Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Colossians 3:12-13)

In Colossians chapter 3 the Apostle Paul wrote of the amazing work of God does in making His people new men (and women) in Jesus Christ. We are to put off the old man made after the pattern of Adam, and put on our new and true identity: the new man, made after the pattern of Jesus Christ.

That is an individual work that happens one by one. Yet those new men and women in Jesus are to live together in God’s family, and that means they have to learn how God wants the community of new people in Jesus to get along with each other.

Paul says that as we put on the new man, we also put on tender mercies, kindness, and humility. Don’t miss the fact that each one of the qualities listed here express themselves in relationships. An important measure of our Christian life is found simply in how we treat people and the quality of our relationships with them.

Paul didn’t include other virtues like efficiency, intelligence, diligence, or hard work. That wasn’t because those this are not important – they are. Yet God wanted to speak first to how we get along with our brothers and sisters in Jesus.

So, put on tender mercies. If something is tender, it is sensitive to touch. God wants us to be sensitive to each other, especially in our display of mercy.

So, put on kindness. This speaks of the attitude that holds my neighbor’s good as dear as my own good. It puts away harshness and looks to make things easier for others, not more difficult.

So, put on humility, which is something of a parent to both meekness and longsuffering. The humble person’s actions towards others will be marked by meekness, meaning that I will not dominate, manipulate, or coerce for my own ends, even if I have the power and the ability to do so. The humble person’s reactions will be marked by longsuffering, meaning that I will not become impatient, short, or filled with resentment towards the weaknesses and sins of others.

In all this, we are bearing with one another. We don’t abandon or give upon each other. We’re family, the new men and women called together into His family. One might be tempted to give up on strangers, but we’re family, all chosen together in Jesus.

New men and new women can only get along with each other as we put off the old, put on the new, and live like the new people God had made us. Make that your desire and prayer this very week.

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds (Colossians 3:8-9)

In the previous verses Paul wrote to Christians about the kind of sins they should give up and consider themselves dead to. Paul wrote about sins we normally consider notorious—sexual sins and greed. Here we see that Paul thought we should be concerned with more than notorious sins; we should be concerned with all sins, even what we might think of as “lesser” sins.

That’s why Paul wrote, now you yourselves are to put off all these. The sins Paul here listed (anger, wrath, and so forth) are regarded by many as “little” sins that Christians may overlook with little danger. God challenges us to put off the old man in every area of our lives.

The phrase put off is exactly that which would be used for taking of a suit of clothes. It’s as if Paul meant, “Now that you belong to Jesus, even these sins don’t fit you any more. Take them off like you would an old, dirty, bad-fitting suit of clothes.”

Take a good look at the sins listed here: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language and speaking the lie. Each of these sins are primarily committed by what we say. When Paul called the believer to a deeper obedience, he told us to bridle our tongue, as did James in James 1:26 and 3:1-9.

The other thing to notice about this list is it has to do with sins we commit as we relate to each other. We get angry with others, we harbor malice towards others, and we lie to each other. So as Paul listed sins in Colossians 3:5-9, he showed two high priorities in Christian living: sexual morality connected with a right attitude towards material things, and simply getting along in love with one another.

It is easy for a Christian community to compromise one for the other, but Paul (by inspiration of the Holy Spirit) insisted that they both have a high place in the Christian life.

You have put off the old man with his deeds means that in Jesus Christ, the saints of God are different people. Therefore, when we feel tempted to immorality or anger, we should regard it as an unwelcome intruder that has no right to stay. The real you is the new man; the old man is put off.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:2-4)

Paul spoke to every Christian, telling us all to set your mind on things above. You can set your mind on things below or on things above. Always remember that the best Christian living comes from minds that are fixed on heaven. They realize that their lives are now hidden with Christ in God, and since Jesus is enthroned in heaven, their thoughts and hearts are connected to heaven also.

We need to grow in our love of heavenly things. Think of what things belong to heaven:

– God in His triune nature – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
– Faith, hope, and love
– God’s eternal word
– The people of God

Christian, put your attention on these things. You used to give all your attention to things on the earth. Now, don’t ignore earthly things; we should never think that all things of this earth are evil – they are not. Still, do not set your mind on them. God created you and redeemed you for more than earth, but ultimately also for heaven.

When Jesus came into your life, God regarded it as if you died with Jesus on the cross. Now your life is hidden with Christ in God. It is hidden, so it isn’t always obvious to us or to others. It is hidden, so it is safe and secure in Jesus.

This is all real for those of whom it can be said, “Christ who is our life.” Notice that Paul wrote “our” – that means it is for all of us. Not just for apostles or super Christians, but for all believers. Sometimes we say, “Music is his life” or “Sports is his life” or “He lives for his work.” Of the Christian it should be said, “Jesus Christ is his life.”

The wonderful promise is that when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Thin about it: the promise of the return of Jesus is not only that we will see His glory, but so that we also will appear with Him in glory. This is the revealing of the sons of God mentioned in Romans 8:19.

On that day, all will see the saints of God for what they really are, not as they merely appear to this world. The world never saw Paul for who he really was. The Christians in ancient Colosse may not have seen or understood who they really were in Jesus, but it would one day be revealed. The same is true for you as a believer in Jesus Christ. The coming of Jesus will reveal who you are in all glory.

Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations; “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using; according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:20-23)

Before Paul put his trust in Jesus Christ, he lived a life almost completely focused on pleasing God by keeping the law. Before he was a Christian, Paul knew and lived the essence of legalism through and through.

So, we should not be surprised that Paul knew how to perfectly describe legalistic religion: do not . . . do not . . . do not. Legalistic religion is always defined more by what we don’t do than by what we do.

Make no mistake about it: Christianity is a moral religion. Our Christians faith has clear moral boundaries. Yet at its foundation, Christianity is a religion of positive action.

Paul also knew the key to living above legalism. It is to remember that you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world. Our identification with Jesus in both His death and resurrection (as mentioned before in Colossians 2:12) becomes the foundation for our Christian life, instead of our law-keeping.

A life of law-keeping centers on things which perish with the using. We touch them or eat them; they are temporary things that pass away. These things are not the things that matter most, the ultimate realities. The truth of what Jesus did for us on the cross is greater than any rule about what we should eat, or any other aspect of legalism.

Legalism is all arranged according to the commandments and doctrines of men. Human rules and claimed truths are emphasized above the law and truth of God. What Paul wrote about these things is true; these things indeed have an appearance of wisdom . . . but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. We might regard this as the greatest indictment against legalism in the Bible. At the bottom line, legalism’s rules have no value in restraining the indulgence of the flesh.

All such legalistic rules may have an appearance of wisdom, but they have no real value. Legalism doesn’t restrain the flesh; it feeds the flesh in a subtle, powerful way. That is why sometimes the most supposedly religious people can be filled with the most unbearable pride. The devil doesn’t mind you having lots of religion as long as he can make you legalistic and proud.

We need to reject all self-imposed religion, which is man reaching to God, trying to justify himself by keeping a list of rules. Christianity is God reaching down to man in love through Christ. Receive His love and renounce your pride today.

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:15)

In this part of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, Paul described the many different aspects of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. There was a handwriting of the accusations and debts against us, and at the cross Jesus wiped it out. Then He took that erased page out of the way, and then Jesus and nailed it to the cross.

Next in verse 15, Paul described something that Jesus did at the cross that maybe you never thought of. At the cross, Jesus disarmed principalities and powers. The words principalities and powers describe ranks of hostile angelic beings (Romans 8:38, Ephesians 1:21, Ephesians 3:10, Ephesians 6:12). Because of what Jesus did at the cross, they don’t have the same weapons to use against Christians that they have against those who are not in Jesus.

The greatest powers of the earth at that time – Rome, the greatest governmental power and Judaism, the greatest religious power – conspired together to put the Son of God on the cross. Here Paul shows us again the paradox of the cross: that the victorious Jesus took the spiritual powers behind these earthly powers and stripped them, held them up to contempt, and publicly triumphed over them.

We can only imagine how Satan and every dark gleeful demon attacked Jesus as He hung on the cross on our behalf, as if He were a guilty sinner. They thought they had won against the Son of God. They didn’t win; they lost whatever armor and weapons they had against the Son of God and His people.

Paul wrote in another place that if the rulers of this age – by which he meant both the spiritual powers of darkness and their earthly representatives – had known what would happen on the cross, they would have never crucified Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:8). They were defeating themselves and they didn’t even know it.

Against the believer, what weapons do demonic spirits therefore now have? They are disarmed, except for their ability to deceive and to create fear. These are effective “weapons” that are not tangible weapons at all. Demonic spirits only have power towards us that we grant them by believing their lies. The weapons are in our hands, not theirs. We will one-day see how afraid they were of us.

Perhaps Satan, for a moment, thought that he had won at the cross. But Hell’s imagined victory was turned into a defeat that disarmed every spiritual enemy who fights against those living under the light and power of the cross. The public spectacle of defeated demonic spirits makes their defeat all the more humiliating.

Christian, this is your joy. This is your confidence. This is your triumph. Walk in this truth today: at the cross, Jesus disarmed principalities and powers, and triumphed over them.