Experiencing Grace

I am passing through Colossians this week and it is a joy.  I have taught through this book a few times and love it each time.  Colossians is all about proclaiming Jesus in life and ministry.  It is all about being focused upon our primary love, Jesus.  We are to be Christo-centric in all things.  “Him we proclaim” (1:28) is what it is all about.

This includes how we battle against sin.  Sin raises is grotesque head daily in our hearts and lives.  There is a place for band-aids in battling this disease, but those band-aids don’t bring victory over a disease.  Legalistic boundaries don’t always lead to godliness.

I have been reading about the 18^th century Non-Conformist in England.  They finally got some level of freedom by the 18^th century and began to join together into denominations in order to advance the cause of the gospel.  As I have read some of their denominational statements they are fascinating how they say some the same things over and over again for decades and it is the same cries that current denominational statements make.  They decry the wickedness of their generation and the fear they have for their children and then lay down what people should not do.  I believe there is a need for the Church to have a prophetic voice and to call out sin our age, but there needs to be more than just a list of “don’ts”.

Paul argues that a list of “don’ts” has “no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (2:23).  The only way we can stop the indulgence of the flesh is “Him” (1:28).  A legalistic list of “don’ts” won’t bring victory only a focused love of “Him.”