A family connected to our church recently went through some difficult times, events that have actually split the family. They experienced abuse, cruelty and even violence. After a particularly explosive situation the father came to me seeking forgiveness and made the comment that “Jesus is in my heart.”
Forgiveness is certainly available to him. He can be forgiven by God and forgiven by man. But it must move beyond that. Simply seeking forgiveness and claiming that Christ is in your heart is not the end of the journey.
The letter to the faithful in Colossae speaks of what we are to do as believers. What should we do? What specific examples are given?
The sinful attitudes and actions listed in this verse are by no means comprehensive. Colossians 3:8-9 provides some further examples of what NOT to do, but even that does not cover every sin. What might sum up all sin are the words in this verse – “your earthly nature.”
We can celebrate the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He symbolically took on all the faults and failures and erroneous ways of all humanity and through his death put an end to them. Through his resurrection we can see that we are invited into a new life. We are given a new spirit of love and grace, a new spirit for the eternal and also a new spirit for the here and now.
But our faith does not end in the assurance of Christ’s resurrection. Rather, this could be seen as a starting point. Once we are aware that we are forgiven through Jesus we must then begin living as the people who are forgiven. We must live as the beloved children of God.
To do that we must put to death our earthly nature. We must put to death our human impulses to do what we have done in the past as we lived in sin. We must stop entertaining our sexually immoral and impure desires. We must move the stones that hinder us and stop living a life of greed, and living a life that displays anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language and lies.
It is a true blessing to know that Christ gave himself for us. It is a blessing to know that Jesus is in our hearts. But we must live as people with Jesus in our hearts. We must stop our sinning and step forward in our belief, doing good, being kind, and loving others.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you show that you have Jesus in your heart?
