The following text was read at the opening of MacArthur’s sermon.
Colossians 3:1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. …9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
The following points are sermon highlights, I recommend reading and listening; bracketed statements, emboldening and underscoring are mine. Also, highlights are mostly in my words.
MacArthur preaches from the NASB, the scripture I used herein is from the ESV.
- This sermon is about sanctification; the born-again believer lives his entire Christian life between the events of justification and glorification, being progressively sanctified, or made holy
- The believer’s chief identity is to be found ‘in Christ’
- Verse one is used to encourage the laying aside of the old self with its identities, and the putting on the new self, aspiring to being ‘in Christ’ which is the born again believer’s new identity
- 3:12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 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.
- The above is what we are to put on
- How are we to do that? Hebrews 12: 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
- That is, we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, emulating Him
- [I believe that the chief way to emulate Christ is to abide in scripture, have a fervent prayer life, hear sermons at church… in other words, to partake of the ‘appointed means of grace’ as in Acts 2:42ff; but the application of scripture to one’s life is seemingly a big part of emulating Christ]
- Churches exist to teach such godliness that believers may go out and share the gospel message
- The apostle Paul, in verse 11, indicated that we are to form a partnership with others in Christ: 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
- In other words, the distinctions of the old self are to be no more [during the struggle of faith, of growing in belief and in sanctification, they are to be set aside]
- 2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
- 2 Corinthians 5:16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. [Relevance explained by MacArthur]
- That is, those categories do not exist in the church
- [At end of this post, there is a link to a post in this blog wherein the SBC adopted CRT, which is all about dividing people. This sermon demonstrates fully that CRT is unbiblical, and that Christians, by definition, cannot subscribe to such divisive ideologies, they are to leave such things behind during their pilgrimage of sanctification to glorification]
- As Christians, we are to put aside the old prejudices, resentments, jealousies, hatreds…
- The categories of the old life are to be laid down and we are to embrace oneness in Christ
- Salvation, being in Christ, unifies these opposing and different groups
- As in: Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
- MacArthur spent several minutes explaining the hatred that formerly existed between Jews and Gentiles; then he explained the former characters of Barbarians and Sythians
- THERE ARE NO REPARATIONS
- There are no distinctions in Christ [he defined and contrasted these]
- In Christ, those distinctions do NOT exist;
- The single identity of believers in Christ as part of His body, the church, obliterates all other identities
- So, what should be our attitude towards everybody?
- Colossians 3: 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 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. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
- Any kind of ethnic division is sinful
- To try to legitimize such divisions in the church is to attack the church
- Attacking the church is unsanctified behavior – you are to be sanctified, per God
- James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
- Demonic wisdom is jealousy, selfish ambition…where that is there is disorder and every evil thing
The following link is to a talk by pastor Voddie Baucham on the Southern Baptist Convention adopting CRT.
https://sheeplywolves.com/dr-voddie-baucham-on-crt-intersectionality-and-the-gospel/
For other posts in this blog about CRT, see CATEGORIES; CRT / CT; for more posts on social Marxism, see, CATEGORIES, Social Justice / Identity Politics.