1I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. 2O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
4Sing praises to the LORD, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name. 5For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” 7By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face; I was dismayed.
8To You, O LORD, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: 9“What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it tell of Your faithfulness? 10Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!”
11You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
Song | Graves Into Gardens (w/ How Great Thou Art) — Scripture Inspiration: Psalm 34:10, Isaiah 55:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3, Luke 15:11-24, Romans 6:23, John 6:26-35, Revelation 7:13-17, Matthew 11:28-30, 1 John 4:8, Psalm 51:10, Jeremiah 24:7, Ezekiel 36:26, Romans 12:2, Psalm 37:4, Exodus 8:10, Deuteronomy 3:24, Jeremiah 10:6, 1 Samuel 2:2, Isaiah 40:18, Romans 5:6-8, Psalm 138:8-9, 1 Kings 8:39, 1 John 3:20, John 15:15, Psalm 139:7-12, Hebrews 4:13, Psalm 30:11, Isaiah 62:2, Galatians 2:19-20, John 14:6, 1 Corinthians 15:20-49, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Exodus 14:1-31
Song | Jesus Paid It All (O Praise the One) — Scripture Inspiration: Matthew 11:28-30, John 19:30, Colossians 2:13-14, 2 Corinthians 4:15, Hebrews 12:28-29, Isaiah 1:18, Jeremiah 13:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 11:19, Revelation 4:10-11, Romans 6:4, Revelation 5:9-10
Scripture | John 1:1-5, 9-14 —
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
…
9The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. 11He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. 12But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Song | What a Beautiful Name — Scripture Inspiration: John 1:1, John 10:30, John 1:14, John 1:3, John 1:10, Matthew 6:13, 1 Timothy 6:15, Isaiah 40:18-20, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, John 14:6, Philippians 2:5-11, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:36-39, Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 1:18, Matthew 27:51, Romans 6:9, Revelation 19:1-6, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:16, Deuteronomy 11:25
Song | Ain’t No Grave — Scripture Inspiration: John 8:34, Romans 6:6, 1 John 4:8, 1 Chronicles 28:20, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 1 Corinthians 15:50-56, John 8:44, 1 Peter 5:8, Revelation 12:9, Genesis 3:15, Ephesians 6:11-18, Isaiah 25:8, Hosea 13:14, 2 Timothy 1:10, Hebrews 2:14, Revelation 5:5, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
📖 Revelation 3:7–13We’re back!After a few months off, The King is Coming returns in 2026 with one of the most encouraging letters in Revelation — Jesus’s message to the faithful church in Philadelphia. In a world filled with opposition and weakness, Jesus opens a door no one can shut.In this episode, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison explore:✔️ Jesus’s identity as the Holy One, the True One — God Himself✔️ What the “key of David” means and how Jesus alone opens and shuts✔️ The debated phrase “I will keep you from the hour of trial” — and how to read it biblically✔️ Why “little power” doesn’t disqualify faithfulness✔️ How being kept through the trial glorifies Christ’s strength in us✔️ What it means to be a pillar in God’s presence foreverThis church had no rebuke — only encouragement. And Jesus’s call still stands today: “Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” (Revelation 3:11, ESV)🔗 Missed earlier episodes in the series? You can click here to catch up and listen from the beginning.✍️ If you’d like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved….[1]
Colossians 3:9-12
17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.[2]
📖 Revelation 3:7–13We’re back!After a few months off, The King is Coming returns in 2026 with one of the most encouraging letters in Revelation — Jesus’s message to the faithful church in Philadelphia. In a world filled with opposition and weakness, Jesus opens a door no one can shut.In this episode, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison explore:✔️ Jesus’s identity as the Holy One, the True One — God Himself✔️ What the “key of David” means and how Jesus alone opens and shuts✔️ The debated phrase “I will keep you from the hour of trial” — and how to read it biblically✔️ Why “little power” doesn’t disqualify faithfulness✔️ How being kept through the trial glorifies Christ’s strength in us✔️ What it means to be a pillar in God’s presence foreverThis church had no rebuke — only encouragement. And Jesus’s call still stands today: “Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” (Revelation 3:11, ESV)🔗 Missed earlier episodes in the series? You can click here to catch up and listen from the beginning.✍️ If you’d like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
Y’all, I had a really clever introduction to this week’s Bible study. It was so clever that I was proud and sure that it would be quite convincing. Then, I was convicted. The Bible does not need me to be clever to make it living, active, and sufficient (Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16); it is all those things and more because it is the Word of God. As my pastor says, if you win someone with an argument (or clever in this case), you will have to keep them with an argument, but if you win them with Christ, He will keep them.
Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with cleverness. The issue, as I mentioned a few Bible studies ago, is pride. I like to write. I know God can use these Bible studies to help people. I like being clever, from time to time when I can actually pull it off, but it is inherently foolish for me to think that a quippy well-written introduction is going to convince you to either live the way the Bible teaches if you are saved or, if you do not know Christ, come to Him. His Spirit through the preaching, teaching, writing about His Word does the work. What is inherently wrong with my approach is in how it is similar to the way contemporary churches approach the work of the Word. We believe the Bible has these lists of things we should not do. We are good at telling people that. But our lives simply do not match with what the Bible says life in Christ looks like. That is a problem.
I have also found it very difficult to get this particular Bible study out to you. I toiled over it for a few weeks because I wanted to make sure I was carefully communicating the message. Then, we had to move out of our house for a few weeks while our air conditioning was being repaired, meaning that I was away from my usual means of producing these Bible studies. That led me to look at it more and more and essentially just accept that it was not yet the right time for this Bible study to be published. Thankfully, it is time – the right time – for us to dive into these texts.
So, rather than the song and dance of my clever introduction, I think it wiser to just go for it: Who are you?
Seriously, who are you? Whose are you?
The answer to those questions matters. Who and whose you are is answered in today’s passage which bridges the sinful-things-to-take-off section (Colossians 3:5-9) with the upcoming Christlike-things-to-put-on section (Colossians 3:12-14). Lord willing, today we will see and come to understand that those who are in Christ have a “new self” made “after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9-10), see who we are not as a lens for whose we are (Colossians 3:11), and realize all those who are in Christ are “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved” (Colossians 3:12).
I Am a New Creation (vv. 9-10)
When I think of new life in Christ or being a new creation, I am always reminded of Paul’s words to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Those words, along with “new self” in v. 10 and Ephesians 4:24, give us a picture of what Jesus has done for those who have confessed Him as Lord and believed in Him: they are born again.
This is more than just church-talk, this is how Jesus Himself described what being saved is in John 3:1-21. Unless one has been “born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Because of His great love (Ephesians 2:4), God sent His only Son to be lifted up to die in our place on the cross – taking our sin and bearing the wrath of God due it (Romans 5:8-9), and “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). This is more than vivid imagery or something that preachers use to get people to walk an aisle; it is real and really happens in the lives of those who are saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Some misunderstand this or underestimate God’s power to change people based on the way that some church folks masquerade as Christians. In fact, the word Christian has little to no real meaning in some places because of how it gets linked to the way Christian is used in some cultures or politically. To understand what Christian means and how it came to be used to describe those who had been saved, we need to look at how the Bible uses it. Did you know that the word “Christian” was first used in Antioch as a hateful slur and derogatory term for Christ-followers (Acts 11:26)? And did you know that “Christian” only appears three times in the Bible?
It appears in Acts 11:26 where we learn of its origin when those who were part of the church in Antioch were mocked for believing and called little Christs, which is what the word literally means.
It is next used in Acts 26:28 after Paul had poured out his heart in sharing the gospel to King Agrippa who responded: “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul’s response to the king showed the heart of Christ as he said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am – except for these chains” (Acts 26:29). He wanted them to have all of Christ and none of what he was suffering.
Finally, it appears in 1 Peter 4:16 where Peter tells these exiled Jewish Christians that “if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” Peter was writing to people who had been dispersed across Asia-Minor who, if they genuinely bore fruit of Christ making them a new creation, would stick out from the extremely religious pagan society like sore thumbs and draw attention to the difference between knowing Christ and merely calling oneself a Christian (Ephesians 4:20-21).
In each of those instances, those who were known as Christians – by reputation not identification – had been recognized for being like Christ. Now, their reception by the world was not good or pleasant – but it was the same way they the world treated Jesus (John 15:18-25)! I have shared several times over the past few Bible studies how there is grace despite our sin and not dependent on our perspective, but it needs to be said without any condemnation that there should be some Christ visible in your life. Those who are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit bear fruit of the eternal life that is reminiscent of the life Christ lived on (Galatians 5:22-23, John 15:5). But, as I mentioned above with people masquerading as Christians, there is little Christ to be seen in some who claim to be little Christs. It should not be so.
If one is in Christ, the old is supposed to have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). The sin in the lives of Christians is to be put to death (Colossians 3:5) and/or put away (Colossians 3:8). Our testimony should be that we “once walked” in these sins (Colossians 3:7) because we should “no longer walk in them” (Ephesians 4:17) – “that is not the way you learned Christ” (Ephesians 4:20)! This is not judgment, speaking out of a place of negativity, or me trying to bash your life. This is me begging from the depth of my spirit for people who claim Christ to inspect the fruit in their lives. I beg, remind, and plead because it really is eternal life or death. And it is truly a gift to have “eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Look at the way Paul described it to the church at Colossae. He told them that there should be a difference in the way that they spoke to one another before and after. He told them in v. 8 that they needed to put the sin of “obscene talk” from their mouths and reminds them in v. 9 that they should not “lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices”. He is communicating to the Colossian church that when they sin, they should recognize it the same as they would if they were wearing disgustingly filthy clothing: take it off (repent) and “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:10). Essentially, this looks like searching within ourselves and removing everything that does not resemble Christ and putting on everything we can that does resemble Christ. If this is something you balk at or think is useless, there is a problem. If you have been convinced that Christianity is merely fire insurance and that no change happens, there is a problem. Perfection is a pipe dream, yet we should seek not to sin; the differences is that when those who are in Christ sin, they “have an advocate”: “Jesus Christ the Righteous” (1 John 2:1)! The new life lived comes from Christ. The power and drive to live it comes from His Spirit within those who are saved. That is not perfection or our own righteousness; it is a life that points to Jesus, even when we fail.
Look at the way Paul described it to the church at Ephesus. He told them that their former manner of life was to be in the past with all its ignorance, distance from God, and callous attitude toward others (Ephesians 4:17-19). It almost reads like sarcasm when Paul tells them that continuing to live as they did before Christ is “not the way [they] learned Christ! – assuming that [they had] heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:20-21). Essentially, Paul presents it as either a before picture or an after picture. You are either in Christ, putting off your “old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires” or you are putting on the “new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteous and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). If you are all former and nothing new is within you, there is a problem.
Who are you? Whose are you?
Wrapping Up
I mentioned in the introduction how the time just was not right for this Bible study to be published over the past few weeks. I am thankful for that time to reflect on my own life in Christ and to prayerfully work through what it is to be a new creation – to plead and encourage people to do the same in their own lives. Then, last Sunday morning, my pastor, John Goldwater, was preaching from Matthew 22:1-14 regarding the parable of the wedding feast and the application and invitation struck me. John paused at the man who showed up to the wedding feast in inappropriate attire – how he should have been properly clothed in wedding garments (that can only come from being in Christ). I was reminded how today’s and next week’s passages fit in between the sin we need to take off and the Christ-likeness we need to put on – how our sin poorly clothes us but Christ covers us.
Check out how John put it:
My point is [Jesus] wasn’t talking about clothes. He used clothes as an illustration. They all understood if he was going [to the wedding feast from] working out in the field and … was dirty, messy – that you would go by the house – you’d clean up – you’d put on different clothes before you came to the wedding feast. Well, this man, he got into the wedding feast, but he didn’t have wedding garments on.
And here’s the difference. This is what he did. He tried to get into God’s party still wearing fig leaves like Adam and Eve because he hadn’t been by God to get the skins of covering (Genesis 3:7, 21).
He tried to come into the wedding feast his own way.
He tried to be like Joshua, the son of Jehozadak (Zechariah 3:1-10) – high priest during the time of Zechariah, who was covered in filthy clothes with the devil at his right hand accusing him of all these things until God said, “Devil, shut up; take those dirty clothes off him and give him clean clothes.”
You know where we get our clean clothes from? We get our clean clothes…. We don’t get them at Stubb’s, although that’s a fine place to get clothes. We don’t get them at Walmart, although that’s a fine place to get clothes. We don’t get them at Goodwill over in Oxford, although that’s a fine place to get good, affordable clothes. We get them when we have our meeting with God and … confess our way is sinful, and He takes off our old clothes and … gives us new.
He tells us in Colossians (ch. 3:5-14) – and we’ve been hearing this … from Keith, we’ve been reading it – that we put off the old man, we put off the old ways, and we put on Christ.
In Romans chapter 13 … [v]erse 14 says this: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provisions for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. That’s what He’s talking about.
You wanna know what He’s talking about with these clothes? He’s talking about 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful, He is just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
You don’t get to set at the table before you visit the Savior and He changes your clothes. He changes your heart, changes your mind, saves your soul.
You don’t get there just cause you heard the invitation. You gotta receive the invitation. Come to Him for cleaning and made fit for the Kingdom of God, and nobody can make you fit for the Kingdom of God but Him.
So, here’s what I want to know. Today, have y’all – as a church, have you? as an individual – have you answered the invitation of grace, not taken it lightly, not decided to put it at the back of the line – the … back burner and put it out of your mind at the bottom of everything. Have you answered and taken [it] seriously – the invitation of grace to be saved … – that invitation and be glad about it? Have you come to Jesus and allowed Him to change who you are? To make you born again?
That idea of new clothes, it’s not just about taking one system off and putting a new system on. It’s about a new heart. It’s about a new soul. It’s about a new you. It’s about being born again.
You see, asking yourself who you are or whose you are is not to be taken lightly. It is more than simply stopping certain sins and starting certain acts of righteousness. It is about coming to Christ and Him saving you – Him making you born again – Him making you a new creation.
You might be wondering why this is such a big deal to me or why I am digging into this so much. I do not want you to be able to get the impression that being a Christian is something you can do. It is not humanly possible. I do not want you to get the idea that the works – both sins you quit and righteous ways you live – earn anything. They are proof, fruit, of what He has done inside of you.
If you read this and know you are His, but your life is steeped in dirty laundry, confess your sins to Him, repent of them, and He is “faithful and just to cleanse you of all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Trust that His ways are best and that He can produce His works, His fruit, in your life.
But if you read this and realize that you are not saved – that you have never been born again, that is not necessarily bad news. It means that there is an opportunity to come to Christ, for Him to save you. If you have questions about what it is to be saved or how to be saved, I would love to talk with you or point you to someone in your area who can show you in the Word how to be saved. If you have questions, I would love to help point you to Christ and see what His Word says. Who are you? Whose are you? I pray that the Lord helps you answer these questions today.
1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.
3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, He also appeared to me.
Song | What He’s Done — Scripture Inspiration: Matthew 7:33, Mark 15:22, Luke 23:33, John 19:7, Matthew 26:26, Colossians 1:19-20, 1 Peter 1:19, John 8:36, Isaiah 53, Psalm 147:3, John 3:16, John 15:13, Romans 8:5-8, 1 John 1:9-2:2, Acts 4:12, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, Hebrews 2:14, Philippians 2:5-11, 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, Revelation 4:1-11, 1 John 5:4, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 5:12, Philippians 4:8
Song | Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me) — Scripture Inspiration: Daniel 7:13-14, Psalm 51:3-5, Isaiah 7:14, John 1:14, Romans 15:1-3, John 1:4-5, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, John 10:11, Romans 6:6-7, Psalm 103:12, Romans 3:21-26, Revelation 22:20, Luke 23:33-34, Colossians 2:13-14, Psalm 22:16, Isaiah 53:3-4, Isaiah 53:12, John 20:1, Matthew 28:7, 1 Corinthians 15:16-20, Acts 1:9-11, Acts 2:24, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Revelation 11:15-19, Matthew 24:27, Revelation 1:7
Scripture | Titus 3:3-7 —
3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we might become His heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Song | His Mercy is More — Scripture Inspiration: Lamentations 3:22-23, James 2:13, Romans 5:20, Hebrews 8:12, Isaiah 40:28, Hebrews 4:13, 1 John 3:20, Micah 7:18-19, Exodus 34:6, Psalm 145:8-9, 1 Timothy 1:15, Luke 14:21, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Colossians 2:13-14, Psalm 107:9, Ephesians 3:20, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Galatians 2:20-21
Song | In Christ Alone — Scripture Inspiration: John 14:6, Ephesians 5:8, Psalm 28:7-8, Psalm 40:3, Ephesians 2:19-22, Matthew 7:24-27, Romans 5:1-8, Joshua 1:9, 2 Timothy 1:7, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, 1 Corinthians 15:28, Philippians 2:16, John 19:38-42, John 8:12, John 3:19-20, Acts 3:15, Acts 4:33, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Romans 6:15-23, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, Galatians 3:13, Revelation 21:3, Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Romans 8:1-2, Romans 1:16, Deuteronomy 4:39, Psalm 115:3, Isaiah 43:13, Daniel 4:35, Ephesians 1:11, Matthew 16:17-19, Romans 8:35-39, John 10:28-30, Psalm 115:18, Revelation 5:9-13, Luke 9:23-26, Philippians 2:5-11
Invitation | Come Ye Sinners — Scripture Inspiration: Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 5:27-32, Romans 3:21-26, 1 Timothy 1:15, James 4:6-10, Luke 15:11-32, Romans 8:18-30, Luke 9:51, Luke 22:39-46, Galatians 4:4-5, Isaiah 53, 1 Peter 1:3-9, 1 Peter 1:17-21
📖 Revelation 3:7–13We’re back!After a few months off, The King is Coming returns in 2026 with one of the most encouraging letters in Revelation — Jesus’s message to the faithful church in Philadelphia. In a world filled with opposition and weakness, Jesus opens a door no one can shut.In this episode, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison explore:✔️ Jesus’s identity as the Holy One, the True One — God Himself✔️ What the “key of David” means and how Jesus alone opens and shuts✔️ The debated phrase “I will keep you from the hour of trial” — and how to read it biblically✔️ Why “little power” doesn’t disqualify faithfulness✔️ How being kept through the trial glorifies Christ’s strength in us✔️ What it means to be a pillar in God’s presence foreverThis church had no rebuke — only encouragement. And Jesus’s call still stands today: “Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” (Revelation 3:11, ESV)🔗 Missed earlier episodes in the series? You can click here to catch up and listen from the beginning.✍️ If you’d like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
1Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2For He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. 3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
4Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned — every one — to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.
22He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. 23When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. 24He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
Song | By His Wounds — Scripture Inspiration: cf. Isaiah 53— meaning we are legitimately singing Isaiah 53
📖 Revelation 3:7–13We’re back!After a few months off, The King is Coming returns in 2026 with one of the most encouraging letters in Revelation — Jesus’s message to the faithful church in Philadelphia. In a world filled with opposition and weakness, Jesus opens a door no one can shut.In this episode, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison explore:✔️ Jesus’s identity as the Holy One, the True One — God Himself✔️ What the “key of David” means and how Jesus alone opens and shuts✔️ The debated phrase “I will keep you from the hour of trial” — and how to read it biblically✔️ Why “little power” doesn’t disqualify faithfulness✔️ How being kept through the trial glorifies Christ’s strength in us✔️ What it means to be a pillar in God’s presence foreverThis church had no rebuke — only encouragement. And Jesus’s call still stands today: “Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” (Revelation 3:11, ESV)🔗 Missed earlier episodes in the series? You can click here to catch up and listen from the beginning.✍️ If you’d like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
14Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
17And if you call on Him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
📖 Revelation 3:7–13We’re back!After a few months off, The King is Coming returns in 2026 with one of the most encouraging letters in Revelation — Jesus’s message to the faithful church in Philadelphia. In a world filled with opposition and weakness, Jesus opens a door no one can shut.In this episode, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison explore:✔️ Jesus’s identity as the Holy One, the True One — God Himself✔️ What the “key of David” means and how Jesus alone opens and shuts✔️ The debated phrase “I will keep you from the hour of trial” — and how to read it biblically✔️ Why “little power” doesn’t disqualify faithfulness✔️ How being kept through the trial glorifies Christ’s strength in us✔️ What it means to be a pillar in God’s presence foreverThis church had no rebuke — only encouragement. And Jesus’s call still stands today: “Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” (Revelation 3:11, ESV)🔗 Missed earlier episodes in the series? You can click here to catch up and listen from the beginning.✍️ If you’d like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
1In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” 4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of Him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” 6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
14Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest, who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Introduction
Tony Merida calls those 1 Peter was writing to “grieved saints gladdened by the gospel”.
Martin Luther believed 1 Peter contained all a believer needed to know to be a faithful follower of Christ.
Author (v. 1a)
v. 1a — Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ….
Peter is an example of great faithFULness.
He is the only non-Jesus human to walk on liquid water (Matthew 14:29).
He took his eyes off and nearly drowned after standing on liquid water (Matthew 14:30).
He tried to rebuke and correct Jesus after a prophecy by Jesus regarding His soon-to-come death, burial, and resurrection (Matthew 16:22-23).
And, of course, Peter denied Jesus three times while He was being beaten, mocked, and tortured.
Peter’s life is a beautiful example of redemption and repentance.
Jesus restored Peter three times after His resurrection (John 21:15-19).
Peter repented after being confronted regarding sin by the apostle Paul (Galatians 2:11-14).
1 Peter, at least in part, is an answer to what Jesus prayed about for Peter’s life, faith, and ministry (Luke 22:31-32).
Audience (v. 1b)
v. 1b — To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia….
“elect exiles”
This is almost an oxymoron. To be an exile means to have been rejected, but to be elect means to have been selected.
This phrase could be understood as resident aliens and is reminiscent of Philippians 3:20 — our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior!
“of the Dispersion”
Some Jews were already dispersed throughout the Greco-Roman world (John 7:35).
During the reign of Emperor Claudius (41-54AD), Christians were expelled from Rome and the areas that these elect exiles lived were where some of those outcasts settled.
Jerusalem Christians were dispersed after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1-4).
According to… (v. 2)
v. 2a — …according to the foreknowledge of God the Father….
2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4For the yoke of His burden and the staff of His shoulder, the rod of His oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to establish it and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
19Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD. 20This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it. 21I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success!
26Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD. 27The LORD is God, and He has made His light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!
28You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. 29Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.[1]
Greetings Sojourners!
I usually begin with a little banter, but my battling a migraine necessitates jumping right into the meat of today’s study. Please check out last week’s Bible study for the context (because context is key!).
Just like the pain in my head, sin lingers and clings to us. For the past two Bible studies in our Jesus Over All study (June 29 and July 13), we have been diving into the way Paul approaches the subject of sin in his letter to the Colossian church and how they (us, too) were taught the importance of putting it to death and taking it off and out of their lives. It seems like these past two weeks are negatively focused – and they were if you are looking at the dire circumstances and wages of sin, but part of what makes the gospel good news is what Jesus does with the bad news. Sin produces death. Jesus gives life. To a certain extent, knowing the fragility of life and the existence of death can make one’s life precious. Knowing that Jesus has saved us from the wrath of God our sin was due makes eternal life more precious. So, stick with me as we move through the last of what we need to take off (negative) to walk with Christ so that next week, when we look at what we need to put on (positive), our study can lead to worship in our lives!
As we did with verses 5-7, we are going to rely on a single lexicon/dictionary (Spiros Zodhiates’ The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament[2]) and lay out the definition and verses that contain the same word so that we get the full picture and context and avoid the temptation to cherry-pick definitions to suit bias. Also, remember that while this – as with vv. 5-7 – appears to be a list of sins, it is neither exhaustive (meaning these lists are all the sins there are) nor is the inclusion of any of these sins because of Paul’s or my dislike of certain behaviors. Each sin included in these lists needs to be put to death or taken off because God’s Spirit chose for these to be written here, “breathed out” by God through Paul’s writing, and “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). If offended – as I have been in studying Colossians 3:5-11 and writing these Bible studies, ask yourself what God is trying to teach you – or what correction do you need in your beliefs to square them with the Bible – or what training is God’s Spirit applying to your life that you may be righteous – or what course-correction does your lifestyle need in order to be in step with God rather than your own desires?
Now You Must Put Them All Away (v.8)
As in verses 5-7, these lists are specific sins that were plaguing the church at Colossae (and likely its sister church Laodicea), but the list in verse 8 seems to be more focused with sins within oneself, as in one’s heart-set and mind-set, than in specific actions (as in v. 5). This list shows more of what is going on within a person rather than the specific sins that make them visible in one’s life. Also, these are the sins Paul says are sins in which we “too once walked” and lived in but have no place in the new life in Jesus Christ. Think of it like this: we are sin-sick and have gone to the Great Physician to see what treatment needs to occur. Last week’s sins (vv. 5-7) are seen through the physical examination and may even appear on an x-ray. They are symptoms that are observable. But our Physician is thorough and because “no creature is hidden from His sight” and all “must give an account” to Him who is “living and active” and discerns “the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12-13), we have a deeper view, akin to an MRI or PET scan. The sin in verse 8 is malignant within us and festers within our hearts before its symptoms are seen in our lives. These sins can be hidden to all but God and need treatment by God’s Spirit so that those who are in Christ are being and have been brought from dead in their trespasses and sins – again “in which [we] once walked” (Ephesians 2:1-2) – to “made alive…in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Those who believe in Christ and confess Him as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10) are saved from their sin and the wrath that accompanies it. But this is not a new or a New Testament phenomenon; it goes all the way back to how God showed it would work back in the Old Testament prophecies (Ezekiel 36:26-27):
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
It was made abundantly clear – and continues to be made clear through God’s Word – that one’s life matches one’s spiritual standing. For those who are dead in their trespasses and sins, that death is eventually apparent – those sins do not stay hidden within one’s nature because one’s nature always exhibits itself. Jesus Himself clarified this in Matthew 15:18 when He said that “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person”. What is inside will come out! In the same way that one’s sin goes from nature to behavior, those who are in Christ and have His Spirit dwelling within them will bear fruit of that relationship. The fruit – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23) – will be visible – will come out – because the life that comes from believing and learning Jesus (Ephesians 4:20-21) is not a learned set of skills and cannot be faked. It will do what Paul prayed for the Colossian church in chapter 1:10: bear “fruit in every good work” exhibiting that we have increased “in the knowledge of God”! Notice that I did not say those good works earn the life; they are results of the life! Think about how one assesses whether someone is alive or dead. How can you tell the difference? Easy! The living person has life, and there is no life in a corpse. Like Ezekiel wrote in the verse we read earlier: God puts His Spirit in His people, His Spirit causes His people to walk in His ways, and even the desire to do good comes from Him.
Let me repeat some of that to make sure that we do not miss it. Being in Christ is not a learned set of skills and cannot be faked. It is a state of being. We are. Or we ain’t.
So often the world tells us to “fake it ‘till you make it.” Well, dear Sojourner, that just will not cut it with the Christian life because what God does is the genuine article. Just as sure as turkey does not make tasty bacon and tofu will never satisfy like a ribeye, only the divine power of God by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ will produce the genuine article. Christ alone brings the dead to life (Ephesians 2:4-5). And we need to be sure that if we are not taking off these sins Paul shows us here and are content to live in them, we need to understand that, even if we fool the whole world, Jesus will recognize us as either the genuine article or imitation because He will recognize us by our fruits (Matthew 7:20).
Note that the way I illustrated that could be seen as humor above, but it is not. It is heavy – eternally heavy. It is not meant to make something serious a joke but is what is known as satire – to show how ridiculous it would be to believe that one is in Christ all the while wearing every fixture and tapestry of sin. It cannot be so. No one ordering and paying for a steak would be satisfied with a soybean gelatin mold that looks like and smells like beef. One taste will tell the truth. You can fool your congregation, your pastor, or your grandmama, but imitation will not stand the test on the day of judgment but will hear some of the most chilling words found in all of Scripture: “I never knew you; depart from me you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).
So, taking these sins off is important. We cannot continue to try and be satisfied by the imitation joy and empty pleasure that sin offers, even within our hearts and minds. The world wants us to think that as long as we do not say it or do it there is no danger, but God knows best. He knows what we need (Him) and what we do not need (sin). With that in mind, here are those things that the Holy Spirit (through Paul) is telling us do not belong in our lives – that which needs to be taken off and put away from us.
“anger” ὀργή (orgḗ) — We all know what anger is, just like we know when anger is appropriate or not. In the context of Colossians 3:8, this is an enduring state of mind. Aristotle defined this particular Greek word for anger as “desire with grief”.
For me, this is the type of anger that seems like it is going to produce relief in me by blowing off steam but ends by immediately making me feel horribly guilty.
Mark 3:5 – And He looked at them with anger grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and was restored.
Romans 12:19 – Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord.”
Ephesians 4:31 – Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with malice.
“wrath” θυμός thumós — This was used to describe wind and gave a picture of violent movements or passionate responses. When it was combined with the word translated “anger” above, it communicates something ferocious. Basically, “wrath” here is an outburst of “anger”.
Romans 2:8 – …but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
Ephesians 4:31 – Let all bitterness and wrath and anger clamor and slander be put away from you, along with malice.
Revelation 19:15 – From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
Deuteronomy 6:15 (Septuagint[3]) – …for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God – lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you from off the face of the earth.
“malice” κακία kakía — This word describes a wickedness that occurs simply because it is a habit in the minds of evil people. It is used to describe people who want to do evil and comes from those who are genuinely wicked (and who enjoy doing evil).
Ephesians 4:31 – Let all bitterness and wrath and anger clamor and slander be put away from you, along with malice.
Titus 3:3 – For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.
1 Peter 2:1 – So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
Proverbs 1:16 (Septuagint) – …for their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed blood.
“slander” βλασφημία blasphēmía — This word is often grouped together with the sin of false witness (like lying but much more purposeful and pointed). It is damaging someone’s reputation by saying or reporting things that wickedly seek to hurt or wound.
Matthew 15:19 (also Mark 7:22) – For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
1 Timothy 6:4 – …he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions….
Ephesians 4:31 – Let all bitterness and wrath and anger clamor and slander be put away from you, along with malice.
The last in this list is “obscene talk” which essentially goes back to what Jesus said in Matthew 15:18 – what comes out of our mouths evidences what is really in our hearts. And, ultimately, it is the heart that matters. Works do prove faith (James 2:17), but there are those who appear to do good works that fall away.
Wrapping Up
There was a man named Demas whom Paul mentions at the end of Colossians. In Colossians 4:14, he tells the church at Colossae that Demas “greets” them just like Luke did. In Philemon (which was mailed with the letter to the Colossians), Paul calls him one of his “fellow workers” (Philemon 24). Yet in 2 Timothy 4:10 when Paul was in his final years and a prisoner in Rome, he reported that Demas, “in love with this present world”, deserted him and went to Thessalonica.
There is a saying in contemporary America that is used to justify whatever a person wants to do, especially things that someone might call sinful: “The heart wants what the heart wants.” It is the verbal equivalent to shrugged shoulders and communicates that people cannot help what they want to do. This is right and wrong. For those who do not know Christ, it is right. They want what they want and can do what they want. One cannot get more lost. Those who are dead in their sin are dead and cannot get dead-er. But the Bible does not leave room for those who profess Christ to take that path.
Demas was able to act like a Christian convincingly. He even convinced Paul and Luke! But he could not hide his heart – eventually he did not want to hide it anymore. 1 John 2:19 tells us that the enduring mark of faith in Christ is whether we continue in the faith – that those who “went out from us” were not “of us” because those who are in Christ continue in the faith until the end. Pretend does not endure. Acting does not endure. But what Jesus does on the inside is long lasting. So, Sojourner, we have some soul-searching to do.
As you read this, you may be tempted to work or try to earn our way out of any of these sins that are present in our lives because seeing the reality of our sin can be overwhelming. That will not work. Remember, the wages of sin is death. Our hope is not in what we can do – which amounts to our sin, but in the grace given to us in Christ. We need His work.
We need to fix our eyes on Jesus and repent, trusting in His Spirit to give us what He promised back in Ezekiel 36 – to see His fruit bear in our lives.
Let Psalm 139:23-24 be our prayer as we look at our own lives and seek to take off these sins – as we desire to love and follow Jesus and not allow our love for our sins draw us away like Demas:
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
I am praying for you as always and want you to know that you are not alone in the struggle against sin. Sometimes it seems harder to take certain sins off than others but know this: Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin and made a way – the only Way (John 14:6) out of death and into His eternal life. Will you trust Him or continue in sins? Do you love Jesus, or are you in love with this present world? I pray He helps you see which and draws you to Himself.
[3] The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Old Testament in the 3rd-2nd centuries BC by Jewish scholars who understood Hebrew (and Greek) better than anyone who has lived in the last 1,800 years.
The Bible is what it claims to be (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is God’s Word. It is true. It contains everything that can be known about God and is sufficient to bring us to Him.
There is a difference in the lives of those who know Christ – are saved/born again – and those who are not – lost/dead in their sin (Ephesians 2:1-10, 4:20-24).
God has authority over His creation. What He intended to be right is right, and what He calls sin is sin (Isaiah 5:20). He is the supreme authority of such (John 1:1-5).
Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8), “not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:9).
If one is in Christ, His surpassing worthiness changes one’s life to the point that the things of this world pale in comparison to knowing Him (Philippians 3:7-11) and God’s Spirit produces change – or fruit (Galatians 5:16-26) – that is evident in real life.
Repentance is, per Wayne Grudem, “a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ”.[1]
Repentance Means Seeking God’s Grace and Mercy (vv. 1-2)
God’s forgiveness is fueled by His “steadfast love” and “abundant mercy” (v. 1).
God’s forgiveness cleanses us from our sin and covers it by the blood of Christ (vv. 1b-2).
Repentance Requires Us to Own Up to Our Sin (vv. 3-6)
If we are in Christ and are filled with His Spirit, we know what we have done and are convicted of its wrongness (v. 3).
If we are in Christ, we understand that He is holy and worthy and that sin is against and opposed to Him – and that His righteous judgment is fair/final and His grace is good (v. 4).
If we are in Christ, we recognize that sin is part of our nature and causes consistent struggles (v. 5).
If we are in Christ, we are loved by God despite our failings and can trust that God delights in hearts changed by Him through salvation (v. 6).
Repentance Desires Restoration and Renewal (vv. 7-12)
Sin damages and dirties, requiring us to need purging, cleansing, and restoration (v. 7).
The process of repentance can be painful, but even the scars produce worship in the end (v. 8).
Repentance is a beautiful picture of a restored relationship with God – from death to life, lost to saved, being distant from the Father to drawn into His embrace (vv. 9-10).
Repentance means turning from sin and seeking God even if the consequences of sin never allow things to return to what they once were (v. 11).
By God’s grace and mercy, joy returns and, by the power of His Spirit, He upholds us and carries us through (v. 12).
Repentance Produces Worship and Worshipful Service (vv. 13-17)
Sin stops service to God. Repentance begins the restart. (v. 13)
Worship is the only fitting response to being delivered from sin and is a result of repentance, which is worship (vv. 14-15).
Repentance is not religion. It is a response to God’s Spirit who gives us “a broken and contrite heart” refining our lives to be holy and acceptable to Him. (vv. 16-17).
Repentance Strengthens the Body of Christ (vv. 18-19)
Individual repentance produces lives that impact the part of the world where God has us, meaning the Spirit of God is active in those who follow Christ and produces fruit in the real world (vv. 18-19).
Just Keith Harris 