The Mystery: Revealed

On Sunday I talked about how, though our nature was changed, there is still some baggage that we bring with us into our new relationship with Christ. In verse 5, Paul calls it the things that belong to our earthly nature. We learned Sunday that we have to put these things that belong to our old nature to death. Then he lists some of these things: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Then look at what he says next:

Colossians 3:6 “Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.”

A lot of people read this and believe that the wrath of God is coming to those who do these things, but the truth is, the wrath of God is not coming to you if your life is hidden in Christ. Christ took the wrath upon Himself for all of those things. In fact, Paul says in verse 7 that you used to walk in those ways before you were with Christ, but now that wrath isn’t reserved for you. 

How many people, though, think they still have to pay for all of their sins if not part of them? On Sunday I told of the encounter that I had with a young lady at McGuires who believed that she had to be punished for at least some of her sins. How sad is it that people fail to grasp that the wrath of God was poured on His son so that He didn’t have to pour it out on us?

It almost seems too good to be true that God is willing to overlook all my sins. All of them. It just doesn’t seem right. Yep, it doesn’t, but it is true.

This makes me think of 2 questions:

(1) How can we make sure we live our lives with a clear understanding of the grace of God? My salvation is not based on my deeds, and the price has been paid for all my sins, even sins I have not yet committed. Therefore, I need to live like one who is forgiven. Jesus said that one who has been forgiven much, loves much.

(2) How can we communicate to others? Because so many people believe that they have been too bad and the only thing they deserve is the wrath of God.