How To Live a New Life in Christ
What it Means to Be Christian According to Paul’s Letter to the Colossians
We all have different paths that lead us to Christianity. Some might have been Christians their whole lives. You might have grown up in the Church and were raised to be a Christian. Or you might have found Christianity as an adult. Then, there are those who might have strayed away from the faith. Or maybe you have never known Christ.
No matter what your present path is, God calls us all to live a new life in Christ. To know him. To love him and to serve him. This matters for all because his message is for everyone. Whether you know Christ well or don’t, you can find your way to him.
In Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, while in prison, Paul writes about the true Christian message. In the introduction to the book of Colossians in Today’s English Version (TEV), Paul says that “Through Christ, God created the world and through him, he is bringing it back to himself. Only in union with Christ is there hope of salvation for the world” (Colossians 1, p.249, TEV).
There are five ways that you can live a new life in Christ according to the Book of Colossians.
1- You Live in Christ When You Offer Thanksgiving to God
“May you be made strong with all the strength which comes from the glorious power, so that you may be able to endure everything with patience. And with joy, give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to have your share of what God has reserved for his people in the kingdom of light. He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear Son by whom we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven” (Colossians 1: 11–14, p.250, TEV).
To live a new life in Christ is to seek God daily, pray, and ask for his knowledge and wisdom. It is to recognize the Holy Spirit in our lives and let God work through us so that his will be fulfilled in our lives.
If you want to know God better, start by inviting him into your life with a spirit of gratitude and praise.
Also, know that God has given us strength to endure the challenges of the world, grace, and forgiveness for our sins. Therefore, to live a new life in Christ is to show gratitude and thanksgiving to God. It is to be appreciative of Christ for his grace.
2- You Live in Christ When You Share God’s word with Others
“So we preach Christ to everyone. With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature individual in union with Christ. To get this done, I toil and struggle, using the mighty strength which Christ supplies and which is at work in me” (Colossians 1: 28–29, p.250, TEV).
Part of being a Christian is holding unto God’s words and sharing it with others. We should not have to hide our faith or feel shy about the gospel. The truth of God is a sweet and beautiful message that should be shared with all.
Paul says that “in this way, they will know God’s secret, which is Christ himself. He is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 1: 2–3 p.251, TEV).
When we share the word of God with others, we enable others who do not know him to learn more about him. We enable others to have his wisdom and knowledge of Christ.
3- You Live in Christ When You Know Your Sins Are Forgiven
“Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such a person is all puffed up by his human way of thinking and has stopped holding on to Christ, who is the head of the body. Under Christ’s control the whole body is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God wants it to grow” (Colossians 3: 18- 20 p.251, TEV).
In the book of Colossians, Paul tells us that we were once spiritually dead because of our sins. But God has forgiven us our sins and brought us into new life with him.
To live a new life in Christ is to know that God has forgiven you for your sins. We read that “God forgave us all our sins, he cancelled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 3: 13–14 p.251, TEV).
Even if your present path does not align with God’s word, you can still live a new life in him because he gave his life for you. He gave his life for us so that we may have new life in him.
4- You Live a New Life in Christ When You Set Your Thoughts on Heaven
“You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right hand side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory!” (Colossians 3: 1–4 p.251, TEV).
We all lead very busy lives and the responsibilities that come with it can cause us to have our thoughts elsewhere. The distractions of the world can also make us want to turn away from God but Paul says that to live a new life in Christ, you must have your mind and thoughts focused on heaven and not earth.
To focus on heaven and not earth is to know that our life is for Christ. It is to know that Christ is the authority figure. He is our supreme ruler. To know that at the end of it all, we all go back to him. It is to know that our sufferings are not in vain because he has suffered too and he promises us that we will share and partake in his glory.
5- You Live a New Life in Christ When You Have Peace & Love in Your Heart
“So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. And to all these qualities, add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity. The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is the peace that God has called thankful in the one body.” (Colossians 3: 12–14 p. 252, TEV).
God is love and Christ is love. Therefore, to live a new life in Christ is to reflect God’s love and peace unto the world.
It is to know that as God has forgiven us, we should forgive others as well. It is to know that God has called us to live in peace and union with one another.
This means that we should be kind, gentle and humble in spirit because that is the way of Christ.
Final Thoughts
We may not all know God but God invites us all to be in union with him and to have a new life in him. You have a new life in Christ when you pray to God and give thanks to God for his mercy, love and kindness.
You live a new life in Christ when you advocate for the gospel. You live a new life in Christ when you share the good news with others. You live a new life in Christ when you know that God is not here to condemn you but to forgive you because he died for you.
You live a new life in Christ when you set your mind on thoughts that are of heaven and not of the world because we will return back to him.
Finally, you live a new life in Christ when you let your heart be filled with love and kindness because God has called you not to war but to make peace.
