Living the New Life

“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.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Paul is instructing the members of the church at Colosse on how to think. Don’t be conformed to the world, he says, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds. Release your old earth-bound perspective to become heavenly in your thinking. You are not any longer a native of this planet who thinks of heavenly things. You are a heavenly resident who is temporarily on the earth. Dream in the language from which you came and not your adopted tongue.

The old person has died and passed away. Now you are a new creature.

The old way of being, the way of earth-bound people, is to prescribe in earthly terms, based on human descriptions and human concepts. But you’re different now. Change your focus. Turn your gaze higher. Move your attention and your thinking and your dreaming and your being to heaven.

Paul often spoke about the prize. He kept his eye on the prize for which he was being drawn heavenward. Here he tells the church to do the same. Look at what you’re going to and stop using your old ways to guide your new life.

It’s radical, outside-the-box thinking. If I strip off all that is of this world, and focus on Christ and all that is in the heavenly realm, I don’t have to prescribe my behavior. It follows my vision.

There’s a rule taught in advanced motorcycle riding skills courses – when you are riding around a curve look past the first part of the curve into the rest of the curve, because where you look there you will go. It’s difficult to look past the immediate to the future. The immediate can seem to fill the field of vision. But beyond it is the destination. It is where God wants you to be. It is where Christ is. And it is the life that is worth living.

Where you look there you will go.

Colossians 3:5-10 (Amplified Bible)
So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God).
It is on account of these [very sins] that the [holy] anger of God is ever coming upon the sons of disobedience (those who are obstinately opposed to the divine will), among whom you also once walked, when you were living in and addicted to [such practices].
But now put away and rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander, and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips!
Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices, and have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it.

Don’t look back.
There are things that you left when you accepted Christ into your life; the old ways of being, of thinking, of acting. You had to leave them because there was no room for them in your new life. Jesus gives instruction on this in Luke 9:61-62, “Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.’ Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
It isn’t just the obvious things that God wants us to dispose of. Sexual impropriety and the idolatry from greed are natural enemies of the Christian life. But, God also wants us to get rid of the things we do and say that do not honor him. Being angry. Having bad feelings toward other people. Saying things that are bad against other people. Having foul mouths. Saying things that should bring shame. Lying.

You’re new people, not living the old life. So, stop living in it. You’re already in the process of becoming fully alive in Christ, not stuck in the stagnation of the dead in the world. The old, dying world stinks and causes disgust. Even the world sees the actions of people and judges them. When you continue with old habits of being from a depraved and lost world you not only continue to drag yourself back down into a pit that Christ called you out of, you also signal to others that you do not believe in the power of Jesus Christ to save you. You are not being the light shining in the wilderness that you have been saved to become. But Jesus Christ is renewing you and remolding you in his image. Go for that and don’t look back.