Christians and Non-Christians – What is the difference?

By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett – Asbury Free Methodist

May 23, 2021 – Colossians 2:6-15

This is Part 7 of our series, Genuine – A walk through Colossians. Today we are looking at Colossians 2:6-15.

The question of the day is “What is the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian?” Some would say that Christians are moral people and non-Christians are immoral people. But that is not true. I know many moral non-Christians people. I know some people who claim to be Christians but are not particularly moral – which makes me question whether they are truly Christian.

Some would say that the difference between Christians and non-Christians is that Christians have been forgiven by God. That is true enough but in and of itself that is a pretty weak answer. Today’s scripture passage is going to help us with the question – What is the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian.

Now a couple of things before we get into todays passage. In contrasting Christians and non-Christians I am not saying that Christians are against non-Christians. God loves everyone – that is our call to. The bible says that our struggle is not against flesh and blood – but against principalities and power – against spiritual forces of wickedness.

Too often, people either looking to make a name for themselves or looking for political power try to pit Christians against Non-Christians. That is not neither Christian nor biblical – it is not like Jesus. God is for people.

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While Christians are called to be for people, there is a difference between Christians and non-Christians which our passage outlines. As we look at this passage, it would be good if you would ask what camp am I in? Am I really where I want to be?

Come with me to

Colossians 2:6–15 (NIV)

⁶So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

⁸See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

⁹For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹²having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

¹³When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Paul starts at the start,

Colossians 2:6 (NIV)

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,

The way you become a Christian is to receive Jesus as Lord. That is the first and one of the most significant differences between a Christian and a non-Christian – we receive Jesus as our Lord.

Romans 10:9–10 (NIV)

⁹If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

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Becoming a Christian is about believing in Jesus and what he did on the cross for you, but it also about receiving him as Lord. Now let me try to nuance this so that we understand it well.

We use a number of different expressions to talk about Jesus as Lord. Maybe when you became a Christian you prayed a prayer that said, “I give my life to you.” That is one way of receiving Jesus as Lord. Maybe you said, “I am going to follow you.” That is another way of saying that Jesus is Lord.

When you became a Christian – you not only believed that Jesus took your sin – and we are going to look at that a little later – but in some way or other your received him as Lord. Those things are a package deal – you can’t have one without the other.

Now all of us have struggled with the Lordship of Christ in different areas of our lives. We sometimes go our way rather than God’s way. Learning to go God’s way is part of the growing process. But our intention is do what God wants and when we don’t we confess our sin, and turn from it and look to continue to follow God. That is part of what it means to be a Christian.

You can’t say to Jesus, I want to be forgiven, but I have no intention of following you – You can’t become a Christian that way.

Now Paul goes on,

Colossians 2:6 (NIV)

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,

Paul says you gave your lives to the Lord, continue to do that. Continue to follow him – knowing that you are in him. You live and you move, and you have your being in him. And as you continue to follow him, here is what is going to happen – you are going to be

Colossians 2:7 (NIV)

rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

That is what happens if you continue to follow Jesus. You are rooted, your foundation is strong. You are built up – you grow as a person in him. Your faith is strengthened. People with a strong faith can see God do amazing things. And you overflow with thankfulness. It is not that you are looking for something to be thankful for. Instead, your heart is so full of thankfulness that you cannot contain it.

All of this springs from continuing to live out the confession of your faith – Jesus is Lord.

Now let’s look at the non-Christian.

Colossians 2:8 (NIV)

⁸See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

Notice, if someone or something takes you captive, they are the Lord of you. So instead of having Jesus as Lord, non-Christians have something else as Lord. Paul describes it as a hollow and deceptive philosophy. Human tradition. Or even demonic forces.

There are many hollow and deceptive philosophies. In our country we have all sorts of competing philosophies. I don’t have time to go into them all – but let me just point out some of the outcomes of those philosophies.

Your philosophy will dictate your definition of success. Your philosophy will dictate what is important. Is hard work important? Is family important? Are relationships important? Is being rich important? Is security important? Is adventure important?

Paul says these come from human tradition. Much of what you believe about these things will come from the family you grew up in. How you handle conflict, how you treat people of the opposite sex, or of different ethnic origins will come from the family you came from.

Or, that may get changed or modified by the culture we live in. That is also part of what Paul means when he talks about human tradition. The culture we are in dictates what we think is important.

If you were a male growing up in the Maasai tribe in Africa what would be important to you is the ability to bear pain without flinching. Among other tribes the ability to survive in the wilderness alone and hunt game is what is valued. The culture we grow up in dictates what we value.

Our culture has its own set of things that are important but it depends on what culture is most dominant in your life. The culture of the hells angels is different from the hockey culture which is different from a university culture which is different from a rural culture. All these cultures value very different things.

Paul also says that there are some philosophies that are the doctrine of demons. That is not hard to see in suicide bombers or drug lords. It is harder but nevertheless present in our culture.

Paul says, Christians have Christ as Lord, Non-Christians have philosophy, human tradition and culture as Lord.

Colossians 2:8–10 (NIV)

⁸See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

⁹For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

Paul says, even as a Christian you have to be wary of these things taking you captive.

But Christ is indeed Lord. The fullness of God lives in him. And because you are in him, you have been brought to fulness. In the core of who you are you have the fulness of God, because Christ by his Holy Spirit resides there. It is done. And yet while the fulness is there, the fulness is not released until what has been done on the inside comes to the outside.

But what Paul really wants you as a follower of Christ to know is that whatever philosophy and wherever they come from Christ is over them. He has authority beyond them.

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Listen there will be times when following Christ and living in our culture will be quite compatible. It is wonderful when that happens. There will be times when following Christ and following our culture will be quite incompatible. In those times remember that Christ is still Lord over all.

Now Paul goes on to talk about the Christian. I am going to read these verses from the NLT because although it says the same thing it uses more understandable language.

Colossians 2:11–12 (NLT)

¹¹When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. ¹²For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

Paul says, when you became a Christian – God did heart surgery. He cut out your sinful nature. Paul is saying the same thing as he says in

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

As a Christian, at the core of who you are, you are a new creation. The old sinful nature has been transplanted with a new nature. Christ in you – the hope of glory. Does that mean that we always want to do the right thing? At the core of who we are yes. But that core is often covered up by habits and human traditions that we haven’t dealt with yet.

Paul then restates the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian.

Colossians 2:13 (NIV)

¹³When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

You were dead in your sins before you became a Christian. God made you alive in Christ when you became a Christian. That is part of what it means to have a new nature. Here is what happens when he makes you alive.

Colossians 2:13b–14 (NIV)

^13 …. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

When he made you alive in Christ, all your sins were forgiven. You know the wages of sin is death. That judgement hung over us – but God has taken away the indebtedness and that which stood against us and condemned us and nailed it to the cross.

Christian, those who have by faith received Jesus as Lord. You are alive in Christ. All your sins are forgiven All that condemned you was nailed to the cross.

If you are not a Christian, the bible says that you are dead in your transgressions and sins. You are not forgiven. You still have to pay the wages of sin.

But here is what I want you to know. Jesus receives any who would come to him.

Romans 10:9 (NIV)

⁹If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

If you have never received Jesus into your life, would you pray this prayer. Lord Jesus I believe in you. I believe what you did on the cross you did for me. I give you my life and I chose to follow you. I receive your promise to make me alive in you. To forgive me of my sin. I trust that you have done everything that is needed to that there is no condemnation for me. Thank you that your promises are for me.

If you pray a simple prayer like that in faith, God always, always, always, keeps his word. If you have prayed a prayer like that I would love to encourage you as you begin your journey with God. Drop me an email.

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Paul goes on talking about Christ.

Colossians 2:15 (NIV)

¹⁵And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

He just wanted you to know that you don’t have to fear the demons and devils of hell because they were disarmed at the cross. They were beaten at the cross. Jesus is the victor, and he lives in you. That means that you can be victorious over them as well.

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Christian, I want to urge you to lean into your identity in Christ. Here is what this passage has said about you.

You have received Jesus as Lord,

Continue to live out that Lordship because

You will be

Rooted

And built up in him.

You will be strengthened in faith

And overflow with thanksgiving.

Jesus is Lord over everything

He has removed your old nature,

And given you a new nature.

Let it come to the surface for,

He has made you spiritually alive.

You have been forgiven for all your sins.

Your debt has been canceled.

There is no condemnation.

All those things have been nailed to the cross

That is who you are – that is who you are called to be. Lean into it. Give thanks for it. Live it out. You are different because you have received Jesus as Lord. That give you access to God and to the abundant life. Lean into your identity.