Seek Jesus and Break Your Mirror

In the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul is writing to the Christians at the church in Colossae during a time when they are confronting counterfeit gospels. False teachers and leaders were emerging who were calling Christians to live a life that was not in line with the truth of the gospel (Galatians 2:14). Paul is encouraging the Christians in Colossae to hold fast to Jesus Christ and to the gospel that he has previously delivered to them as the gospel which justifies and sanctifies them for all things.

In Colossians 2:20-3:4 the Apostle Paul outlines (by a rebuke of the false teacher who was teaching in Colossae) two ways to deal with sin.


Option #1: Self-made religion. Law keeper > Law giver.
Option #2: The gospel. Law Giver > law keeper.

The tendency of Option 1 for people within the church is huge, and it remains a massive issue today. Our default mode for how to deal with what's gone wrong in us or for how to make ourselves better, or stronger, or more spiritual is FOCUS ON OURSELF.
We promote the law-keeper (ourselves) over the Law Giver (God).
Self-made religion is an attempt to fix yourself by focusing on yourself. The mantra of self-made religion is "do this", and so we create rules to live by and steps to obey and paths to follow in order that we might be rescued.

In verses 21-22, Paul writes "If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to its regulations--'do not handle, do not taste, do not touch'(referring to things that all perish as they are used)---according to human precepts and teachings."

Translation: Christ death's freed you from the need to obey (or submit) to rules & regulations in order to be justified. What you touch or taste can't save you, only Christ can save you. Law-keeping is no longer enough. The Law-giver is only enough.

Paul goes in in verse 23 to write "All of these things (the commands to 'not taste, not touch, and not handle') 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."

This is pure theological gold. Paul is saying, yeah yeah yeah all of these rules and things you are doing have an appearance of wisdom. There are hints of wisdom in following all of these rules and in obeying these commands. Christians and secular people do this today by saying "you need to focus on you" to get right, or get healthy, or move on from that break-up, or feel better about your life. Christians might say "I pray to Jesus and even try and follow him, but I have to figure out how I can be better and and I can fix my sin issues, and I can do this". The focus in this approach is self-directed. It's the mirror approach to transformation and sanctification. And it will never really work.

Paul says that when you actually focus on yourself--when you look at yourself and say if I just do this or do that, follow this command harder or say no to all these things you will never be truly transformed and changed. Self-focus does not lead to sustainable life transformation. The focus is on you the whole time, and Paul is saying you can't fix you.

Law Giver > law keeper.

Paul then goes on in Colossians 3 to deliver the gospel-centered option for real change in life. It's time to focus on the Law-giver, and not the law-keeper. It's time to focus on Jesus Christ, on the the things of heaven, on the glory of God.
He writes "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

There it is. Gospel-centered, Jesus-focused, Spirit-driven change.

Translated: Seek Jesus, and break your mirror.

What are you staring at? Where is your focus? It's time to break your mirror. Free yourself from the crushing weight of believing that by looking harder into the mirror, into yourself, that that will be enough to get you where the Lord wants you to go, to kill your sin, to truly change.

Tim Keller writes "our justification determines our sanctification, our sanctification doesn't determine our justification". Wow, big words Timmy. What does he mean? I don't know.

Just kidding. Kind of. Let me close by explaining why what Dr. Keller said is important.

All other religions of the world promote the idea that your sanctification (the way you keep the rules or ethics of a religion) determines your right standing before God (or whomever you are following). It's what I do and my intensity of focus on myself that drives the change and secures my identity.

The gospel says something entirely and radically different. Jesus drives the change. God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to do everything we couldn't do. In Jesus, we have the ultimate law-keeper. We actually have both the law-giver and law-keeper in one. (Mind blown). Jesus is fully obedient to the Father and fully obedient to the Law. And now, through trusting in His life, His obedience, and His death on the cross we find the basis for our sanctification.

Focus on the Cross. Focus on Jesus. Focus on the 'things above'. This is where true change begins and ends.

If I could paraphrase Jesus...
"Seek first the Kingdom of God...and everything else, well...there really isn't anything else."