:04] - Put On Christlike Character
• [52:24] - Filled With The Word
• [53:24] - No Life In Isolation
• [55:18] - Representatives Of Jesus
• [58:21] - The Cross And Resurrection
• [61:20] - Believe And Accept Christ
• [66:44] - Living Unchained This Week

Bible Reading

Colossians 3:1-17
“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. 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. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 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; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” [38:22]

Observation questions

1. In this passage, what are believers told to seek, set their minds on, put to death, put away, and put on? [43:31]
2. What specific sins are listed as part of the old life, and what specific qualities are listed as part of the new life? [49:04]
3. According to these verses, what place do the word of Christ, thankfulness, and the body of Christ have in everyday Christian living? [52:32]
4. What repeated contrasts show up in the passage between the old self and the new self? [38:38]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul connects new life in Christ with a new focus. What does it mean to set the mind on things above without ignoring real responsibilities on earth? [40:37]
2. Paul says sinful earthly things are still “lurking within.” How does that help explain why Christians still struggle, and why is that different from saying sin is still in charge? [43:55]
3. Paul says believers should forgive “as the Lord has forgiven” them. Why is forgiveness in the church tied so closely to remembering personal forgiveness from Christ? [49:27]
4. Paul says whatever is done in word or deed should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. What does living as a representative of Jesus look like in ordinary life, not just in church settings? [55:18]

Application questions

1. New life needs new focus. What has been getting most of your attention lately—heavenly things or earthly things? Where do you feel your focus needs to shift this week? [40:37]
2. Sin may still lurk, but it does not have to reign. What is one old pattern, attitude, or habit that has been trying to creep back in lately? What would it look like to stop feeding it and put it to death? [44:32]
3. The word of God is both a mirror and a weapon. What place does Scripture really have in your weekly routine right now? What simple change could help the word of Christ dwell in you more richly? [48:04]
4. Forgiven people are called to forgive. Is there someone you have been holding at a distance because of hurt, bitterness, or a need to be proven right? What might grace look like in that relationship without pretending the hurt was small? [49:27]
5. Isolation feeds drift. If you are honest, are there any ways you have started to pull back from church family, community, serving, or honest friendships? What do you think is driving that? [53:24]
6. Whatever is done or said is meant to reflect Jesus. In what setting do your words or reactions most often stop looking like his—home, work, online, driving, or somewhere else? What would representing him there look like in a real and practical way? [55:18]
7. Believing facts about Jesus is not the same as accepting him. Where would each person in the group place himself or herself today: still thinking about Jesus from a distance, or surrendered to him in repentance and faith? What makes that answer clear? [01:02:05]