COLOSSIANS‬ ‭3:11‬ ‭‬‬

In the age of the techno church this statement by Paul seems even more relevant. Collossae was in a place of intersection. During the height of the Roman Empire its success was based around its ability to be syncretic and take in multiple cultures and functions under the umbrella of Roman rule. It offered a kind of peace as a citizen. But, unsurprisingly, it could not sustain this peace because the wickedness of the sin stained heart always wanted power over peace. Instead, the melting pot became an inescapable culture of castes and institutional abuse. Christ bids all of those things be altered, by firstly changing the heart. Second he commands a new identity in spirit and not just lip service. And lastly he orchestrates an organism of function rather than a machine. People are not cogs to him. He doesn’t make people work for their value but instead gives them an all encompassing sense of identity where he extends himself into all previous points of intersection. He wants us to define ourselves by him and not by our works or our hearts or our circumstances. It is true that people within Christianity have refused to do this. This is the point of Colossians. Even now, there are several battles in the western church regarding how seminal race, gender and sex are to the gospel. These people should consider Colossians and the fate of Rome. However, Christianity when operated this way, stands the test of time and culture as it unified and draws together Gods people regardless of their differences or pasts.