LIVING SUNDAY DEVOTION

Text: Colossians 1:21-23

What do we mean when we say we value authenticity?

I want to define individual Christian authenticity as "A sincere desire to know and follow Jesus while admitting you often feel a pull toward sin and selfishness but you are actively seeking strength through the Body of Christ in community."

Corporately, we can define authenticity as "Joyfully sharing life as a community of broken people finding healing in Jesus together."

In our text in Colossians, Paul writes that we have been reconciled to God (restored to friendship or harmony) "if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard..."

Paul's point--perseverance in the gospel is the mark of authentic faith.  Don't shift from the hope of the gospel--continue in the gospel.

The first thing we’ll need to do is define gospel.

The essential gospel is that Jesus, the Son of God, lived a perfect life and died a perfect death and was then raised back to life.  Now when you put your faith in Jesus, God treats believing sinners as if they have done everything Jesus has done and suffered everything Jesus has suffered.

Believing sinners are reconciled to God, not on the basis of your record, but on Jesus' record. That's GREAT NEWS because your record (no matter how good you think you are) will NEVER be enough.  Your record will separate you from a Holy, perfect God for all eternity.

To "continue in the faith" and "not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard" practically means that true Christians do not abandon the faith but they persevere.  It also means that the hope you placed in Jesus for salvation is not only something you "did" in the past but you continue to place your hope in Jesus, understanding that it's by His righteousness that you have ANY righteousness and Jesus is the ONLY reason you now have right standing before God!

The gospel is not just the minimum required knowledge necessary to enter heaven but the way we live the Christian life!  Greater understanding of the gospel leads to greater authenticity!

So what does this mean and how do it relate to authenticity?

Practically, this means...
 
1) Even on your very best day, you embrace that you don't measure up to God's standard in our own righteousness.  It's all about Jesus and His righteousness. This results in the Spirit progressively destroying personal pride and cultivating humility.

2) More and more you realize the high cost of your sin--that your sin cost the precious life of Jesus Himself (1 Peter 1:18-19)!   This leads us to desperately depend upon the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27) to help us fiercely fight our sin.

3) Understanding that sin is deceitful and you are an expert at deceiving yourself, you pursue sanctification in community with Spirit-filled believers. In community, using the mirror of God's Word, you intentionally help each other spot sins you are unwilling or unable to see.  You grieve, confess, and repent together.

This is authenticity!

It's all about Jesus,

John