God has been hitting me over the head recently with the whole idea of "holiness." I'm not talking about legalism or self-righteousness. I'm talking about walking in the holy identity He has already bestowed upon us as believers.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 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. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 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. 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.”
In the NIV, the heading for this section of Colossians 3 is "Living as Those Made Alive in Christ." The CSB calls it "The Life of a New Man." That's how I want to live—putting on the new self every single day. I want my life to reflect the identity I have in Christ. I want to live from His victory, rather than for victory of my own.
I pray that we, as a generation of Christians, show what it really looks like to be in Christ. To put away impurity, lust, greed, sexual immorality, anger, wrath, slander, and filthy language. To instead practice compassion, humility, gentleness, patience, love, and forgiveness. I think if we live our lives in a way that reflects our true identity as beloved and precious children of the King, we would change the world.