“In him you were also circumcised, in the
putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of
men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in
baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised
him from the dead.”
Colossians
2:11-12
Arthur Avenue, the
Bronx. That was where we were
headed. Our life long friends were
thrilled to death and couldn’t wait to share this experience with us. Arthur Avenue is kind of like the Little
Italy of the Bronx complete with a plethora of Italian restaurants, street
vendors and cafes. Here you will find
the finest Italian cuisine, mouth-watering pastries and primo Italian wine. It was clear as we sat with our friends that
they were in Italian heaven. As we
dined, they shared with us their experiences in Italy and we soaked in the love
and enthusiasm they had for this culture.
They spoke longingly of their time in Rome and how Arthur Avenue
reminded them of that time. They were
truly basking in this experience and the memories that were revived in their
minds and most definitely their hearts.
Then there was
us. The best part of my Arthur Avenue
experience was my friends. Seeing this
day through their eyes was such great fun but I definitely wasn’t “feelin it”
like they were. As much as I wanted to
have that same emotional connection, it just wasn’t happening. After meditating on this verse today,
however, I had a fresh understanding. I
realized God had just dropped the perfect application into my lap. He does that sometimes. It has all to do with
heritage and identity. What I neglected
to mention was that my friend was Italian with a long line of Italian
traditions and heritage. That was what
made the difference. What has that to do
with circumcision? Sit tight and I will explain.
Circumcision in
the Old Testament had everything to do with covenant and identifying oneself
with the God of that covenant. Though it
was a physical experience, it had a spiritual significance. Baptism has it’s own spiritual significance
as well. Even though literally it means
“to dip or immerse”, spiritually speaking it means “to be identified with”. Paul is explaining to the Colossians that
they shouldn’t be identifying themselves by anything other than who they are in
Christ. They have been rescued and
brought into the kingdom of God (Col 1:13) and that is now there new
identity. They are no longer to identify
themselves by the world’s standards but by what they already have in Christ and
all that entails.
So what is the big
deal? Why is it so important to identify
with our new nature in Christ?
EVERYTHING! Remember when I told you about my friend and our Arthur
Avenue experience earlier. Remember when
I told you that she was definitely having an experience that I just wasn’t
feeling and how she was saturated in a joy and an excitement that seemed to
elude me. The difference was her Italian
heritage. She was identifying with her
heritage and all that entailed. It
wasn’t Arthur Avenue per see that was thrilling her but all that Arthur Avenue
meant to her regarding her heritage. She
was identifying with her culture. Christ
is our heritage. When we truly identify
with that heritage and really, really, really embrace all that it means we will
have a fullness of joy as well.
How do I know
this? Because we just memorized.
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity
lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the
head over every power and authority.”
Colossians
2:9-10
Let’s look at what
our heritage and the identity associated with it. I have chosen just one passage of scripture
but the New Testament is filled with plenty more. Here are a few from Ephesians 1:3-13
I am blessed in
the heavenly realms with EVERY spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:13)
I am chosen BEFORE
the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:14,11)
I AM holy and
blameless in His sight (Ephesians 1:4)
I am adopted as
his child (Ephesians 1:5)
I am given God’s
glorious grace lavishly and without restriction (Ephesians 1:5,8)
I am in Him
(Ephesians 1:7)
I have redemption
(Ephesians 1:8)
I am forgiven
(Ephesians 1:8, Colossians 1:14)
I have purpose
(Ephesians 1:9)
I have hope
(Ephesians 1:12)
I am accepted and
included (Ephesians 1:13)
I am sealed with
the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)
I am loved, loved,
LOVED! (Ephesians 1:4)
In Christ, we have
been given a spiritual fullness that nothing on this earth can fill. Nothing.
Just Jesus. We are Galatians
5:22-23 kind of people. The kind of
people who are characterized by a fullness of love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Can you imagine
how our perspectives might change if we truly embraced all that we have been
given. We would no longer need lesser
things of this world to bring us identity and a purpose. We would no longer be held hostage by the
world’s way of judging us. Our identity
and significance would no longer be rooted in:
- my career (how
good I am at my job)
- my children (how
good they are doing)
- my marriage
(what does “happily ever after” even mean)
- my body image (a
perfect appearance rather than healthy)
- my bank account
( if I just have this much _____ I am good)
- my home (if my
house is clean than I am in control)
- my health
(healthy means spiritual ???? keeping it real)
- my sexuality
(see how relevant I can be)
- my church (my
identity is wrapped up in my denominational beliefs)
- my doing (if I
am busy, I am important and have value)
- my ministry
(successful ministry means true spirituality)
- my self
(everything is up to me…all of it)
…but in
Christ. All our identity would be
wrapped up in Him and who we are in relation to Him. We would be free and we would have a fullness
of joy that is inexpressible and unexplainable to the witnessing world. Since we are united with Christ and He is the
fullness of God what more could we need.
The
glory of God is man fully alive.
St.
Irenaeus
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