Identity and Definition

We all seem to want to be known for something.  Whether it is being a start athlete or a good friend - we all want to be known.  I think that longing for identity is central to the human existence ever since the fall of man way back in Genesis 3.  We even see people in Scripture who were trying to fill their lives with something that would identify them, even if it was bad.

The issue in the Colossian church was that false teachers were trying to say that Jesus was not enough.  Something needed to be added to the Gospel in order to be REALLY saved.  Paul writes in 2:16-23 to combat this way of thinking.

Because of all that Paul has written about being ALIVE in Christ, he now says that we are DEAD to the world. We no longer need to live by rites, rituals, and ceremonies. He uses the Old Testament Law as example of this in v.16.

He states the purpose of those Old Testament things was to point to Christ who is the substance of our salvation. The Law was never meant to save us - it cannot make us right with God, but exists to point out our sin.

You see getting wrapped up in the outward actions is pointless and harmful because we are COMPLETE in Christ and those outward actions cannot make us righteous. They work in the opposite way of causing an attitude of pride and arrogance (v.23).

While the false teachers are trying to say that a truly spiritual person must keep all of these man made rules and regulations - Paul says that true spirituality does not consist of keeping those things. It is Christ that transforms us from the inside out.

Nobody/Nothing can disqualify you from where you are IN CHRIST.

For the Colossians it was Asceticism (false humility and poverty), Worship of Angels, and Visions.

For us it could be church attendance, baptism, or abstaining for certain things. While this things serve a purpose - that purpose is not to make us right with God - only Christ can accomplish that.

Remember - as Christ captured our hearts and transforms us from the inside out - our actions will change. Our desires will change. Our lives will change.

Our IDENTITY is found in Christ. He makes us whole. He completes us.

We are never expected to change our lives before Christ can save us.

Do you feel pressure to perform a certain way so that others think you are spiritual?