BEING CHRIST-LIKE
In a world where you can be anything, an
advertisement for Pandora Jewelry suggests what one can be: "Be the one
thing that can change everything, be bold, be authentic, be brilliant, be the
unexpected, be the beauty, be an open heart a first step, a comfort, a force,
be true, be nurturing, be open-minded, be understanding, be connected to what
matters, selfless, be Limitless, be the laughter. In a world where you can be
anything, Be Love, Be Love![1]
This advertisement has a subtle message: If
you buy and own Pandora Jewelry, you can embody all that, and in doing so,
fulfill the longing to love and be loved. How deceptive it can be? It made me
think! How about you, as a follower of Christ in a world where you can be
anything, what would you like to be? In our In Him series, we will explore what
the Apostle Paul wanted the Colossian believers to be and how that impacts us
today. Colossians 3:10-17
I. Christ is The Firm foundation For New Life
The scriptures repeatedly express that when a
sinner surrenders their life to Jesus, something new happens within them. The
old is gone, and the new has come. They become a new Creation in Christ. Our
old sinful life has been replaced with a new life. We are to move away from the
way we used to live and rebuild our lives anew on Christ, our firm foundation.
To convey this new and transformed life, Paul
uses several metaphors in his letters to various churches. To the Church in
Ephesus, he uses the metaphor of clothing. Ephesians 4:22-24, "You were
taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which
is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude
of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness." Why must we put off our old life? Because it
is corrupted like a computer infected with malicious software.
Writing to the Corinthian Church, he uses a
metaphor of a foundation. I Cor 3:11, "For no one can lay any foundation
other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Writing to the
Colossian Church, he uses a metaphor of a building. Col 2:6-7, "So then,
just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,
rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness."
Our old life before giving our lives to Jesus
was built on a shaky foundation of our family traditions, religious beliefs,
and cultural norms and values. We thought those were the right ways of living.
When we come to Jesus, we must recognize that ungodly systems of the World need
to be torn down, and we start rebuilding our lives anew, having Jesus as our
firm foundation. In our passage, the Apostle Paul breaks down how to live this
New Life in Him into three categories.
II. We Are Saved and Changed To Be A Blessing
In the scriptures, we often see God saving
and changing individuals and giving them a mission to become a blessing to
others. We see this in the lives of Abraham, the prophets, kings, the early disciples,
and later on Saul, who became the Apostle Paul after God changed his life.
After a divine encounter on the Road to
Damascus, the persecutor of the Church, Saul, 's life dramatically changed. God
testified of Saul, saying, "This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim
my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will
show him how much he must suffer for my name." Acts 9:15.
Being faithful to that calling, Paul became a
blessing to thousands of people, planted several churches, wrote thirteen
letters to the Churches, and one of them was the letter to the believers in
Colossae. God changed your life so that you can be a blessing. Christ would say
to each of us, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you
so that you might go and bear Fruit—Fruit that will last. Jn 15:16. Paul
affirmed that high calling in Col 3:12.
III. Being Christ-Like In This World.
Colossians 3:9-12, "Do
not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with
its practices and have put on the new
self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its
Creator. Here, there is no Gentile or
Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or
free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore,
as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."
Coming back to my initial question in the
introduction, as a follower of Christ in a world where you can be anything,
what would you like to be? I don't know about you, but I want to be Christ-like
in this World. In Christ, there is no differentiation and discrimination; we
are all equal. In our New Life, Christ is all that matters, and Christ is the
one who lives in all of us.
For that reason, Paul addresses all of us as God's
chosen people, holy and dearly loved. Then he commands us to clothe ourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." In other
words, "Be Christ Like! The Bible contains various types of
teachings: advice, promises, clauses, doctrines, judgments, challenges, and
negotiations.
What Paul urges believers to consider falls
into the category of commands from God. Before we become anything for Christ,
we must consider who we are in Christ. Because God chose us, made us holy, and
we are dearly loved, we are to become compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and
patient. Generally, people lack compassion, are unkind, proud, harsh, and
impatient. We, too, were like that once, but as Paul commands, we must exhibit
Christ-like virtues.
In a world marked by so much hurt and
brokenness, it is a breath of fresh air to meet people who embody these five
Christ-like virtues: Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, and Patience.
Out of five virtues, three of them: Kindness, Gentleness, and Patience, are
part of the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in the life of a believer.
Let's look at the other two virtues.
IV. Compassion and Humility.
As we yield ourselves and are led by the Holy
Spirit, we become kind, gentle, and patient people. The other two virtues of
Compassion and Humility are what we need to work on, as we strive to be more
Christ-like. Over the years, I have met some wonderful people both in and
outside the Church who exhibit these qualities of compassion and humility. I
also met people who call themselves Christians but lack compassion and are very
proud.
How can you find out whether you may be
lacking in compassion and moving in pride? According to a web article, People
who lack compassion often display these 10 behaviors (without realizing it):
You struggle to feel others' pain. 2. You find it hard to show sympathy. 3. You
tend to judge others. 4. You struggle to express affection. 5) You often
neglect emotional needs – yours and others' 6. You find it hard to forgive and
let go. 7. You struggle with patience. 8. You are often focused on the
practical. 9. You struggle with vulnerability. 10. You often neglect
self-compassion."[2]
If you identify with these behaviors, you are lacking in compassion.
Remember, compassion is not something we are
born with. It is a skill that must be cultivated. We grow in compassion by
studying the life of Jesus, who moved out of compassion for others. By doing so
slowly, we can start expressing care for others, showing interest in what they
are going through, and stop being judgmental. We will also see people as
precious souls rather than objects to achieve our selfish goals. We become
humble by imitating Jesus, the Son of God, who humbled himself by taking the
very nature of a servant (Phil 2:1-11). When all Christian aspire to be more
Christ-like, the World will be a better place to live.
