Colossians 3:12-14 (NKJV)Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
Although the context of this passage is the church setting, every member also has a family. Therefore, they also have to deal with themselves so that the relationships in their own family and church community will not be affected. We are the living stones that make up the temple of God (Ephesians 2:19-22). Therefore, how each of us carries ourselves will affect the cell group, the ministries and the church. Therefore, the sooner we live out our new identity in the new man, the better it is for the body of Christ and the members of the family.
We will have to deal with a lot of emotional baggage if we still hold onto our old man or old identity. We will make rash decisions, not humble ourselves to restart from scratch if necessary, we will be frustrated if we don’t’ get what we want, we will want to hold onto our old positions or achievements as our identity, and we will react negatively to the people around us including those closest to us. The person whose ego has been hurt will tend to be unkind, impatient, intolerant, aggressive and bitter, and demand respect and entitlement. If we do not renew our mind to have our identity in Christ, we will likely be bitter, angry and carry an attitude towards people, especially true when we are insecure, feel rejected, having prolonged identity crisis and feel unsettled in our hearts.
Things would be much easier if we had our identity in Christ, because we would esteem how God looks at us, and be at rest when we know that we are accepted in the Beloved. We have peace with God, and there is nothing to prove because we have broken away from our old identity where we used to strive for the praises and approval of men. There will be no room for us to be offended, disappointed or jealous because we are secure in Jesus Christ, and we will tend to be more gracious, merciful and loving. We love because He first loved us.
Jesus came to give us the right identity and self-worth. Therefore, let’s walk as a new man. This new walk helps us to adopt and work toward Christlikeness where we are compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forgiving and loving.
Sermon Series: A New Identity after His Resurrection
活出新造的人
歌罗西书 3:12-14 所以你们既是 神的选民、圣洁蒙爱的人、就要存怜悯、恩慈、谦虚、温柔、忍耐的心。倘若这人与那人有嫌隙、总要彼此包容、彼此饶恕．主怎样饶恕了你们、你们也要怎样饶恕人。在这一切之外、要存着爱心．爱心就是联络全德的。
虽然这段经文是以教会为背景，但每位成员都有一个家庭。所以每位成员都必须处理好自己，以免影响他们的家庭和教会的关系。我们是建造神圣殿的活石（以弗所书2：19-22）。因此，我们每个人的举止会会影响到小组、事工和教会。所以我们越早活出我们新人的新身份，对基督的肢体和家庭成员就会越好。
如果我们仍然活在老我和旧身份中，那么我们将要处理很多情感包袱。我们会做出草率的决定、在有必要时我们不愿谦卑自己从头开始、如果没有得到想要的我们会很沮丧、我们希望保留我们以前的位置或成就作为我们的身份, 并在没有得到想要的时候对周围的人(包括身边最亲近的人) 做出消极的反应。当人的自尊受到伤害时就会变得不友善、不耐烦、不宽容、好斗和刻薄、要求被尊重和获得应有的权利。如果我们不更新我们的心怀意念来进入基督里的身份，那么我们可能会变得有苦毒、愤怒和对人有意见，尤其是当我们没有安全感、感觉被拒绝、有长期的身份危机和内心不安时。
如果我们有了在基督里的身份，事情就会容易得多，因为我们尊重神如何看待我们, 并在知道我们在神的爱里被接纳后就得着了安息。我们与神和好，而且不需要证明什么，因为我们已经脱离了旧人的身份，就是那想争取人的称赞和认可的。我们不会觉得被冒犯、失望或嫉妒，因为我们在耶稣基督有安全感，我们会更有仁慈、怜悯和有爱心。我们爱是因为祂先爱我们。
耶稣的降临给了我们正确的身份和自我价值。因此，让我们活出新造的人。这新的行事方式将帮助我们效法耶稣，使我们有怜悯、恩慈、谦虚、温柔、忍耐，饶恕和有爱心。
讲章系列：祂复活后给你的新身份
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