The New Self

Series: All to Jesus (Colossians)  •  Passage: Colossians 3:12–4:1  •  Preacher: Dr. Shaun Miles  •  Bridge Church of Jacksonville

Who are you, really? We are tempted to answer that question with what we do — “I’m an air-conditioner man,” “I’ve been an airline pilot for years.” But Dr. Shaun Miles reminded us this week that what you do is not who you are. Who you are should be revealed in what you do. There is a story told of the artist Gustave Doré, who arrived at a border without his papers. Unable to prove his identity, he was handed a pencil and paper — and free-hand sketched the officer in front of him so beautifully that they knew at once: this could only be Doré. His identity showed up in his work.

That is exactly what Paul presses on the young church at Colossae. Surrounded by competing cultures, religious practices, and the pressure of Greco-Roman society, these new believers were being told to assimilate. Paul’s answer is the heart of this passage: your new identity in Christ demands a new way of living. Not a suggestion — a command. “When He’s crowned Lord of your life, obedience is not a suggestion.” And it begins with the staggering truth of verse 12: God chose you, set you apart, and loves you. The new life is not something we work for to earn acceptance; we live it because we have already been accepted in Christ.

1. Christ-like character — in the gathered church (3:12–16)

When the church is together, our character should be shaped by the love of Jesus. Paul lists the virtues to “put on,” and two anchor the rest:

• Compassion (v. 12) — a gut-level, emotional mercy that moves us when we see others hurting. It says, “What’s going on with you actually matters.”
• Commitment (v. 14) — agape love, a sacrificial, unconditional commitment that can only originate from God. Once we have received His love, we can distribute it to one another.

From there, Paul says let Christ’s peace rule in your hearts (v. 15) — the word pictures an umpire making the call — and let Christ’s Word dwell richly among you (v. 16). As Dr. Miles put it: love creates unity, peace protects unity, and the Word produces maturity. The Word and the Spirit together are what grow us up.

2. Christ-like conduct — in everyday life (3:17–4:1)

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” If the gathered church calls for Christ-like character, the scattered church — your home, your job, your community — calls for Christ-like conduct. The title “Lord Jesus” is no mere term of adoration; it declares Jesus as boss of your life. And this is a boss who sees not only what you do but the very motives of your heart. There is no neutral ground: every relationship, every task, every decision becomes an arena where His lordship is either acknowledged or denied.

That changes how a wife honors her husband, how a husband loves his wife, how parents and children live, and how we work — whether mowing a yard with a broken lawn mower or checking blood pressure. We do it for an audience of One. The people around us simply become the beneficiaries of a life lived unto Jesus.

Three “Let Us” Commitments

As he closed, Dr. Miles drew three “let us” commands out of the passage — the same three that shape Bridge Church’s vision:

1. Let His peace rule our hearts — pure worship. His confirmed presence is our desire; we treat every activity of the body as an act of worship, doing it with purity. We’re not here for a brand or a name, but that His name would be exalted in our generation.
2. Let His Word dwell richly among us — His Word is our authority. Everyone is a member, everyone has a part; the pastor’s responsibility is heavier but not higher. It is His Word that governs and shapes us as we journey toward full maturity in Christ.
3. Let us do it all in the name of the Lord — prioritize discipleship. One name, one purpose. We exist to make fully mature disciples — and a mature disciple lives with one aim: to do everything, as son or daughter, parent or spouse, for the glory of God.

The Takeaway

So the question lands where it began — with identity. If you were stopped at the border and asked to prove you belong to Christ, how would you show it? You don’t work to gain access; because you have access, your new life testifies to it.

Small-Group Discussion Questions

1. Dr. Miles said, “What you do is not who you are — who you are should be seen in what you do.” Where are you tempted to build your identity on what you do rather than on who you are in Christ?
2. Paul says the new life is something we “put on” because we are already accepted, not in order to become accepted. How does that order (accepted → obedient, not obedient → accepted) change the way you approach following Jesus?
3. Compassion (an emotional response) and commitment (agape) work together. Which comes more naturally to you, and which needs to grow? What would it look like this week in the life of the church?
4. “Let the peace of Christ rule” pictures peace as the umpire making the call in our decisions. Where do you need to let His peace, rather than preference or pressure, make the call?
5. Living for an “audience of One” reshapes home and work. Name one specific relationship or task this week that you can begin to do “in the name of the Lord Jesus.”