New Life!

New Life!

Colossians 3:1 AMPC

[1] IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

The verse above starts with a positional and conditional statement, and leaves me to define my stand, as well as the commitment to be applied to whatever it is I have been called to do. Whatever is the demand of the verse above hangs on the conditional statement, which is IF I have been raised with Christ. What would that mean? We recall the experiences of Christ, who, though He is God, left all that indestructabilty in heaven, and agreed to be born on earth in human form, so He could offer us salvation and a way back to God. Sin needed to be fully atoned for, and only a perfect offering, without sin, could offer a sacrifice acceptable by God as full and final propitiation for the problem of sin. He died a shameful death on a cross, as made clear under the law, so that we could avoid the shame and take on the glory that He has now secured for us. 

If the story ended in death, we would have no hope, but we are grateful that the power of God raised Jesus up from the dead, and that singular act is the basis of our faith and hope for a life that cannot die anymore. It is the death and resurrection that form the basis of the demands and expectations of God as laid out in the verse above. God will not demand from me that which He has not first supplied sufficient grace for. If indeed I have identified with the death and resurrection of Jesus, by surrendering my life totally to Him, then I can partake in the life that He has offered me. He has not given any other option, or laid out alternatives to the Life that He offers. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. I can argue about His principles, or I can take Him at His Word and simply submit to Him. He has not asked me to bring anything else, or make any other offering. All He wants is my life, and He will do amazing things with a surrendered life.

This new life rewires me to aim at and seek the rich, eternal treasures that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. The person who has been raised with Christ is no longer under the influence and control of anything that belongs to the world below. There are rich eternal resources that are available to the person who is IN Christ. That location is critical to all that I can get, because location defines allocation. If I am truly in Christ, my pursuits and priorities will align with my location. It is an abomination for a child of God to still be comfortable in sin, for which such a huge price was paid. Like Christ, I have been given a seat at the right hand of God, set free from all burdens of the past, and sealed for the life that has no end. The focus may be on eternity, but you can be sure that God will also supply that which is required for impact down here on earth. He is all I need; I will do well to take Him up on His offer and lay hold of that which is truly life. God's time of favour is here.