Colossians 2:6-23
“God made us alive together with him…”
- Colossians 2:13
I know a guy who used to be a youth pastor. He would frequently describe the youth at his church as “JV sinners”. That is, by and large, they were pretty good kids. Most did well in school, none really got into too much trouble. They came to church most Sundays. They were JV sinners, he said.
Do you ever think of yourself as a JV sinner? I mean, you’re not really that bad are you? OK so maybe there were those few choice words for the car that cut you off or that Sunday you accidentally overslept and missed church. Oh, and don’t forget that time you used your neighbor’s WiFi for free without telling them.
A JV sinner, right?
Paul’s words in Colossians 2:13 remind us, however, that there is no such thing as a mere JV sinner. No, Paul writes something astonishing: “And you, who were dead in your tresspasses…”
Dead? In my tresspasses? I thought I was just a JV sinner!
The truth is, though, that in our sins we are dead. Left to our own devices he have no hope. This is why the message of the Gospel is so incredibly profound and important.
We’re all walking around like a bunch of zombies, dead in our sin until Christ breaks into His creation and takes our debt of sin and nails it right to the cross.
Forgiving our sins is not just a nice thing God does for us. It’s everything. It’s life saving. It’s life giving. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God takes dead sinners like us and raises us up to new life. He gives us hope that being the walking dead, stuck in our guilt and sin, isn’t what our future holds.
Nothing else, no other philosophy or human work, can raise the dead. Only God can do that. Only God has done that. He’s done it in Christ; and He’s done it for you and for me. Amen.
Be sure to join us every Sunday at 8:45am in Room 5 for Bible Study! This week we will study Colossians 2:6-23. Download the entire Colossians Adult Bible Study - PDF version HERE and prepare for the study by answering the Personal Application Questions on pages 24-25.