Category Archives: Salvation

“Who Are You? Part 1” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

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]

Ephesians 4:17–24

"Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

📖 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.
  1. "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming)
  2. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Love" (Advent 2025)
  3. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025)
  4. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of PEACE (Advent 2025)
  5. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of HOPE (Advent 2025)

Greetings Sojourners!

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?

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 3:9–12.

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 4:17–24.

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Sermon: “Greetings, Sojourners & Exiles” from 1 Peter 1:1-2

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.
    • Peter is an example of great faithLESSness.
      • 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)

Conclusion

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Pe 1:1–2.

“There’s No Such Thing as Imitation Fruit” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

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.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 3:5–11.

[2] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

[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.

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Sermon: “A Life of Repentance” from Psalm 51

Introduction

Reinforcing the Necessary Pre-suppositions:

  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. 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).
  4. 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).
  5. 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]

Breakdown of Psalm 51:

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).

      Application – Bear Fruit in Keeping with Repentance

      1. How does your life fit with a lifestyle of repentance?
      2. Is your repentance bearing fruit?
      3. Where is your hope?

      [1] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 713.

      “Be Killing Sin” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

      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]

      Colossians 3:5-11

      "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

      📖 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.
      1. "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming)
      2. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Love" (Advent 2025)
      3. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025)
      4. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of PEACE (Advent 2025)
      5. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of HOPE (Advent 2025)

      Greetings Sojourners!

      I hope those of you reading this in the US had a good and relaxing 4th last week – and that y’all reading it elsewhere are well, too! As I reflected on the idea of independence and freedom, I found myself thinking of a verse again and again that reminded me of something really beautiful regarding today’s passage. The verse has been Galatians 5:1:

      For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

      This verse reminds me that there is beautiful freedom in Christ that does not come from sin. He is not keeping us from joy or happiness by telling us that the sin we want to commit is sin; He is freeing us from the bondage we do not know accompanies sin.

      This comforts me as I ponder my own life and sin (which, if you read or listened to last week’s Bible study was the challenge). I am about to turn 38 at the end of this month, and reflecting is kind of what I do now.

      When I was younger, I had plans for where I thought I would be by this point in my life. At 7, I wanted to be a “singing-preacher” (what I thought a minister of music was). At 17, my plans included teaching for a few years, getting my master’s degree, becoming a principal, and having a doctorate by 35 years old. At 27, I wanted to overcome the burnout and depression I was experiencing. I had burned out and quit ministry a few weeks before my 30th birthday in 2015 and moved back home.

      If someone had told 2015-me that I would have the contentment and peace I have today in my walk with Christ and in my home life, I would have laughed in their face and probably told them they were full of something. I spent so long wanting to be something that I lost track of who I was. My identity became wrapped up in my job. That is a very modern way of putting the situation. Biblically, workaholism is a form of the sin of pride. Burnout, for me, was when my prideful pursuit of being somebody turned into the realization that work or status could never give me what I was looking for – was never intended to provide the feelings and validation I craved (really, coveted, which is sinful itself).

      That sounds really negative (it definitely felt negative), but as I have learned by reflecting, God has blessed me and fulfilled me over the past seven years in ways I never could have imagined. The first blessing was finding Him in His Word and in prayer and realizing that He had never moved. The second blessing is realizing how amazing and beautiful a life God had built me by giving me Candice and the kiddos. There were more blessings than I can possibly list here, but ultimately, finding my identity in Christ helped me see which aspects of my life needed to removed – or put to death. Work had to have its place. Success and recognition had to have theirs, too. Eventually, after a lot of repenting, life rearrangement, correction through the Word, and more than a little training from Candice, I found joy in pastoral ministry that I never had in the years prior to burning out.

      I do not want you to miss this: the issue that burned me out was sin. Pride is a dangerous thing. It is like the carbon monoxide of sinfulness – tasteless, odorless, and deadly. It crept in subtly and slyly. It began with a mix of not getting the recognition I felt I deserved. People told me that. Church folks, even. Then, I got a taste of recognition. Humility left quickly. I wanted more. The idea that I could become something quickly overtook my ministerial life. The fulfillment that came from compliments and attaboys was fleeting. The larger my pride became, the smaller my satisfaction. I just wanted to quit – and did! But pride tainted that, too. I faked a sabbatical so I would not have to live with the reality of failure, intending to extend it until I could bear the reality that I was spent.

      As I said, there were things in my life that needed to be killed – that needed to be dead to me. There were areas of my life that had to be pruned, cutting away some of the weeds and thorns that were keeping me from growing. And in that is freedom. Christ had set me free from the bondage created by my own sin. Hear that: my own sin. I am not discounting the powers and principalities that are at work in the world – satanic and demonic (Ephesians 6:11-12). I am simply owning how my own sinful desires were leading toward bondage and foolishness I am thankful not to have fully experienced (Jeremiah 17:6, James 1:13-15).

      That is what Paul is talking about in this section of Colossians. In the midst of their dealing with false teachers, they had sin of their own that needed to be taken off as well as aspects of being like Christ that they needed to put on. This was not Paul molding the Colossian church in his image but an opportunity to show them what it looks like to set their minds on Christ rather than this world (Colossians 3:1-2). This was, as Paul said in Romans 12:2, an opportunity “not [to] be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of [their] mind”. We, like the Colossian church, need to be active in putting to death the sin in our lives and taking it off so that we can live the life we have in Christ.

      Put to Death (vv. 3-7)

      There is a famous quote from the puritan pastor John Owen: “Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.”[2] Really, the last part of that quote – “be killing sin or it will be killing you” – is the most commonly quoted and most apropos to our study today. In that quote, he describes a daily process of examining one’s life in order to kill – mortify, as he calls it – sin before it kills you. If you compare that to the way we talk about sin today, Owen sounds a bit crazy. How can he take something so seriously that obviously is not taken seriously anymore? Either he is wrong, or the modern view of sin is. Which one lines up with the Bible? Owen, obviously.

      We talked last week about how there is a lot of anxiety surrounding calling sin sinful. I have read or heard no fewer than a dozen people – in the last month, mind you – who talked about how things that used to be a sin or actions that people used to consider sin are sins no longer. This is related to the necessary presuppositions we have been talking about. If you believe the Bible really is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17), then what it calls sin is sin. If you believe that those who are saved are different, as taught in the Bible (Ephesians 4:20-24), then what is taught to be sin in the Bible should no longer be a part of our lives. God knows what we need and how we need to live – and not live. The “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), but our God specializes in taking those dead in their trespasses and sins and making them alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5)!

      So, before we dive into what appears to be the first of two lists of sins, we need to ask ourselves a question: if sin really is as deadly as the Bible says it is (Romans 6:23, James 1:14-15), why would someone want to convince us otherwise?

      Really take a second and consider that question. Why would someone want to convince us that what is deadly is safe, and how evil and hateful would that individual have to be?

      It reminds me of the difference in the way people talk about cigarettes now versus how they did thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, the Marlboro Man and Joe Camel were cool (or Kool?) culturally and iconic. Then, the dadgum surgeon general decided to attack the tobacco industry and act like cigarettes could cause lung cancer. I remember seeing commercials in the 90s talking about why “big tobacco” wanted to downplay the cancer risk of smoking: they wanted to sell cigarettes. Who would take advantage of us like that in regarding sin?

      Ultimately, Satan! Look at the way he is described in Revelation 12:12: “But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Satan “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). His agenda is to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). He is dangerous in that since “he knows his time is short” he is like a predator backed into a corner. But understand this: he is not looking for minions to rule over in hell. He is not going to be in charge there. He is going to be an inmate. And he is spitefully evil and wants to see as many people misled as he can.

      Now, we need to acknowledge a few things about these lists of sins – only one of which we will cover today, almost like a referee before a big fight, but instead of prohibiting kidney punches, we need to clarify what is and is not a low blow when it comes to discussing sin. First, God’s Spirit gave the list, not Paul. These were not pet peeves that Paul had and wanted to get rid of or to pick on. We need to be careful and guard against calling “evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). Second, we must be careful to present it as it is in the Bible. There is always a temptation to emphasize sins that we hate while making light of sins we either commit ourselves or that we just do not think are a big deal. God alone gets to set the agenda regarding His righteous standard and sin. We must guard against letting our own agendas try to steer the text of Scripture.

      I have thought a lot about how to present this information and have decided to list it out in a chart format. I have used the same lexicon and Greek dictionary on all the words to present their definitions fairly and not whitling the context to fit any agenda. Even when there are not quotations in the definitions, the information comes from Spiros Zodhiates’ The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament[3]. More importantly, I looked at every verse in the New Testament and a few from the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament, circa 3rd century b.c.) that contained these words. This may seem like a boring way to present the information, but I want to make sure you can see what the information is and keep it as objective and free from bias as I can. Take notice of some of the passages that are used multiple times as it shows that those particular sins were affecting multiple places, people groups, and churches.

      These are the sins Paul says we need to put to death – things that are “earthly” rather than godly:

      • “sexual immorality” πορνεία (porneía) — This is a catch-all term that describes anything sexual that deviates from the intimacy between husband and wife. The WSNTDICT uses “fornication” as a part of the definition, which means any sex outside of marriage, emphasizing that the sin is not merely an issue of timing (like calling it premarital sex) but emphasizing that marriage between a husband and wife is God’s plan for sex. And, for clarity’s sake, every bit of lust or sex outside of that is sin.
        • 1 Corinthians 6:13 – “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” – and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
        • 1 Corinthians 6:18 – Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
        • 1 Corinthians 7:2 – But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
        • 2 Corinthians 12:21 – I fear that when my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.
        • Galatians 5:19 – Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality….
        • Ephesians 5:3 – But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
        • 1 Thessalonians 4:3 – For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality….
        • Revelation 9:21 – …nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
      • “impurity” ἀκαθαρσία akatharsía — This basically means unclean, but it not as clear cut as the idea of being unclean in the OT. This means that something has been tainted by sin and gives a connotation of being rotten. This sort of sin can be by oneself or with others.
        • Romans 1:24 – Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.
        • Galatians 5:19 – Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality….
        • 1 Thessalonians 2:3 – For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive….
        • Matthew 23:27 – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
      • “passion” πάθος páthos — This word is only used three times in the NT. Our passage and the one from 1 Thessalonians imply or include lust while the Romans usage is accompanied by “dishonorable”. The understanding is that these particular passions negatively affect those who participate in them.
        • Romans 1:26 – For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature….
        • 1 Thessalonians 4:5 – …not in the passions of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God….
        • The word “pathos” does not always reference sin. Note how “dishonorable” and “lust” clarify the context. Passion is good. It can be beautiful. But only in fitting with God’s plan and intent. We must ask the questions of Proverbs 6:27-28: “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?”
      • “evil desire” ἐπιθυμία epithumía — This word is stronger than the English portrays. There is a longing – almost lustfully so – that accompanies this desire. It is like an appetite that needs to be satisfied. Think about the context of some of the instances of this word being translated as “passions” and consider the connotation of passionate hunger.
        • 1 Timothy 6:9 – But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction….
        • 2 Timothy 3:6 – For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and lead astray by various passions….
        • 2 Timothy 4:3 – For the time has come when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions….
        • 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.
        • James 1:14-15 – But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
        • 1 Peter 1:14 – As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance….
        • 1 Peter 4:2-3 – …so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensualities, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.
        • 2 Peter 1:4 – …by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
        • 2 Peter 3:3 – …knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
        • Jude 16-18 – There are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires, they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.
          But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”
      • “covetousness, which is idolatry” πλεονεξία pleonexía — It means covetousness or greediness, but it has a kind of inherent meaning of being the root of other sins – like greediness that sparks a desire to do other sins. Or wanting something that belongs to another with a twinge of bitter rivalry that believes they don’t deserve to have it as much as we would. It is idolatry because it seeks to forsake God as the object of worship by being filled or satisfied by things of earth.
        • Romans 1:29 – They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips….
        • Ephesians 5:3-5 – But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among the saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.
        • Luke 12:15 – And He said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

      Wrapping Up

      He follows this list saying that “on account” of these sins “the wrath of God is coming” (v. 6). The wrath of God is not to be taken lightly. It describes the attitude of God toward sin. He hates it (Psalm 5:4). That hatred drives His wrathfulness toward sin. That sounds harsh, doesn’t it? How could a God who is literally love (1 John 4:16) hate? Isn’t that contradictory? If you have a loved one beset by some sickness, do you love it? I want to be careful in my wording here because God does show love toward sinners in salvation, but I also want us to understand what the Bible says. Those He shows love toward in grace and mercy – those who have confessed Him as Lord and believed in their hearts that Jesus has risen from the dead (Romans 10:9) have been, in love, “saved by Him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9).

      I mentioned earlier how we need to be careful not to over-emphasize or de-emphasize sin but rather to look at it the way it is presented in the Word. There are many preachers who use sin and fear of God’s wrath (which is an appropriate fear) to, in a sense, scare the hell out of people – to motivate them to follow Christ out of a fear of God’s wrath and eternal damnation.

      What I want you to see here is that, for those who put their faith in Jesus, He bore the wrath of God our sins deserve on the cross (Colossians 2:13-14, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 9:26, Isaiah 53:10-11). We are all of the things represented – all of the wickedness – in the lists above. Jesus is none of those things. But “while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

      Love is a much better motivator than fear, which brings us full circle to consider the beauty of Galatians 5:1! Christ has set us free for freedom – not in bondage to sin. John Donne was an English poet and pastor from the turn of the late 1500s and early 1600s. He wrote a poem[4] that describes God seeing us in our sin as captives in a labor camp built out of a conquered town. In this poem, we have Stockholm syndrome – we have grown to love our captor and embrace the labor camp as life when it is our death and demise. Donne writes of God coming in and busting down the doors to bring His bride home to Him, essentially saying to Hell with Death because He will never leave or forsake His bride. What a beautiful image! God coming to earth to redeem His Bride from this world of sin. Amen!

      So, if you read through those sins and looked at the verses that show them for what they truly are – that show us sinners who we are, you can either decide to ignore what you know about the wrath of God or you can embrace the offer of love and forgiveness. You can choose to sit in the squalor of the labor camp or embrace the conquering King!

      I do not sit here and type this in judgment. There is no ulterior motive of condemnation. I am a sinner, too. The difference is that I have put my trust in Jesus – what He has done on the cross, His resurrection, and what He is doing and going to do. I have given my life to Him. And little by little, day by day, year by year, He makes me more like Him. The sin that I clung to so closely becomes distasteful. And He appears more lovely and dear and brings freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17)!

      Will you take an honest assessment of your life? I hope that in doing so you realize your need for Him.

      If you would like to talk to someone, reach out; I would love to help you. If you realize that you have become distant from Him, repent and turn back; He has not moved. Remember the warning from John Owen: you better be killing the sin in your life because it is surely killing you.

      But Jesus…. He offers life.

      [1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 3:5–11.

      [2] John Owen, The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold, vol. 6 (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, n.d.), 9.

      [3] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

      [4] The poem is one of Donne’s “Holy Sonnets”. Here is the text with / marking the end of a line: “Batter my heart, three-person’d God, for you / As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend; / That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend / Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new. / I, like a usurp’d town to another due, / Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end; / Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend, / But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue. / Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov’d fain, / But am betroth’d unto your enemy; / Divorce me, untie or break that knot again, / Take me to you, imprison me, for I, / Except you entrall me, never shall be free, / Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.”

      Sermon: “An Autopsy of Sin” from James 1:13-15 & 2 Samuel 11-12

      Introduction

      Three necessary pre-suppositions:

      1. 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.
      2. 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).
      3. God has authority over creation, which He Himself created. What He intended to be right is right, and what He calls sin is sin. He is the supreme Authority of such.

      Breakdown of the Text

      Sin is not of God (v. 13)

      • v. 13 – Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts on one.
        • God is holy and sinless – since before the beginning and forever and ever,
          • Leviticus 19:2 – Speak to the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy.
          • 2 Corinthians 5:21 – For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
        • To illustrate how sin works from a wholly biblical perspective, our illustrations today are going to come from the life of King David – “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).
          • So, for us to understand how sin works, and specifically in this first example how temptation occurs, we are going to look at 2 Samuel 11:1-2: “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon….
          • David was not where he was supposed to be.Because of that, he put himself in a position he should have never been.
          • Then, IT happened. What happened? Temptation – then, sin – then…death.

      Our temptation is rooted in our own desire (v. 14)

      • v. 14 – But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
        • “lured” – used to describe wild game being baited into a trap meant to capture for the kill
        • “enticed” – used to describe the moment of being captured (or hooked) by the bait
        • “by his own desire” – used to describe the reality that our sin is rooted in what we want (that we know is wrong)
        • The life of King David:
          • The Bible clearly illustrates David had issues with this sort of sin, illustrated by his pursuit of multiple wives:
            • Michal (1 Samuel 18:27) – daughter of King Saul; at one point was taken away from him by King Saul and given to another (1 Samuel 25:44), but David never stopped viewing her as his wife (2 Samuel 3:13-14) despite his marrying other women (pl)
            • Abigail – wife of Nabal and described as “discerning and beautiful” (1 Samuel 25:3); helped keep David from making mistakes due to her husband’s treachery; David’s encounter with her happened to coincide with Saul giving Michal to another, so David married her.
            • Before we let David off the hook – see what I did there? – he married a woman named Ahinoam at the same time he did Abigail (1 Samuel 25:43).
            • NOTE: These are descriptive passages, not prescriptive. God’s design for marriage has always been what we see in Genesis 2:24-25 – one man and one woman for life.
            • If you think that this is putting David in a false context, I want you to also consider that Nathan the prophet reminds David in 2 Samuel 12:8 that he had taken King Saul’s harem of concubines for himself, too….
          •  So, to illustrate James 1:14, David was not where he was supposed to be (2 Samuel 11:1), saw what he should not have seen (2 Samuel 11:2), asked his servants about the woman he should not have been looking at or asking about (2 Samuel 11:3), had this woman brought to him to consummate his desires into reality (2 Samuel 11:4), sent her home after his desire was satiated, thinking he had gotten away with it all scot-free (2 Samuel 11:4), and ultimately found out “desire when it has conceived gives birth” (James 1:13, 2 Samuel 11:5).

      The Wages of Sin is Non-Negotiably Death (v. 15).

      • v. 15 – Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
        • God has been clear regarding sin and death since the beginning.
          • Genesis 2:17 – …but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
          • Genesis 3:22-23 – Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent Him from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
          • Genesis 5:5 – Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.
          • Romans 5:12 – Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned….
          • Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
        • The life of King David:
          • Rather than admit his sin, confess it to God, and repent, David set out to cover up his sin (2 Samuel 11:6-13) and ultimately had Bathsheba’s husband Uriah killed (2 Samuel 11:14-25).
          • David, after the 7-day mourning period was over, took “the wife of Uriah” to be his wife, thinking once the child was born no one would be the wiser (2 Samuel 11:25-27), but God….
          • God sent the prophet Nathan to tell David a parable to illustrate the heinous and wicked nature of his sin with “the wife of Uriah” (2 Samuel 12:1-4).
          • David’s response to the parable was right and ended up prophetically responding to his own sin:
        • 2 Samuel 12:5-7 – Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
          • David’s response to the terrible results of his sin (2 Samuel 12:7-12)??? “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12:13)
          • The Lord’s response: “The Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless….

      Conclusion/Application

      • 1 Peter 2:22-24 – He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When 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. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds we have been healed.
      • 1 John 2:1-2 – My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world.
      • Romans 10:9-13 – …because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing riches on all who call on Him. For “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

      “Set Your Mind on Christ” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

      1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.[1]

      Colossians 3:1-4

      "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

      📖 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.
      1. "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming)
      2. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Love" (Advent 2025)
      3. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025)
      4. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of PEACE (Advent 2025)
      5. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of HOPE (Advent 2025)

      Greetings Sojourners!

      I love the way that Paul’s letter to the Colossian church builds and builds and builds. I think our overviews of the larger chunks of chapters one and two help us to see how it builds, but also how it fits together as an epistle or letter. Remember, where we see chapters, sections, passages, and verses there was just a letter from the apostle Paul to a church that needed help. Paragraph by paragraph the help he offers them is pointing them to Jesus. And since Paul’s letter to the Colossians was “Scripture…breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16), it is important for us to remember that these words apply to us and the local churches we belong to as well!

      Even though we have spent several weeks reviewing the initial chapters of Colossians, it is important that we keep our passage today in correct context:

      • In chapter 1, we saw Paul presenting Jesus in a beautiful hymn highlighting how Jesus, God incarnate, is preeminent over all and yet cares for them enough to deliver and redeem them (and us) “from the domain of darkness” to His Kingdom (ch 1:13-14).
      • Chapter 2 saw Paul helping them to understand what it is to be alive in Christ and helped them understand that receiving Christ and walking in Him (ch 2:6-7) is necessary to combat the false teaching attacking their church.

      As we begin chapter 3 where Paul lays out for the Colossian church – and again, the church today – what new life in Christ is and is not, the final verse from last week’s passage (ch 2:23) strikes me a bit stronger: “These (human precepts and teaching) have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”

      We looked at Colossians 2:23 in the context of last week’s passage, and we need to now see it as the hinge that opens the door between last week’s passage and ours today because, contextually, it fits with both passages. The “human precepts and teaching” (ch 2:22) were spoken of in the context of the false teaching plaguing the Colossian church – that people were trying to tack on additional religious practices to the gospel and distract from it. But, as we are about to begin looking at precepts and teaching given by Paul, it is fitting that we clarify the difference between human precepts and those “breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Sins are going to be listed – not Paul’s interpretation of a religion but speaking from God as He was “carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). We must be careful to focus on and look at what God is saying to the church – then and now – through Paul. We must be careful to recognize the authority of Scripture to teach us what to believe and correct us when we are wrong – to teach us how to live and correct us when we sin – to give us everything we need to live this new life in Him (2 Timothy 3:17).

      There is temptation to blunt what God makes sharp regarding sin – to call good what God called evil (Isaiah 5:20). There is also a temptation to take God’s Word and use it to hurt people rather than to point them to Him. Both are dangerous. Both are trying for “human precepts” instead of the divine. God’s Word says what it says, and it has power. But the former, the man-made or man-twisted have “no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh”. Thankfully, Paul’s answer to both – the answer that has been consistent throughout Colossians and will continue to be through the end is Jesus – is clear in our passage today.

      If You Have Been Raised (vv. 1, 3)

      The first word of today’s passage is “if”. As a parent and a high school teacher, I understand this word with unique clarity.

      Daddy, can I go to __’s house Friday? Yes, if, you clean your room. Mr. Harris, if we all make __ or above on the assessment, you should buy us donuts. I sure will if you hold up your end of the bargain. When Friday comes or the assessment is over both sides play the parts of expert lawyer explaining how I am bound to do this or how I should change my mind because of how close they got to the agreement. Yet if leaves extraordinarily little wiggle room. If is conditional. Any agreement containing if means that its completion is contingent upon whatever in-the-event-that occurs.

      In the case of today’s passage – “If then you have been raised with Christ”, the condition is if someone is in Christ, whether or not they have been “raised with Christ”. One either is or is not. Think back to the way that Paul has presented this state of being in Christ throughout the letter: either in “the domain of darkness” or “the kingdom of His beloved Son” (ch 1:13), either reconciled to Him through “the blood of His cross” or “alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds” (ch 1:20-21), either “dead in your trespasses” or “made alive together with Him” (ch 2:13). So, to say “If then you have been raised with Christ” is to say you are either dead in your sins or raised to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4) – in Christ or not knowing Him at all (Matthew 7:21-23[2]).

      It is important to the message Paul is communicating because the teachings in Colossians 3-4 are for those who have been “made alive…with Christ”, saved by grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:5). These are not principles for a good or successful life. They are not suggestions or even a how-to manual for faith or practice. If one is not in Christ – saved, born again, these teachings are of no value and will only end in discouragement and disappointment because they are contingent on the Spirit’s power only available to those who are His.

      This is illustrated through the rest of that conditional statement: “seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God”. Basically, if you are in Christ, seek Him. Verse 3 clarifies it even further because, once one is saved, the former pre-salvation life is over and life is “hidden with Christ in God” – eternal life is contingent upon His life, our being brought from death to life is contingent upon His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12-16).

      This is why the new life that comes from being in Christ is not simply a how-to manual or list of instructions – it is real and lasting transformation, life change that occurs when one goes from the “wages of sin”, which is death, to “the free gift of eternal life” (Romans 6:23). Think back to the time spent earlier on the context of ch. 2:23: only new life in Jesus is of value “in stopping the indulgence of the flesh”! Seeking Christ is more than reading His Word or praying to Him as a religious exercise, it is seeking the One who rescued you and redeemed you – who saved you. If you have been raised with Christ, why would you not seek Him?

      Set Your Minds (vv. 2, 4)

      There is good news in the command to seek Jesus, namely that He will be found! Look at this beautiful passage in Isaiah 55:6-7:

      Seek the Lord while He may be found;
      call upon Him while He is near;
      let the wicked forsake his way,
      and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
      let him return to the Lord,
      that he may have compassion on him,
      and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

      This is often viewed as an invitation – and it is – for those who do not know Christ but let us look at what it means for those who do know Him. If you have been raised with Christ, He will be found when sought and near when He is called upon. But also, if one’s wicked ways have been forsaken and unrighteous thoughts laid aside, one surely has sought the Lord and received His compassion and forgiveness – received His life – because human beings do not lay aside their wickedness of choice easily. The latter proves the former. The fruit proves the tree[3].

      The command here moves from seeking Him, though, to setting one’s mind on Him. That word “set” means be mindful of, to be devoted to”[4]. Think about it like how one would set a thermostat or an alarm. A thermostat ensures that a house stays within the confines of temperatures that will keep us comfortable – that is comfortable to the one who sets the temperature. An alarm ensures that appointments are kept and things that one really does not want to miss. As a resident of Mississippi in June, I am devoted to making sure my thermostat is set correctly as the humidity and heat would quickly overtake my home. Alarms are necessities for things I want to make sure I do not miss and things I must do and are set as needed – as often as needed, as often as I need to be mindful of a time or date. How does this pertain to Jesus?

      Paul tells the Colossian church to “set” their minds “on things that are above” – the same thing that he just commanded them to “seek”. The mind of the church, its members, should be set on Jesus “not on things that are on earth”. Set – like a thermostat – to keep one’s mind consistently where it needs to be, on Jesus. Set – like we would an alarm to remind us of where we need to be. Set.

      Now, I have heard people say that there is a danger of being so heavenly minded that one is no earthly good, meaning that one can be so focused on “things that are above” that things below are forgotten about. That warning assumes that these heavenly minded people would have a sort of monastery view that would isolate them from the world.

      I would argue that I am of no earthly good if my mind is not set on Christ. When we look at the rest of the larger section that today’s passage begins (Colossians 3:1-17), what follows comes from setting one’s mind on Jesus. The sins that are crucified are because of focusing on Jesus and the life He gives. The behaviors that characterize the new life follow in the way that He lived – and lives!

      This leads to the ultimate goal: meeting Jesus. If we look at verse 4, this is the goal – the expectation of seeking and setting one’s mind on Christ – “When Christ who is your life appears”.

      This is the sort of expectant devotion that reminds me of my son. The first day I spent alone with him was when he was barely a month old on my wife’s first day back at work. He screamed. He cried. He was upset. But everything changed when his mama called to see how everything had gone. He heard her voice over the phone and began to be soothed. For the first time that day (except when a bottle was in his mouth) he was quiet. As soon as he hit her arms when she got home, he was at rest. Now, I know it would be hard to say that as an infant he was thinking this or that. Yet on rare occasions when my wife is gone for a long while, every audible car noise from the street brings questions of whether his mom is back. When my wife and daughter were on a mission trip without us a year ago, every buzz on my phone brought questions whether it was his mama on the other end. And, as hard as he tried to play it cool when we picked them up at the church when they got back, everything was right in his world once his mama was home.

      Expectantly setting one’s mind on Christ shows that kind of devotion. While Jesus is away, setting our minds on Him operates on the belief that He really is returning for us and has prepared a place for us (John 14:2). But, more than that, it is a connection between the one you confessed as Lord (Romans 10:9) and the life you actually live (Galatians 2:20). And when He appears – when He returns, He comes to take you with Him. Those who are His will be ready because their minds are set.

      Wrapping Up

      It is so easy to regiment our lives to fit everything that we want. We can schedule and plan. There are immovable commitments in our lives that will trump anything that comes up. I can be in the middle of something that has everything else in my schedule detouring around it and have it all upended with a single emergency call or text from my wife or kids. In that moment, everything else pales in comparison. The immovable appointment suddenly becomes movable.

      But how does God fit in my life? Is time with Him immovable in my schedule? I learned – sadly later than I should have – that there are times that, if I do not schedule time with my wife I will run out of time – the same with my kids. I felt bad when I initially began scheduling this time because it seems so impersonal to schedule things as important as time with my wife and kids. Then, I realized that it is better to schedule than miss something important, which is the reason I had a calendar in the first place: to ensure that important things do not get missed. If I fix my schedule around gathering with my church family so that it is an immovable commitment, why should I be so foolish as to think the precious time I get with my wife and kids should be less of an immovable commitment.

      I must do the same with my time with the Lord – in His Word and praying. It has become part of my daily routine (which I know also sounds impersonal). And, if I do not start my day in His Word and in prayer – if I do not set my mind on Him at the very beginning of my day, I will be off. I will be more like the old self than the new.

      Important things are set. They are fixed.

      And so, it must be for the minds of those who claim to be saved.

      If you are reading this and find that you have no desire to set your mind on Christ or that you can make it through days or weeks or months or years without caring about spending time with Him in His Word or praying to Him, there is a problem. If you claim to be a part of His body – the church – and have left it dismembered in your absence, there is a problem. Remember that conditional if. If you are His, you will seek Him. If you are His, you will desire to spend time with Him. If you are His, there will have to come a time when you are set – fixed – on Him. It is conditional. And per His Word, the conditions are set – fixed, immovable.

      Maybe there is an issue with repentance that needs to be taken care of so that you can fix your mind on Him. Or maybe, just maybe, you are not in Christ. If you have not truly been born again, it is like I said earlier: these actions are not for you. They will drain you because you do not have the Spirit’s power. They will make you feel empty and dead because those who have not been made alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5) are still dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). If this is you, then there is hope. The Bible is clear on this:

      …because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

      Romans 10:9-13

      If this is you, I hope you take these words to heart. If there is no fruit of life in Christ, then there is no life. But this does not have to be bad news. The words from Romans 10:9-13 tell us how to be in Christ. To confess Him as Lord is to submit to Him as the Master of your life, trusting that His ways are better than yours. To believe that God raised Him from the dead is more than mere information; it is trusting that only Him who raised from the dead can give life to those who are dead in their sin. If you call out to Him and tell Him these things, then He will save you just as He promised. Know this, whether you are in Christ or out: I am praying for you. I am praying for you to have a desire to meet God in His Word and talk to Him. I am praying for His Spirit to help you set your mind on Him and seek Him while He may be found. And, if you come to realize that you are not in Him, know that I would love to talk with you and pray for you. I would love to introduce you to Jesus.

      ← Back

      Thank you for your response. ✨

      [1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 3:1–4.

      [2] The context of Matthew 7:21-23 is interesting here because just prior to that paragraph in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:15-20) is a paragraph where Jesus describes the danger of “false prophets” who appear to be part of the sheepfold but are “ravenous wolves”. The context helps us here because Jesus clarifies that one’s fruit defines what type of tree they are. Those who are in Christ bear His fruit – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). The fruit thrives because those who are in Christ are connected to Him (John 15:5-6). So, based on Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount, no fruit means no Christ. This is very frightening and damning illustration – or it is assurance.

      [3] See the note in footnote 2.

      [4] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

      Refresh & Restore Bible Study — June 15, 2023

      Greetings Sojourners!

      We are almost caught up to where we need to be to finish our Colossians study! It has done my heart and mind good over these past few weeks to dig back into the letter to the church at Colossae. As I have stated numerous times, Colossians[1] is my favorite book, but there is always a temptation in Bible studies – whether verbal or written – to try and get through passages. I am thankful for this opportunity to get the book of Colossians through me rather than me teaching through it. And I pray it gets through to you as well.

      Our overview of Colossians 1:1-23 focused on the supremacy of Christ – who He is, what He has done, and how He is worthy of all worship, honor, and praise. Our overview of Colossians 1:24-2:7 reminded us how following Christ brings suffering like that which He bore on our behalf and how Jesus is One for whom we should be willing to suffer. Today, we are going to give our final overview before we dive back into our usual weekly Bible studies where we try to do what Ezra and Nehemiah did when Israel came out of Babylonian exile; they “read from the book…clearly” and “gave the sense” (Nehemiah 8:8). Let us get about that work today!

      Captivated by Christ – NOT Captive to False Doctrine or Traditions (vv. 2:8-10)

      8 See to it that no one takes you captive by [2]philosophy and [3]empty deceit, according to [4]human tradition, according to the [5]elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For [6]in him the whole fullness of deity dwells [7]bodily, 10 and [8]you have been filled in him, who is [9]the head of all rule and authority.

      Colossians 2:8-10

      The Colossian church faced the danger of false teachers because their knowledge of the Word was limited. If you remember, this church was not established by Paul, who typically spent more time teaching and discipling the churches he started. Epaphras, who was saved (likely in Ephesus) and brought the gospel home to Colossae, started this church. False teachers saw this limited discipleship as an opportunity to undermine the Colossians’ understanding of the gospel by promoting their own false gospel. Examining how Paul addressed this struggle can provide us with protection against similar threats today, as Satan and false teachers continue to seek such opportunities. Let us explore how Paul’s message to the Colossian church can safeguard us and our communities.

      The command to not be taken captive might seem straightforward, but it is not as simple as it appears. Considering how much evil there is in today’s world, the command alone is insufficient to protect people. Just as I would not send my daughter off with a casual warning of avoiding kidnapping, but instead provide extensive guidance and precautionary measures, Paul does the same for the Colossian church. He commands them to guard themselves against being captured and provides a list of specific dangers and captors who are attempting to lead them astray with false gospels.

      His list of trustworthy individuals is concise: Jesus. Before delving into the various false teachings, it is crucial to grasp this concept. Rather than focusing on all the details of each false teaching, the key is recognizing that they are not aligned with Christ (v. 8). Knowledge of Christ – as presented in the Bible and its teachings – is vital for protection against false doctrine.

      Paul has already emphasized the deity of Christ through a beautiful hymn (Colossians 1:15-20). Now, through the Holy Spirit, he helps the Colossians discern the danger that exists within their midst. The false teachers appealed to human logic and reasoning, attempting to confuse them with plausible arguments. This is why it is so important to test teachers, examining whether they proclaim Christ or argue against His Word (1 John 4:1-6). You should evaluate me and what I teach! Because without engaging with the Word yourself, one is vulnerable to believe whatever is taught. This is a primary way to ensure we are not captured.

      The false teachers also used empty deceit, making empty promises that exploit their lack of biblical knowledge. Today, many false teachers deceive others under the guise of faith healers, prosperity gospel preachers, or authors promising health and prosperity within a “Christian” context. They manipulate the vulnerable, while lacking true understanding and adherence to Scripture. The Colossian church struggled to distinguish between false promises and the genuine promises of God due to their limited access to sound teachers and the Word. However, we are blessed with abundant access to both. Thus, we must be vigilant and not be captured.

      Human tradition can be potent and resistant to change. Yet, it is crucial to evaluate our sources of information and ensure they align with the whole Bible, rather than relying on opinions or popular beliefs. We must adopt the attitude of the Bereans in Acts 17, eagerly receiving the gospel but diligently examining the Scriptures daily to confirm the message’s truthfulness. Unlike the Colossians, we have numerous resources to study and understand God’s Word. Yet we fall into deception because we prefer to listen to false teachers who tell us what we want to hear. Let us strive to rely on the entirety of God’s Word and not be captured.

      The term “elemental spirits” (v. 8) refers to basic principles or childish beliefs. Choosing to abandon the gospel of Jesus Christ for these lesser things is akin to returning to preschool after earning a high school diploma. Paul is questioning here why the Colossians, who have died with Christ to these elemental spirits, would continue to submit to regulations as if they were still alive in the world. The gospel requires faith, as it deals with unseen matters, while elemental spirits can be observed. It is easier to feel the warmth of the sun than to comprehend that Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power. Satan exploits the desire for tangible proof, leading individuals to worship created things rather than the Creator. We must guard against being captured by our desire for our finite human minds to make sense of all the things that are only learned by remaining steadfast in our faith.

      The false teachers employed human logic, empty deceit, human tradition, and appeals to elemental spirits to deceive the Colossians. However, we have the privilege of extensive access to the Word of God and various resources to study it. By remaining vigilant, testing all teachings against Scripture, and holding fast to the Truth, we can protect ourselves from being captured by false doctrines.

      For more, check out the original Bible study from this section:

      Salvation v. Symbols (vv. 2:11-15)

      11 In him also [10]you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by [11]putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 [12]having been buried with him in baptism, in which [13]you were also raised with him through faith in [14]the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And [15]you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God [16]made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by [17]canceling [18]the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 [19]He disarmed the rulers and authorities and [20]put them to open shame, by [21]triumphing over them in him.

      Colossians 2:11-15

      As I reflect further on the letter to the Colossian church, I am reminded of the importance of focusing on Christ when encountering false teachings. Paul warns against being swayed by philosophies, empty deceit, human traditions, and elementary principles that are not aligned with Christ. It is a reminder that the Bible challenges us to examine our beliefs and directs us to encounter its Author. It is my prayer through all of the Bible studies we produce that they help those reading to personally encounter Jesus and grasp the hope found in Him for eternal life and to be “delivered…from the domain of darkness and transferred…to the kingdom of [God’s] beloved Son” (ch. 1:13-14).

      I had the opportunity a few weeks back to discuss the gospel with a non-believer who was fully entrenched in a dangerous cult. As we dug into Scripture, he was clearly hungry. Yet his family was unwilling to let go – nor he, his family. Rather than embracing the God of the Bible and coming to a knowledge of the truth, he remained blindly allegiant to the works-based gospel and false teachings of the “church” he came out of. So, discussing how easy it can be for one to get captured by false teaching or entrenched in worldly religion is not a moot subject for me. This is eternal life or death (John 3:16-21). And just like this young man, sometimes the religion is not entirely man-made but based on the Old Testament traditions that were meant to point to Christ.

      One example from this section of Colossians (I must acknowledge the discomfort that may accompany discussing this topic) is circumcision. I hope this discussion will shed light on the significance of circumcision within the covenant God made with Abraham in the Old Testament while pointing to how it is a foreshadowing of the work of Christ.

      Throughout the ancient Near East, covenants were sealed in a solemn and bloody manner, signifying the commitment of both parties involved. This was often called a covenant of halves because of the bloody nature of an animal being cut in half for the parties making the covenant to walk through signifying their agreement. The basic idea was that whoever broke the covenant suffered a fate like the animal. Yet, there was a fundamental difference in God’s covenant with humanity – only He walked through the halves of the sacrificed animals, expressing His faithfulness and foresight that mankind would inevitably break the covenant (Genesis 15).

      Circumcision served as a reminder of the costly sacrifice God would make to reconcile people to Himself. It was not a means of salvation, but rather a symbol pointing to Jesus, who fulfilled the covenant and became the ultimate source of salvation. However, the Colossian church faced false teachings from Judaizers, who claimed that salvation required both Jesus and circumcision, along with adherence to the Mosaic Law and festivals. It is crucial to reinforce the truth that salvation is found solely in Jesus and that any addition or alteration to the gospel distorts its message.

      The issue really was a question of equations (which should please my Algebra-teaching wife):

      Jesus + nothing = EVERYTHING
      Jesus + anything = nothing

      It may have seemed like a small thing for these false teachers to add circumcision to the gospel since the practice was prescribed to Israel in the Old Testament (Genesis 17:10-14; Exodus 4:24-26, 12:43-49; Leviticus 12:3; Joshua 5:2-12). But the Bible is clear even in the Old Testament that there was more to the practice than the removal of a male’s foreskin. Look at Deuteronomy 30:6: “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” Even then it was really an outward symbol of what God alone could do in their hearts. Once Jesus came, it was clear that people were to be set apart by their faith in Him (Galatians 5, 6:15; Romans 2:29).

      This passage also draws a parallel between circumcision and baptism, highlighting their roles as outward symbols representing inward faith. Baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:4), proclaiming our faith in Him. Through repentance and belief in Jesus, we are saved and experience a spiritual transformation, being raised from spiritual death to new life in Christ. It is essential to understand that salvation is exclusively found in Jesus, and any attempt to dilute or alter the gospel diminishes its power.

      Furthermore, this passage brings to light the abundant grace and mercy of God demonstrated through Jesus. In Christ, we find forgiveness and the cancellation of our debts. The record of our sins is wiped away through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. We must appreciate the righteousness and justice of God, who paid the price for our sins to justify those who have faith in Jesus. As a result, believers are set free from condemnation and live in the freedom and righteousness that Christ provides.

      This passage also highlights the victory of Jesus over Satan and the rulers and authorities. The nails on the cross symbolize the final defeat of Satan, as Jesus disarmed the spiritual forces through His sacrifice. His resurrection abolished death and brought forth life by grace through faith in Him. This truth resonates powerfully, offering believers a message of triumph and good news.

      In summary, this passage delves into the spiritual significance of circumcision, baptism, and the redemptive work of Jesus. It emphasizes that salvation is found exclusively in Jesus and urges us to reject any attempts to add to or modify the gospel. Through Jesus, we experience transformation, forgiveness, and victory over the powers of darkness. It is a testament to the love, grace, and victory of God, offering hope and new life to all who believe in Him. May we hold fast to the truth of Jesus’ sufficiency and His unparalleled role in our salvation.

      For more, check out the original Bible study from this section:

      More Reminders Regarding Faith & Practice (vv. 2:16-23)

      16 Therefore let no one [22]pass judgment on you [23]in questions of food and drink, or with regard to [24]a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 [25]These are a shadow of the things to come, but [26]the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one [27]disqualify you, [28]insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, [29]going on in detail about visions, [30]puffed up without reason by [31]his sensuous mind, 19 and [32]not [33]holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
      20 If with Christ [34]you died to the [35]elemental spirits of the world, [36]why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “[37]Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 ([38]referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to [39]human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in [40]promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are [41]of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

      Colossians 2:16-23

      Today’s last section emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of the Bible as the guide for Christian practice. We need to believe that the Bible is God’s Word, as stated in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Our beliefs about the Bible shape the way we interact with it and determine whether we see it as important or merely a valuable influence.

      Another passage that provides context is Ephesians 4:17-24:

      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. 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. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ! – assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

      This passage distinguishes between knowing Christ and not knowing Him, highlighting the difference in one’s way of life. It is crucial to recognize that Jesus is at the center of Christianity. If there is no Christ, there is no Christianity. Our practices and beliefs should be centered on Him.

      We are advised in this passage not to let anyone pass judgment on us regarding questions of food, drink, festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths. The false teachers in Colossae were trying to impose Jewish dietary laws and observances (like circumcision in the early passage) on the church, but these practices were meant to point to Christ, who is the substance. We must be cautious about who prescribes practices to the church and ensure that God’s Word is our ultimate guide.

      The false teachers in Colossae also advocated asceticism, worship of angels, and visions, claiming superiority over others in their religious practices. However, Paul emphasizes the importance of holding fast to the Head, who is Christ. Jesus is the originator of our faith, and the church, as His body, should follow Him.

      Are you seeing a trend here? Jesus is greater than religious practices (even practices that once pointed to Him.

      We need to be continually reminded that if we have died to the old self and the old ways, they no longer need stake in our lives (and especially not our worship). Seeking after human precepts and teachings that do not bring life is like dabbling with death. The false teacher’s practices may seem attractive, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Only Jesus has the power and value we need.

      Again, it is essential to have access to the Bible and engage with it. Additionally, being part of a local church and having a pastor or shepherd who guides and protects us is crucial. That is right, God gave us the church for a purpose! Gathering with fellow believers and receiving instruction helps protect us from false prophets and deepens our understanding of what it means to be in Christ. Having and engaging with one’s faith family – church – also adds protection and accountability we need against false teachers who are actively seeking to destroy people!

      For more, check out the original Bible study from this section:

      Wrapping Up

      I know that there was a lot of information in this section, but think about what parts of it cycled into each section:

      1. We have been given everything that can be known about God in the Bible. We must utilize it by reading or listening to it. This is how we hear from God because He has already spoken. Anyone who proclaims that they have a fresh audible word of God, especially one that presents current information not present in Scripture, is a false teacher. Get away from them. Do not listen to them. The Word is how we measure whether teachers are teaching truth or lies. Any truth about Christ apart from the Bible is a lie.
      2. Jesus is not just supreme in the universe. He must be supreme in our faith and practice. He is who the Bible says He is, and we need to keep Him as central in our lives. Anyone who is trying to promote a different Jesus than the Bible contains is a false teacher. He or she is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. Those who promote a false Christ and false gospel are antichrists and not to be trifled with (and largely not engaged with).
      3. God has made us a part of the body of Christ here on earth. This is called the Church. Yes, the Church is the body of Christ world-wide and throughout time, but there are local expressions of this. Church is not a building or an event but a people. Our sinful selves and false teachers want us to go rogue or solo on this subject, but we must remain vigilant. Anyone who tries to separate us from the fold (church) is a wolf (false teacher).

      I am not trying to be an alarmist, but I want to sound the alarm. Paul did not write flippantly about this, and neither do I. It is my prayer that this Bible study will help you to be vigilant and to know Christ. Jesus, “who is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4), is our hope. Hold fast to Him!

      [1] All Scripture references unless otherwise noted are from the English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 1:1–2.

      [2] [1 Timothy 6:20] – O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’….

      [3] Ephesians 5:6 – Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

      [4] See Matthew 15:2 – “Why do your disciples break tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”

      [5] v. 20

      [6] ch. 1:19 – For in Him all the fullness of God was to dwell…. | John 1:14 – And 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.

      [7] [v. 17]

      [8] Ephesians 3:19 – …and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

      [9] See Ephesians 1:21-22 – …far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave him as head over all things to the church….

      [10] [Ephesians 2:11] – Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands…. | See Romans 2:29 – But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

      [11] v. 15 | ch. 3:9 – Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices….

      [12] Romans 6:4 – We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

      [13] ch. 3:1 – If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. | [Romans 6:5] – For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.

      [14] [1 Corinthians 6:14] – And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. | See Acts 2:24 – God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it. | See Ephesians 1:19 – …and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might….

      [15] See Ephesians 2:1 – And you were dead in the trespasses and sins….

      [16] See Ephesians 2:5 – …even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved….

      [17] See Acts 3:19 – Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out….

      [18] See Romans 7:4 – Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

      [19] [See footnotes on v. 11 above.]

      [20] [Genesis 3:15] – I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” | [Psalm 68:18] – You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there. | [Isaiah 53:12] – Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors. | [Matthew 12:29] – Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then he may plunder his house. | [Luke 10:18] – And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. | [John 12:31] – Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. | [John 16:11] – …concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. | [Ephesians 4:8] – Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.” | [Hebrews 2:14] – Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil….

      [21] Ephesians 2:16 – …and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

      [22] Romans 14:3 – Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. | Romans 14:10 – Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God…. | Romans 14:13 – Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

      [23] Romans 14:17 – For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. | Hebrews 9:10 – …but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. | See Leviticus 11:2 – “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.

      [24] Leviticus 23:2 – “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts. | Romans 14:5 – One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

      [25] Hebrews 8:5 – They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” | Hebrews 10:1 – For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered ever year, make perfect those who draw near.

      [26] [v. 2] – …that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ….

      [27] 1 Corinthians 9:24 – Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

      [28] v. 23

      [29] [Ezekiel 13:7] – And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem…. | [1 Timothy 1:7] – …desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

      [30] [Ephesians 4:17] – 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.

      [31] [Romans 8:7] – For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

      [32] See Ephesians 4:15-16 – Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

      [33] Revelation 2:13 – “’I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. | Revelation 3:11 – I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.

      [34] See Romans 6:2 – By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

      [35] v. 8

      [36] [Galatians 4:9] – But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

      [37] v. 16 | 1 Timothy 4:3 – …who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

      [38] 1 Corinthians 6:13 – “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” – and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

      [39] Isaiah 29:13 – And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men…. | Matthew 15:9 – …in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” | [Titus 1:14] – …not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth.

      [40] v. 18

      [41] [1 Timothy 4:8] – …for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

      Refresh & Restore Bible Study — May 25, 2023

      Greetings Sojourners!

      Early in 2022, we began a study on the epistle of Colossians but were unable to complete it at that time due to my schedule. Over the next month or so, we will finish that study: Jesus Over All!

      Rather than diving in right where we left off, it is important that we refresh our memories – definitely necessary for me – so that we keep our study in context. We will revisit Colossians 1[1] today, Colossians 2 next week, and then revisit each of the two sections of Colossians 3 after that. This will poise us to be able to finish the study and to grow by God’s Spirit in the study of His Word as He intended when Colossians was written – to the church then, now, and until the return of Christ. Furthermore, I will be including the biblical cross references[2] in the footnotes so that those who are interested can see what the Bible says about itself.

      Colossians 1 is important for understanding Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae not only because it is the first chapter but because it contains the beautiful Christological hymn (vv. 1:15-20) which illustrates Jesus’ preeminent position over everything that is – over all creation, and especially over us. God has graciously revealed this to us so that we can see Jesus appropriately – high above us and worthy of all worship. Yet, despite our own sinfulness and unworthiness, He offers us “redemption” (v. 1:14) and the opportunity to be delivered “from the domain of darkness” and to be transferred to His Kingdom (v. 1:13). What a beautiful opportunity to recognize Jesus is Lord and above all else and to move our hearts to believe in Him (Romans 10:9-10)!

      Introduction (vv. 1:1-2)

      1 Paul, [3]an apostle of Christ Jesus [4]by the will of God, and Timothy [5]our brother,

      2 To the [6]saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
      [7]Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

      Colossians 1:1-2

      The book of Colossians is an epistle written by the apostle Paul to the church in Colossae, which was established by their pastor, Epaphras. It highlights the importance of everyday individuals like Epaphras in spreading the gospel and emphasizes the significance of Jesus in our lives and churches.

      One of the main themes in Colossians is the preeminence of Jesus Christ over everything. Paul teaches the Colossians deeper truths about Jesus to build upon the gospel they received from Epaphras. The whole epistle highlights various aspects of Jesus and warns against false teachings that damage His church.

      False teachers and distractions continue to challenge the Church today, but the good news is that Jesus is our shepherd who offers abundant life and eternal security. His grace and love – the opposite of what we deserve – provide us with peace. The goal of studying Colossians is to recognize Jesus’ supremacy, deepen our faith, and display Him as sufficient in the face of all difficulties, those that come from within and from without.

      Throughout this epistle, Paul urges us to focus on Jesus, trust in His work, and guard ourselves against false teachings. Jesus is the center of our faith, offering hope and salvation to all who believe.

      For more, check out the original Bible studies from this section:

      Thankfulness and Prayer for the Church at Colossae (vv. 1:3-14)

      3 [8]We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of [9]your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of [10]the hope [11]laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in [12]the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed [13]in the whole world it is [14]bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you [15]heard it and understood [16]the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from [17]Epaphras our beloved [18]fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your [19]love in the Spirit.

      9 And so, [20]from the day we heard, [21]we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that [22]you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all [23]spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as [24]to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, [25]fully pleasing to him: [26]bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 [27]being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for [28]all endurance and patience [29]with joy; 12 [30]giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in [31]the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He [32]has delivered us from [33]the domain of darkness and transferred us to [34]the kingdom of [35]his beloved Son, 14 [36]in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

      Colossians 1:3-14

      In this section, Paul offers a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the church at Colossae. He expresses gratitude for their faith in Christ, their love for one another, and the hope they have that comes from Christ. Despite facing false teachings, Paul prays for their continued growth in knowing God and walking with Him. He highlights the significance of faith, love, and hope within the church, emphasizing that faith in Christ is the foundation, love for fellow believers comes from God’s Spirit, and their hope is centered on Jesus and their eternal inheritance.

      Paul also celebrates the effectiveness of the gospel, the Word of Truth, which is bearing fruit and growing. He emphasizes the importance of continually embracing and sharing the gospel message, which centers on Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Despite his own circumstances, Paul finds encouragement in knowing that the gospel is still being preached and producing faith, love, and hope. He recognizes that the gospel’s power lies in Jesus, who is living and active.

      Paul expresses admiration for Epaphras, who has shared about the Colossian church and its faith, love, and understanding of God’s grace. Both Paul and Epaphras celebrate what God is accomplishing through the gospel and the Holy Spirit’s power. They demonstrate humility and joy, desiring Christ to be exalted above themselves. Paul refers to Epaphras as a fellow servant and faithful minister of Christ.

      This section concludes with a call to reflection and prayer. Readers are encouraged to reflect on their relationship with Christ and to offer prayers of thanksgiving for hearing the gospel, having faith in Christ, and the hope of eternity. They are also urged to express gratitude for their faith community, the impact of the gospel, and the opportunity to be part of God’s work. Additionally, there is a call to thank God for the privilege of sharing the good news and to pray for those who have not yet heard and need the opportunity to embrace faith in Christ. Paul’s prayer for the Colossian believers encompasses their faith, love, and hope, and he prays for their growth, endurance, and thankfulness for their salvation and inheritance in Christ.

      For more, check out the original Bible studies from this section:

      The Preeminence of Christ (vv. 1:15-20)

      15 [37]He is the image of [38]the invisible God, [39]the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, [40]in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether [41]thrones or [42]dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created [43]through him and for him. 17 And [44]he is before all things, and in him all things [45]hold together. 18 And [46]he is the head of the body, the church. He is [47]the beginning, [48]the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For [49]in him all the [50]fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and [51]through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, [52]making peace [53]by the blood of his cross.

      This section is a hymn that exalts and explains the identity of Jesus Christ. Throughout these six verses, the importance of understanding the true nature of Jesus in response to false teachings that had infiltrated the early church is clearly emphasized. Jesus, God in flesh and the Truth, is the only way to salvation and surpasses any distorted versions of the gospel presented by false teachers. This section points to the historical context of heresies and the recurring need to affirm the biblical understanding of Jesus throughout church history.

      This passage presents scriptural evidence for Jesus being fully God and fully man, emphasizing his divine nature and his humanity. Jesus is described as the “image of the invisible God,” representing the visible representation of God and embodying His glory and nature. It needs to be clarified that the term “firstborn of all creation” does not imply that Jesus is a created being, but rather emphasizes His authority and position as the King of kings.

      The passage further establishes Jesus as the creator of all things, both visible and invisible, in heaven and on earth. Jesus is credited with the power to bring everything into being and sustain the universe. He is described as being before all things and encompasses the entirety of existence. These verses highlight the divinity, authority, and creative power of Jesus, establishing Him as the preeminent and sovereign ruler over all creation.

      The significance of Jesus and the beliefs surrounding Him for believers and non-believers is consistently emphasized here. This stresses the importance of recognizing Jesus as the ultimate authority and helps one not be swayed by false teachings or idolatry. Jesus is clearly shown to be the head of the Church, guiding and leading believers through His Word and Spirit. Furthermore, there is also an emphasis on Jesus’ role in reconciliation. Jesus is referred to as “the firstborn from the dead,” signifying His role as the origin of everything and the one who has conquered death. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus made a way for humanity to be reconciled with God. His sacrifice on the cross and subsequent reconciliation of all things to God demonstrate God’s grace, mercy, and love.

      The significance of understanding the true nature of Jesus Christ and the importance of holding onto the biblical depiction of Him cannot be emphasized enough – His divinity, authority, and creative power, as well as His role in reconciliation between God and humanity. Let us reflect on the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice and the love of God in reconciling humanity to Himself and worship Him!

      For more, check out the original Bible studies from this section:

      Wrapping Up (vv. 1:21-23)

      21 [54]And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, [55]doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled [56]in his body of flesh by his death, [57]in order to present you holy and blameless and [58]above reproach before him, 23 [59]if indeed you continue in the faith, [60]stable and steadfast, not shifting from [61]the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed [62]in all creation under heaven, [63]and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

      Colossians 1:21-23

      The way Colossians 1 wraps up gives an invitation from God to the readers and hearers of the epistle – the original audience and even today – to respond to His Word and Spirit. Throughout the Bible, there are invitations extended by God to humanity. Examples include God inviting Noah and his family into the ark, inviting Israel through His prophets, and Jesus inviting all who labor and are heavy laden to find rest in Him. Through the work of His Spirit through the reading, hearing, and preaching of His Word, God offers the same to us today.

      Reconciliation is offered by God through Jesus, an offer that acknowledges that humanity, due to sin, was alienated and hostile toward God, described as being dead in trespasses and sins. This challenges the notion that all people are inherently good and highlights the need for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. God, in His love and mercy, reconciled humanity through Jesus’ death, offering salvation and presenting believers as holy and blameless.

      It is my prayer that all of us recognize our need reconciliation with God, and that if any have not that they respond by repenting of their sins and believe in Jesus. Remember, this invitation emphasizes that salvation is by grace through faith, not based on deserving it. It is also an invitation for those who believe to continue in the faith, remaining stable, steadfast, and rooted in the hope of the gospel. Re-reading Colossians 1 has led me to examine my own life. I pray it does you, too.

      [1] All Scripture references unless otherwise noted are from the English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 1:1–2.

      [2] Cross references show what the Bible says about a particular verse, section, or word. I use the cross references heavily in my study of the Word, especially when preaching and/or teaching the Word. Cross references that parallel the verse, section, or word but do not directly reference it are marked by brackets, for example [1 Peter 2:9-12]. Cross references of similar themes will be designated by the word “See”.

      [3] See 2 Corinthians 1:1 – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia….

      [4] See 1 Corinthians 1:1 – Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes….

      [5] See 1 Thessalonians 3:2 – …and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith….

      [6] Ephesians 1:1 – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus…. | See Philippians 1:1 – Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons…..

      [7] Romans 1:7 – To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. | 1 Corinthians 1:3 – Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

      [8] Ephesians 1:15-16 – For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers…. | Philemon 4 – I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers….

      [9] See 1 Thessalonians 1:3 – …remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

      [10] v. 23 | See Acts 23:6 – Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” | Titus 1:2 – …in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began…. | Hebrews 3:6 – …but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

      [11] 2 Timothy 4:8 – Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. | 1 Peter 1:4 – …to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you….

      [12] See Ephesians 1:13 – In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit….

      [13] [v. 23] | [Psalm 98:3] – He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. | See Matthew 24:14 – And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

      [14] John 15:5 – I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. | John 15:16 – You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. | [Philippians 1:11] – …filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

      [15] [Romans 16:26] – …but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith…. | [Ephesians 4:21] – …assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus….

      [16] See Acts 11:23 – When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose….

      [17] ch. 4:12 – Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. | Philemon 23 – Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you….

      [18] ch. 4:7 – Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

      [19] [Romans 15:30] – I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf….

      [20] v. 4

      [21] 2 Thessalonians 1:11 – To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power….

      [22] [Ephesians 1:17] – …that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him….

      [23] ch. 4:5 – Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. | Ephesians 1:8 – …which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight…. | [1 Corinthians 12:8] – For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit….

      [24] [Psalm 1:1-3] – Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. | See Ephesians 4:1 – I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called….

      [25] [2 Corinthians 5:9] – So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. | [Ephesians 5:10] – …and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. | [1 Thessalonians 4:1] – Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

      [26] v. 6

      [27] See Ephesians 3:16 – …that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being….

      [28] Ephesians 4:2 – …with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love….

      [29] See Matthew 5:12 – Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

      [30] ch. 3:15 – And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. | Ephesians 5:20 – …giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ….

      [31] See Acts 26:18 – …to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

      [32] 1 Thessalonians 1:10 – …and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

      [33] Luke 22:53 – When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” | Ephesians 6:12 – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

      [34] 2 Peter 1:11 – For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

      [35] [Ephesians 1:6] – …to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

      [36] See Ephesians 1:7 – In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace….

      [37] See 2 Corinthians 4:4 – In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel for the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

      [38] See 1 Timothy 1:17 – To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

      [39] [Psalm 89:27] – And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. | See Romans 8:29 – For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

      [40] Ephesians 1:10 – …as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

      [41] [Ezekiel 10:1] – Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne.

      [42] Ephesians 1:21 – …far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

      [43] Romans 11:36 – For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. | 1 Corinthians 8:6 – …yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

      [44] [John 8:58] – Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” | See John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

      [45] [Hebrews 1:3] – He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

      [46] See Ephesians 1:22-23 – And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

      [47] Revelation 3:14 – “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write, ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

      [48] Acts 26:23 – …that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.” |                     1 Corinthians 15:20 – But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. | Revelation 1:5 – …and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood….

      [49] ch. 2:9 – For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily….

      [50] See John 1:16 – For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

      [51] See 2 Corinthians 5:18 – All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…. | See Ephesians 1:10 – …as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

      [52] See Ephesians 2:14 – For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility….

      [53] [Ephesians 2:13] – But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

      [54] See Ephesians 2:1-2 – And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…. | See Ephesians 2:12 – …remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

      [55] [Titus 1:16] – They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

      [56] [Romans 7:4] – Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

      [57] Jude 24 – Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy…. | See Ephesians 1:4 – …even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. | See Ephesians 5:27 – …so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

      [58] 1 Corinthians 1:8 – …who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

      [59] See John 15:4 – Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

      [60] ch. 2:7 – …rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. | Ephesians 3:17 – …so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love….

      [61] vv. 5-6

      [62] Mark 16:15 – And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. | [Acts 2:5]

      [63] See 2 Corinthians 3:6 – …who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

      Refresh & Restore Bible Study — May 18, 2023

      1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 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. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 He 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, 6 whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.[1]

      Titus 3:1-7

      Greetings Sojourners!

      From when we began these Bible studies, it has always been our goal not only to get the Word out to people but to do, as Nehemiah says, read the Bible “clearly” and give the “sense” so that people can understand the reading (Nehemiah 8:8). And in trying to make it clear, there is nothing more important that what it means to be saved – born again – have new life in Christ.

      Some in the area of the United States where I live would say that most people they know are Christians because the southeastern region of the United States has been known as or referred to as the “Bible Belt”. Many – far too many – would start their description of what it means to be a Christian with walking an aisle or a this-one-time-at-Vacation-Bible-School story. Others might reference a decision or membership to a church or the family they were born into or their particular political party or social organization. But the Bible has much more for us than those meager (and easily incorrect) descriptions.

      What the Bible offers us in Christ is so much more! And, in the places the Bible talks about what it is to be saved, it shows that we go from being lost to being found (Luke 15), from being in danger of eternal condemnation to being saved (John 3:16-17), from being dead in our trespasses and sins to eternal life in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10). When the Bible talks about salvation, it lifts up the Savior and makes much of Him! It lays out clearly that salvation comes by grace through faith in Christ alone through the hearing of God’s Word (Romans 10:17).

      Salvation comes to those who are sinners – folks who need to be saved. It does not come for the best or the most worthy but the opposite (1 Corinthians 1:20-31) – folks who need saving. Folks like you and me. We were all born into sin and by our own works and merits are full-blown sinners.

      By looking at Paul’s letter to Titus, a young pastor called to the church on the island of Crete, we can see what the Bible tells pastors they are to remind God’s people to be, take a good look at and into ourselves to either remind us what it is to be saved (or what we need to be saved from if we are not), and to make sure we all clearly understand the rescue that God has provided by grace through faith in the mercy of Christ and the power of His Spirit.

      A Reminder to God’s People Through Pastors (vv. 1-2)

      Paul begins the section serving as our passage today with the command “remind them” (v. 1). The word translated “remind” here would be like jogging one’s memory “perhaps after hints or suggestions” or to “put in mind of [or] bring to remembrance”.[2] The list that follows is something that the church at Crete would have known but either 1) forgotten (or functionally forgotten), or 2) need to keep these things in their minds because they are important.

      The list is not exhaustive, but it covers a general spectrum of behaviors that are part of the Christian life. It is important to note here that none of these earn salvation nor do the actions by themselves produce eternal life. No, the behaviors associated with being a Christian are results of being born again – fruit of Christ making dead men and women alive and filling them with His Spirit (John 15:1-8).

      The list, ultimately, will contrast with the before Christ stage of the lives of the believers there, but it gives a picture of what God knew the Cretan church needed a reminder to do. Being “submissive to rulers and authorities” reflects a trust that God is sovereign even through earthly leaders and that obeying them when they work for the general good reflects trust in God (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13). Being “obedient” – to the Word and the leading of the Spirit – shows the same trust in God; Jesus says that obeying His commandments is a result of being loved by Him and loving Him (John 14:15). Hopefully, you are noticing how these reminders are flowing out of one another – just as the fruit of the Spirit comes from being saved and having the Spirit indwelling in the believer (Galatians 5:22-23).

      In the same way obedience leads to readiness for “good works” which the Bible teaches that God has prepared for those who He saves (Ephesians 2:10). The “good works” do not produce salvation, and they are unnatural (opposite of the way sin comes all too naturally to us). Examples of how unnatural good is to humanity is how we have a reminder here to “speak evil of no one” and to “avoid quarrelling” – two characteristics that are all too natural (at least to the human sinner writing this). Those seem like prohibitions for bad behaviors, but they really illustrate what “good work” Christ is calling His people to: gentleness. Why? Gentle, along with “lowly”, is how Jesus described Himself as He invited those who were or are “weary and heavy laden” to come to Him (Matthew 11:28).

      So, ultimately, the Cretan church was being reminded to be like Jesus (Philippians 2:5). And nothing shows “perfect courtesy toward all people” like treating them as Jesus would treat them to point them to Him and share His gospel with them!

      Recognition That God’s People Have a Past – That Should Be Passing Away (v. 3)

      Paul’s reminder of what they should be doing shifts in v. 3 to reminding them what they “once” were like – not just the Cretan believers but Paul, Titus, you, and me, too. It is similar to Paul’s telling the church at Corinth that “such were some of you” before they were “washed”, “sanctified”, and “justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). In fact, until one has been saved there is no “once” – only still is and continues to be. Sometimes when we look at lists like the one found in the previous section (vv. 1-2), we get a glimpse of – as stated above – what some would say it is to act like a Christian. But we need to be reminded that Christianity is not an act.

      My pastor, John Goldwater, has had to clarify to our church, Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, at various times the difference between acting like a Christian and being in Christ (Ephesians 4:17-21). At various times in recent years, we have had children and youth who had no church background or knowledge of Christ acting like – well, acting like children and youth really do. Some of those instances found people remarking and even requesting that the children be taught how to act in church. Now, I am sure that these requests were docile enough and likely well-meaning. But John brought up a good and valid point: some people learn how to act like a Christian, put on an act, and never come to know Christ. If we have such a limited time with these children and youth, many of whom have no parents or grandparents to do the discipleship and instruction needed to point people to Christ (Deuteronomy 6), and our time is better spent teaching them the Word and what it is to be in Christ rather than helping them learn out to act. After all, those who are dead in their trespasses and sins are not made alive merely by acting alive.

      Any behavior change that occurs in saved people is not because of some sort of behavior modification discipleship or Sunday school rehabilitation. It is because of the work of God’s Spirit making dead sinners alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10, Colossians 2:13-15, Ezekiel 36:26-27). Every saved sinner has a past, which is why Paul gives this flock reminders so that 1) they remember what God has done for them in Christ and has redeemed them from, or 2) wake them up to the realization that their sinful life is not in their past because they have never passed from death to life.

      That’s the funny thing about the differences between the list in v. 3 and the one in vv. 1-2: they are opposites! The contrast either reminds people of who they are supposed to be in Christ or who they ain’t and can’t be without Him saving them! Without Christ – or before He saves you, you are “foolish” (1 Corinthians 1:20, 26-31), “disobedient” (Matthew 7:24-27), “led astray” (John 8:44), “slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy” (Ephesians 4:17-19), and “hated by others and hating one another” (1 Peter 2:12, John 13:35). You can only be reminded to do and be the things from vv. 1-2 if you are in Christ. If you are not in Christ, the qualities in v. 3 are your reality – and there is no act convincing enough to make a corpse capable of genuine life.

      The Rescue God Provided Through Faith in Christ by the Power of His Spirit (vv. 4-7)

      The next phrase is the most important in the passage, especially considering the stark and damning reality of the previous statement: “But when the loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us”! The conjunction “but” takes everything that comes before it and cancels it out, replacing it with what comes after. In this case – and the case of all humans who are sinners and dead in their sins, the “but” cancels that out when they become saved by grace through faith in Christ! The death is canceled and replaced with life! The lostness is canceled and replaced with being found! That’s good news – the best!

      As I stated above, I live in a region of the United States where people have the false impression that everyone is saved or that all the good folks will surely not be shut out of heaven (even though the Bible clearly states that “none is righteous” in Romans 3:10 and that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” in Romans 3:23). One of the best things – one of the few benefits other that Jesus’ return growing ever closer – to happen as the effects of the Fall grow worse and seemingly darker is that the Bible Belt is (or has been) unbuckled. I know that sounds frightening to some, but the Bible Belt was never truly what it seemed to be. There was a lot of acting and not a lot of being.

      But, you don’t have to take my word for it. Billy Graham once said that potentially 85% of those who claim to be Christians are not actually born again. W.A. Criswell, a well-known pastor of a few generations ago, said that he was afraid that only 25% of the members of his church were actually genuinely saved. Even at Christ Community, a few years before the pandemic, it became clear that despite faithfully preaching week in and week out, somehow, we had people who did not know how to be saved. So, we had to intentionally teach and “remind” our people what the Bible says about it. And the way the remainder of today’s passage helps us see it clearly.

      Paul writes that salvation through Christ is “not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy” (v. 5). As stated above, “none is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Not only do we “fall short of God’s glory” (Romans 3:23) in our sin, but the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) – our best not only does not save us but earns our death. Until that but God moment when He, “being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us”, makes us alive by saving us by grace through faith in Him (Ephesians 2:4-5), there is nothing we can do to change our position. Dead people can not raise themselves – except for Jesus, of course.

      Salvation occurs “by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (v. 5). I want to make a point here to help this be clearer. There are some big words in this section, and it is easy to try and make it complicated but 1) these are Bible words (not church-words or Christian-ese), and 2) they help us clearly see what God has done for those He saves! That word translated “regeneration” here is talking about being born again[3] (John 3:16)! The “renewal” of the Holy Spirit is describing the new life in Christ which is accomplished by the power of His Spirit – which has been prophesied since the Old Testament:

      “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.”

      Ezekiel 36:26-27

      Those He saves are given new life by Him and continually renewed because His Spirit is within them. And His Spirit is “poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (v. 6). This is not some religious hocus pocus but the reality that God Himself indwells those He saves – not parlor tricks but the power and presence of God!

      And the most beautiful aspect of this is when Paul winds up his long, run-on sentence in v. 7 by saying that those he saved are “being justified by His grace [that] we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life”. Because He loves us and is merciful and gracious to us, God not only takes those who are dead in their sins and makes the alive, but takes those who were His enemies in their sin and reconciles them (Colossians 2:19-20) and adopts them into His family as His own children (Galatians 4:4-5)! Such love and cost transcends an act because such actions display great truths.

      Wrapping Up

      What a beautiful phrase: “we might become heirs”….

      Little that there is to leave them when I die, my kiddos will not have to wonder whether or not they are my heirs. They know who they are in regard to me. I am their daddy. They are my children. There is no “might become” with them. They are mine. Much to my chagrin, you can see me in them and on them. They share mannerisms with me – ears with me – corny humor with me. We share blood. They have my name.

      What do you share with God? Is His Spirit in you? Are you cleansed by the blood of Christ the Son? Do you bear His name? If you do, you share mannerisms with Him – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). And there is no act capable of imitating such fruit – maybe one or two aspects some of the time, but not all of it. Only God’s Spirit can produce that fruit.

      No one is name-dropping “Keith Harris” to share in the inheritance my kids await, but being saved is more than labeling yourself with His name. It is laying down your life and picking up His. It is recognizing that the only way for a dead man or woman to have life is through the one who raised Himself from the dead. It is trusting and having faith in Who He is and what He has done and all that He has promised to those who believe in Him.

      Every service at Christ Community closes with the following verses because, as I said earlier, we are committed to making sure we tell folks how to be saved every week. We know only God can save and that He tells us clearly in His Word how:

      • Romans 10:9-10 – …because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
      • Romans 10:13 – Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

      It is my hope that in reading this week’s Bible study that you either have become sure that you are saved or that you are able to see clearly that you are not. While I hope the latter is not true, I am thankful that you get to read God’s Word and see the salvation – the hope – He offers. May His Word and His Spirit do their work in your life!

      [1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Tt 3:1–7.

      [2] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

      [3] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).