Grace Fellowship    08/16/09    A New Identity    Colossians 3

1John 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Recently Dr. John MacArthur coined a new phrase which is, unfortunately, an accurate description of a current trend within evangelicalism.  The phrase is “Grunge Christianity.”  The main purveyor of this strain of preaching and teaching is Mark Driscoll, the pastor of the Mars Hill Church in Seattle.  

Mark Driscoll began his church in the late 90’s with no one in attendance and has thousands listening to him every Sunday today.  He has been dubbed by one writer as “The Cussing Pastor” which is sadly an accurate assessment of his style of preaching.  He is Reformed in his theological approach to the Bible.  He has also identified himself, but not in all respects, with the Emerging Church Movement.  Many within that movement seem to be intentionally contrary in every way possible to traditional, historical, orthodox, Protestant Christianity.  

Why does Dr. MacArthur refer to Mark Driscoll’s brand of preaching as Grunge Christianity?  According to Dictionary.com, the first definition of “grunge” is dirt; filth; rubbish.  Definition number four is: a style or fashion derived from a movement in rock music: in fashion characterized by unkempt clothing and in music by aggressive, nihilistic songs. ¹  Grunge Christianity is intentionally irreverant, crude, and even vulgar.

I read a couple of reviews and comments and blogs regarding Rev. Driscoll, along with a few quotes from his book.  Occasionally I quote things in this pulpit that may cause us to be slightly uncomfortable.  I read an excerpt from Mark Driscoll’s book that is, in my opinion, unprintable as Christian literature, much less is it material for a sermon.  But that has become his trademark and thousands flock to hear him every Lord’s Day.  He has also begun to export that style of preaching by planting like-minded churches in order to be relevant to post-moderns on their turf.  

If that kind of crude relevance is necessary in order to reach today’s generation with the Gospel, even Jesus Christ Himself could not convince people to repent today.  It is inconceivable that Jesus would preach in any venue, pre-modern, post-modern, anti-modern, or what have you, using the terminology that Mark Driscoll thinks is indispensable.  I have trouble believing those who subscribe to such grungy so-called Christianity are walking in the same way as Jesus walked.

Colossians 3:1  If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.  

8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices  10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. ²

This is a picture of the lifestyle of the Lord Jesus.  This was the attitude with which He reached His culture, and it is the lifestyle we must emulate.  It is repulsive for us to even consider that the sinful things listed here in these verses, could in the slightest way characterize Jesus Christ.  It is unfathomable to think of Jesus using obscene talk or lying to someone.  It causes us to shudder to have such a thought run through our heads.  On the contrary, when we think of the Savior in biblical terms we think of Him as sinless and perfect:

2 Corinthians 5:21 - For our sake he [the Father] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  

1 Peter 3:18  “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous . . . .”

1 Peter 2:21  For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.  23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (See also Isaiah 53:9)

1 John 2:1  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 John 3:5  You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

And we are to be the same way.  By the grace of God, and by the enabling of the Holy Spirit, we are to pursue a sinless life.  As those who have been raised with Christ, we are to live like Christ.  But we usually think of this kind of holy living in individualistic terms: “I must be holy.  I must conform to the image of the Lord Jesus.  I must walk as Jesus walked.  I must put to death the deeds of the flesh.  I must put off the old man and put on the new man.”  And that is true.  We all individually have a responsibility to put to death what is earthly in us, and to put away every kind of sinful behavior.

In 1 John, as we already read from chapter 2, John addresses the individual who claims to be a Christian with these words: Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

The individual person who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ needs to live like Jesus did: holy and obedient to God.  We can rightly say that we are individually to be holy as Jesus Himself was holy.  We can do that because each person who believes the gospel is born again individually as a new creature, a new creation.  But that individual new creation is always born into something larger than himself.  The individual believer is born again into a family of believers, an assembly of disciples, a collective of all the elect of God which comprises His Body, the Church.  The individual believer is an individual part of that larger body and inseparable from it.

So both individually and collectively, we are a new creation in this world.  Collectively, all the people of God from all the ages are one new entity, an alien race.  We all individually belong to the conglomerate Bride of the Lord Jesus.  And thankfully, God is working to make His Church spotless.

2 Cor 3:18  And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

So when we read Paul’s instructions to the church at Corinth or Colossae, or to all the individual churches in the entire region of Galatia, we would do well to consider that in all those cases, he is addressing Christians in the context of a church body.  We, as American Christians, need to train ourselves to think more in terms of the spiritual family to which we belong rather than as individualistic, self-sufficient entities.  We are not meant to live the Christian life alone.  We are, like it or not, brothers and sisters in the family of God.  And thankfully, we’re primarily brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus.

When we look at Colossians 3, we see Paul telling believers how they should live individually and corporately.  Don’t sin, be holy.  Don’t live like you used to, live according to the example of Christ.  Put off the old ways, put on the new ways.  But please notice verses 9 - 11:

9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices  10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Paul is talking about church life. In verse 13 he tells us to bear with one another and forgive one another.  In verse 14 he says the love we have for each other “binds everything together in perfect harmony.”  He says in 15 we all have been called to peace “in one body.”  How is that possible, and why is it such an issue?  

It is a mercy from God that I am not in the same church with Mark Driscoll.  But, if he is a true Christian, according to the big picture, I am in the same church with Mark Driscoll.  He is my misguided brother, and yours.  If he is a true believer.  I believe he is misguided at best.  At worst, he is self-deceived and a tare among the wheat, a false teacher, and a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  It isn’t good when Christians are wondering that about you.

I am glad Brother Mark and I are not under the same physical roof.  There would be some serious issues he and I would need to deal with, and it would not be pretty.  One of us would have to go.  Beloved, Grunge Christianity is not Biblical Christianity.  It does not conform to the Scriptures, regardless of how successful it may appear to be.

What are the core values of Christianity?  That is exactly what Paul is presenting here in this third chapter of Colossians.  And I believe much of what claims to be Christian is ignorant of these things.  Those who genuinely believe the Gospel are in union with Jesus Christ.  Because of our union with Him, we therefore renounce the sinful behavior of the past that once condemned us before God.  We put away sin and embrace holiness.  We want to be like the One we’re united with.  And we are to embrace each other, regardless of the particular historical or cultural backgrounds of our brethren.  Look at verse 11:

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Where is “here?“  When Paul says, ”Here there is neither Greek nor Jew . . . .” where is here?  What does he mean by that?  He means here in Christ.  Here in this new life.  Here as opposed to back there in the old life.  Here in the collective, here in the Church.  In this new life, amongst these new people, in this new creation you are now a part of, the sinful, grungy lifestyles you used to live are being put to death.  The outward distinctions that used to separate all of you are gone.  Here, there is true unity and harmony.  Here, there is a new creation.  Here, there is a new life and a new, heavenly world view.  But it is only to be found here in Christ.

Look at these terms:
Greek and Jew - speaks to racial background
circumcised and uncircumcised -  speaks to religious background
barbarian, Scythian - speaks to cultural status
slave, free - speaks to social status

One of the major complaints heard against the exclusivity of Christianity or any other religion is that as long as we don’t include everyone, as long as we hold on to an us/them mentality, as long as we have distinctions that separate “us” from those who disagree, there will never be peace in the world.  As long as we think we’re right and everyone else is wrong, then there is no hope for harmony in this life.

Beloved, the Prince of Peace came with a sword.  The Lord Jesus did not come into the world to unite all the peoples of the world so that we could finally establish global peace.  Global peace will happen, but it will only happen when this globe is exchanged for a new one in which righteousness dwells.  Until then, there will be wars, we will have the poor, and the perseverance of the sinners will increase.  Ungodliness will be the theme of man and all of mankind will continue until that final day at enmity with a holy God.

But in the church, here in this new creation, there is to be a peace and a harmony amongst people who seem to have no outward, superficial reason to get along very well.  And that is the beauty of it.  In a world that by its own admission, can’t seem to get along with itself, there is this alien entity called the Church, the Israel of God, the Bride of Christ, the Elect, the Redeemed, those people in whom Christ dwells by His Holy Spirit.  In that group you can find everything the world wants, but persistently refuses.

Well, at least that’s how it’s supposed to work.  Does the universal Church have problems?  Oh yeah.  Do individual denominations have problems?  Most certainly.  Does our denomination have a struggle getting along within itself?  Yes.  Do various individual congregations have struggles?  Are you kidding?  Does this fellowship, Grace Fellowship, have difficulties?  Yeah.  Do you have spiritual problems?  Yep.  Do I?  Uh-huh.  

So maybe we need to ask the question, “Does Paul know what he’s talking about here?”  IS this just a pipe dream?  Obviously Paul did not foresee all the problems that would arise in the Body of Christ in the centuries to come.  But that is why he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these pages.  These things are written to us, both as individuals and as a body of believers, in order to instruct us in the way we should go.  

These are the directions for how we are to walk as Jesus walked.  We are to put off the old individual sins and the old corporate attitudes towards those who differ.  We are to put to death private sexual immorality as well as lying to one another.  We are to embrace every person who truly embraces the Lord Jesus, regardless of any previously held bigotries or discriminations.  And in that context of tolerance and acceptance of those who aren’t in some way outwardly just like me, we are to:

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Beloved, if the people of God everywhere did this, our churches would be filled to capacity.  If the world saw Christians loving each other in this way, they would want it.  Badly.  Someone once said Christians are the best advertisements and the worst advertisements for Christianity.  When we do it right, it is truly a wondrous, glorious, God-honoring, compelling thing.  When we do it wrong, we are a disgrace to the One who saved us and a blight on the world.

Beloved, our love for God is manifested in the world by the way we love each other.  I don’t care how many worn-out Bibles you own, or how many times you’ve read the Bible from cover to cover.  Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how many verses or chapters or books of the Bible you can recite from memory in three different versions.  It doesn’t matter how many hours you spend in prayer and fasting every week, or if you tithe your gross income down to the half-penny.  It doesn’t really matter much if you’re in church or at prayer meeting or in a Bible study on every possible occasion.  What gives the world and the church the greatest reason to believe you genuinely belong to Jesus Christ is your holiness of life and your relationship to the believers around you.  Do you hate your sin?  Do you love the brethren?  If so, how would we know?  What evidence is there of that love/hate?

I ran across an interesting note by John Gill regarding this passage.  In talking about this matter of putting off the old self and putting on the new, Gill says: “Some, as Beza, think, that here is an allusion to the rite of baptism in the primitive church; which, as he truly observes, was performed not by aspersion [sprinkling], but immersion; and which required a putting off, and a putting on of clothes, and when the baptized persons professed to renounce the sins of the flesh, and their former conversation, and to live a new life.” ³

That is exactly what baptism is supposed to picture.  I have been told that Russian believers (or “repenters” as they refer to themselves), go to their baptism with old clothes on.  After their baptism, they put on new, clean, white clothes to symbolize their new life in the Lord Jesus.  They are symbolically putting off the old man and the old life, and putting on the new.  We not only have our sins washed away, but in Christ we have sinful attitudes and lifestyles put away.  Those external, superficial things that used to serve to separate us from others are also now to be put away.

In Christ, Jews and Greeks love one another.  In Christ, barbarians and Scythians love one another.  In Christ, slaves and free love each other.

You may be wondering about the barbarians and the Scythians.  Those who were of Greek extraction and who spoke Greek and were culturally Greek, looked down on those poor slobs who were not.  Collectively they were referred to as barbarians.  The Barbarians thought the Scythians were barbarians.  They were the people from the regions of Russia.  And at the very bottom of the social pile were slaves.  When slaves and Greeks love each other in Christ, that is indeed a supernatural love which is possible only by means of a new creation in Jesus Christ.  That is what Christianity is supposed to look like.

Now if Paul expected those people, with all their differences, with their caste system, with their biases and prejudices and bigotries against one another, . . . If he expected them to get along with each other, then there is no excuse for us here not to get along.  And not just “get along.”  Paul didn’t say we should just tolerate each other by going to our respective corners until the bell rings and the next round starts.  Look again at what we’re supposed to do together, not superficially, but with genuine love:

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

I saw some of that kind of love in action this week.  I saw some believers helping each other and encouraging each other, and praying for each other, and loving each other.  I saw it with my own two eyes, and I’m not talking about me doing the laundry for Sharon.  Because I didn’t.  (I did replace the kitchen faucet last week, though.)  I see you guys doing this stuff, and it happens fairly regularly.  It makes me so glad to be a part of this body of believers.

But we could do more. And we need to be careful to persevere in this kind of living amongst ourselves, and in our relationships with other believers.  I believe God will honor that kind of obedience.  Last week, our prayer for the week is that we would love one another as the Lord has loved us.  I don’t think we quite made that goal.  I’m not sure that is even possible.  But that’s what we aim for.  When Paul wrote to Timothy with a charge against false teachers, he said, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5).  That is my aim for us individually and as the church that goes by the name Grace Fellowship.
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1. "grunge." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 15 Aug. 2009. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/grunge>.
2. Unless otherwise noted, all scripture references are from the English Standard Version.
3. Gill, John. "Commentary on Colossians 3:9". "The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible". <http://www.studylight.org/com/geb/view.cgi?book=col&chapter=003&verse=009>. 1999.