Garden of the LORD

Garden of the LORD

Thursday, July 2, 2015

New You

“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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