The Newness of Christ

What are some “old” things that we are tempted to prioritize over Christ?

Further away of from home:
This morning, I listened to an acquaintance as he was prioritizing clothing, outward appearance, and works, over Christ. His argument was that Christ certainly looks at the heart, but over time our outward appearance should change (as guided by the Holy Spirit). I asked him if circumcision was necessary for salvation and he stated it was not, but that Abram obeyed God with the sign after he was justified. Following his arguments, the conclusion was that once we mature as real Christians, we will necessarily desire to wear our Sunday best, remove or cover our tattoos, cut our hair (if men), grow our hair (as women), etc – he even stated that beards were a bit messy and rough (I suggested he would not have done well with the pilgrims and other early American Christians.) All this because the Holy Spirit will necessarily lead us to do so if we are truly children of God. In previous discussions, he has also stated that signs and wonders will necessarily be manifested if one is saved. Speaking in tongues, prophecy, miracles of healing, were his examples. As he went on, I took note that he spent much of his time glorifying the rules and people that follow them…

Closer to home:
I think we, at times, may view (visible) work & church service over Christ. Apart from Bonhoeffer's wish-dream concept, he writes much about this. “All that the follower of Jesus has to do is to make sure that his obedience, following and love are entirely spontaneous and unpremeditated. If you do good, you must not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, you must be quite unconscious of it. Otherwise you are simply displaying your own virtue, and not that which has its source in Jesus Christ. Christ's virtue, the virtue of discipleship, can only be accomplished so long as you are entirely unconscious of what you are doing. The genuine work of love is always a hidden work. Take heed therefore that you know it not, for only so is it the goodness of God. If we want to know our own goodness or love, it has already ceased to be love. We must be unaware even of our love for our enemies. After all, when we love them they are no longer our enemies. This voluntary blindness in the Christian (which is really sight illuminated by Christ) is his certainty, and the fact that his life is hidden from his sight is the ground of his assurance.” Not to say that it is a bad thing (necessarily), but I have often thought that we need to take more care with the acknowledgment of our service projects and the manner in which we build up individuals that may be leading service related activities.