Stop Trying to Fix Yourself—Start Living What Christ Finished

Paul says in Colossians 2:20–23 that if we have died with Christ, then we’re no longer under the old “elements of the world.” So why would we go back and submit ourselves to man‑made rules—“don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”—rules that deal with temporary things and come from human teaching? They may look wise because they involve strict discipline and harsh treatment of the body, but they don’t actually deal with the real issue of the flesh. The reality of Christ’s death stands in direct contrast to self‑made religious severity. The Christian life isn’t about punishing the body or forcing ourselves into misery to try to control sin. That approach doesn’t come from God. It’s something people invented out of their own fallen thinking. Other religions may practice that kind of harsh self‑denial, but that’s not what Christians are called to.

Paul calls these things the “elements of the world”—basic, outward, surface‑level religious practices. They’re rules about food, drink, rituals, and bodily discipline. The idea behind them is that if we make ourselves suffer, we can somehow restrain the flesh. But God’s way is completely different. His way is the cross. In God’s plan, the cross is central. And I want to underline this: God’s way is not self‑punishing religion. Christians are not meant to be gloomy or joyless. We’re meant to rejoice in the Lord. So why would we intentionally harm ourselves or deny ourselves in ways God never asked for? That’s not wisdom. It’s unnecessary. Our way is the cross, and the cross replaces all of that self‑made severity.

This becomes very practical in everyday life. Think about conflict in a marriage. Arguments don’t get solved by proving who’s right. They get solved when someone is willing to let the cross touch their attitude, their tone, their need to win. The same is true in the church. Unity doesn’t come from everyone agreeing on every detail. It comes from people who are willing to let the cross shape how they respond, how they speak, and how they treat one another. Passing through the cross isn’t dramatic. It’s often quiet and practical—choosing not to hold onto anger, choosing not to insist on being right, choosing to forgive quickly. Paul says in Ephesians 4 not to let the sun go down on our anger. That’s another way of saying: don’t carry it with you. Let it go. Let the cross deal with it. When we live this way—letting the cross work in us day by day—it brings peace into our homes and into our churches. It softens us. It makes room for real harmony.

This same principle shows up when we look at Christ’s incarnation, resurrection, ascension, His breathing of the Spirit into the disciples, and the outpouring of the Spirit. These aren’t events that need to be repeated every time someone believes. Christ doesn’t have to breathe the Spirit into each new believer individually, and He doesn’t have to pour out the Spirit again and again. These things were done once for all. In John 20, Jesus breathed the Spirit into His disciples—that was a one‑time event. And in the same way, Christ has already brought His whole Body into the Spirit in two major steps. First, on the day of Pentecost, the Jewish believers were brought into the Spirit. Then, in the house of Cornelius, the Gentile believers were brought in. With those two moments, the entire Body—Jew and Gentile—was included once for all.

Look at the pattern: God became flesh—that happened once. Christ died once. He rose once. He breathed the Spirit into His disciples once. He ascended once. And He poured out the Spirit once. All of these things have already been accomplished. And now, everything Christ has done—His incarnation, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, the Spirit breathed out, the Spirit poured out—is wrapped up in His name. When we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, we receive everything He has already accomplished. Nothing needs to be repeated. Nothing needs to be added. It’s all included in His name, and it becomes ours the moment we call.

So Paul’s point becomes clear: if we have died with Christ, we don’t need to go back to man‑made systems, religious pressure, or self‑imposed severity. God has given us Christ, and He has given us the cross as the way to walk. When we let the cross shape our daily life—our relationships, our reactions, our attitudes—it brings real peace, real unity, and real freedom. Christ is our center, and the cross is our path.