How Then Shall we Live?
- 19 minutes ago
- 4 min read
How Then Shall We Live? Putting On the Character of Christ
Have you ever accidentally started fighting someone who was actually on your team?
Sometimes it happens in sports. Sometimes it happens at work. Sometimes it happens in our own families.
And sometimes it happens in the church.
As Josh shared in his opening story about a paintball game, it's amazing how quickly we can begin taking shots at the very people we're supposed to be standing beside. Instead of working together, we find ourselves criticizing, judging, or growing frustrated with one another.
That raises an important question:
If we've been raised with Christ, how are we supposed to live now?
That's exactly where the Apostle Paul takes us in Colossians 3.
Dress Like Who You Already Are
Paul begins with an incredible reminder:
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves..."
Notice what Paul doesn't say.
He doesn't say, "Become compassionate enough so God will choose you."
He doesn't say, "Work hard enough so God will love you."
He says the opposite.
Because you are chosen...
Because you are holy...
Because you are dearly loved...
Now live like the person Christ has already made you to be.
The Christian life doesn't begin with behavior.
It begins with identity.
We don't earn God's love by becoming better people.
We become different people because we have already received God's love through Christ.
Don't Just Stop Sinning—Replace It
Earlier in Colossians, Paul challenged believers to put off the old way of life. Lust, anger, bitterness, and worldly thinking no longer belong to someone who has been raised with Christ.
Now Paul tells us what should replace them.
He says to put on:
Compassion
Kindness
Humility
Gentleness
Patience
This is an important principle for spiritual growth.
Many of us spend so much energy trying to stop doing the wrong things that we never intentionally begin doing the right things.
Victory isn't simply about removing sinful habits.
It's about replacing them with Christlike character.
You could say it this way:
Victory over sin comes not only by putting off the old, but by putting on the new.
God isn't just interested in changing our behavior.
He's changing our hearts.
Broken People Need Grace
Paul continues:
"Bear with each other and forgive one another..."
What a wonderfully realistic command.
Paul doesn't pretend the church is made up of perfect people.
He assumes we'll disappoint one another.
People will misunderstand us.
People will fail us.
People will say the wrong thing.
People will respond differently than we expected.
That's why forgiveness isn't an occasional act.
It's part of everyday Christian living.
The Gap Between Expectation and Experience
One of the most practical parts of this message was the illustration of expectations.
Every relationship has two realities:
Our expectations.
Our experiences.
Often those two don't match.
We expect encouragement but receive criticism.
We expect understanding but encounter silence.
We expect perfection from our church, our spouse, our friends, or our small group, only to discover they're just as broken as we are.
Researchers even tell us our brains naturally create expectations before we experience reality. We interpret situations through assumptions built from our past experiences.
When reality doesn't match what we expected, a gap forms.
The question is:
What will we fill that gap with?
Will we fill it with suspicion?
Judgment?
Bitterness?
Or will we fill it with grace?
Josh shared a story from Bible college about wrestling with difficult questions after the death of a fellow missionary. When an older mentor simply admitted that he didn't have all the answers, Josh initially viewed him as spiritually weak.
Years later, he realized something profound.
The man wasn't lacking faith.
He was showing compassion.
Sometimes wisdom doesn't rush to provide explanations.
Sometimes love simply sits beside someone in their pain.
That realization serves as a reminder for all of us.
When expectations don't meet experience, what's really in our hearts begins to come out.
Love Holds Everything Together
Paul saves the greatest virtue for last.
"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
Love is the motivation behind every other Christian virtue.
Without love:
Compassion becomes performance.
Humility becomes self-promotion.
Patience becomes resentment.
Kindness becomes manipulation.
Love is what transforms outward actions into genuine Christlike character.
It's also what allows the church to function as one body.
Learning to Love People Who Aren't Like Us
Josh closed with a personal story about a classmate named James.
James loved Jesus passionately.
He was enthusiastic.
He hugged everyone.
He shared his faith everywhere he went.
Frankly, he was different.
And at first, Josh didn't like him.
Not because James was ungodly.
But because James wasn't like him.
Over time, God revealed something convicting.
The issue wasn't James.
It was Josh's heart.
Sometimes we struggle most with people who simply express their faith differently than we do.
But God doesn't distance Himself from people because they're different.
He moves toward them in love.
In fact, that's exactly what He did for us.
The Greatest Example
The reason Paul can call believers to compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love is because Jesus demonstrated every one of those qualities first.
Think about His patience with you.
Think about His kindness.
Think about His mercy.
Think about the forgiveness He purchased on the cross.
God didn't merely say He loved us.
He proved it.
Jesus willingly took our place so we could be forgiven and made new.
That's the Gospel.
And that's the model for how we are called to love one another.
How Then Shall We Live?
If we've truly been raised with Christ...
We don't shoot at our teammates.
We don't allow bitterness to divide us.
We don't let unmet expectations destroy relationships.
Instead, we put off the old self.
We put on the new.
We forgive because we've been forgiven.
We love because we've been loved.
And together, we become the kind of church that reflects the heart of Christ to a watching world.
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