"In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins[a] of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it..” – Colossians 2:11-15
LIVING DEBT FREE
The parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18 is powerful. When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, Jesus told him a story about a guy drowning in financial debt. This servant owed his master millions of dollars and had no way to pay it back. In that culture, the master’s obvious course of action would have been to sell his slave, the slave’s family and all that he owned in order to recuperate what little money he could. Instead, the master chose to graciously forgive the entire debt and set his servant’s account balance to zero.
Jesus made the analogy between financial debt and spiritual debt. It’s a comparison repeated frequently in scripture, including Colossians 2:14, where Paul tells us that God canceled “the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.” We were born sinners and have added to our sin debt every day of our lives. The incredible truth of the Gospel is that Jesus paid for all of our sin — past, present and future — and forgives our debt when we put our faith and trust in Him.
So, how do we live debt free? How can we thank God enough for lifting the mountain of sin debt from our shoulders? Scripture gives us two answers, one in Matthew 18 and one in the next chapter of Colossians. First, we extend the forgiveness we have received to those who have wronged us, and second, we change our spending habits. In Christ, God has graciously provided both the ability to forgive and the power to change.
Reflect:
1. What does the word “repentance” mean in Acts 3:19, and how does it relate to living debt free?
2. Why is Jesus so concerned about our need to forgive those who have wronged us in Matthew 18?
3. Can you think of a reason why money shows up so often in scriptural discussions about our spiritual condition?
Following Jesus Is Not A Popularity Contest
" So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not[a] seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God." - Colossians 2:16-19 (NKJV)
The divisions broke down something like this: band kids, ROTC kids, jocks and jockettes, the smoking court kids, geeks, preppies, and finally the really ultra-cool kids who transcended all other groups. Many people who have long since graduated still have vivid recall of the different cliques from their high school days. To be accepted and truly belong to a particular group, you had to dress, talk and act a certain way. You had to like the same things, like the same people and, yes, dislike the same people. Life in the cliques was about judging others and being judged.
In Colossians, Paul is warning the church in Colossae not to judge one another based on ceremonial religious laws. The “religious” people of Paul’s day clung to Old Testament tradition and created many man-made rules to be followed to fit into the church. If you did not precisely follow these burdensome laws, you were judged and deemed unfit to be part of their group. In verses 17 and 19, Paul reminds them that it is through Jesus Christ that we find our identity, and our connection should be with God.
Even today, at work, school and sometimes in the church, it seems all too natural to divide into groups, creating requirements to fit in and judging others. Remember, Jesus does not require us to dress, speak or look a certain way. He accepts us just as we are, and He already thinks you are ultra cool.
Reflect:
1. Is there a group at work, school or socially where you find yourself trying to fit in?
2. In what ways might you be compromising your relationship with Christ in order to do so?
3. What is one way you can begin to find your identity and commitment in Jesus? Ask God to help you do this.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below. God bless you.
Brad Cooper - Pastor of Direction and Culture. Brad has a passion for people of all ages and for seeing their lives changed by Jesus. NewSpring Church, 1 Linwa Blvd. Anderson, SC 29621.