Having described the fullness of salvation in Christ, and the freedom in Christ, the apostle now begins to press upon the Colossians, and every believer, the implications of fullness and freedom in Christ. It is not a fullness and freedom to live according to preferences, but to live a life of loving obedience and growing conformity to Christ. That is, it is not fullness and freedom to live how you want, but how you ought.
Because just as the false teachers were wrong about Christ and salvation, they were wrong about how to live. As we heard last week. Beginning here in chapter 3, Paul begins describing the normal Christian life, the implications that the gospel brings to bear on every aspect of life: internally, externally, relationally, in the church, in the family, and even at work. And while the culture at large, or even the so call "evangelicalism" of our day may describe it as fanatical or radical, it really is just normal biblical Christianity.
Paul begins by characterizing the Christian life as a heavenly, Christ-centered life, where the heart, mind, and affections are fixed on things above and not on things of the earth. |
