BACKGROUND:
As we live our lives we ought to be careful to avoid penalties by not yielding to the carnal nature that always pulls us to commit sins.Here in these verses Paul is making it clear that it is Not Carnality but Christ.Christ lives in us and we are exhorted to live a life that signifies our character as christian.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?
Col. 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
The word “mortify” means “put to death.”
Rom. 6:11 reads: “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
The sins that are listed—fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness are still alive in our mortal flesh. Paul’s exhortation here is to kill them!
1) Acknowledging them as wrong
2) Overpowering their pull by imposing a greater pull—our desire for godliness.
3) Of the two choose what is more important.
4) Walk away from any opportunity to indulge in them.
Col. 3:6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
As an added incentive, should we choose to indulge in the above mentioned sins, we run the risk of encountering the wrath of God, coming upon us—sons of disobedience.
The term “wrath” implies the seriousness of the corresponding judgments.
Col. 3:7 …in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
This is what repentance is about—turning from our previous life style, not to return back to it.We are reminded this morning in the message where in we got the picture of how God wipes out our sins and makes us as new.
Col. 3:8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
Dr. G. Campbell Morgan called these “the sins of good standing.” He writes:
We are so accustomed to anger, critical attitudes, lying, and coarse humor among believers that we are no longer upset or convicted about these sins.
We would be shocked to see a church member commit some sexual sin, but we will watch him lose his temper in a business meeting and think little of it.
The word “anger” is the same Greek word as wrath found in Col. 3:6, and means a temper outburst.
The word wrath used in this verse is a different Greek word and describes “a sudden or fierce outburst of anger.”
Col. 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
The picture here is that of a person changing clothes: “Put off…put on.” This relates to the resurrection of Christ; when Jesus arose from the dead, He left the grave-clothes behind (Jn. 20:1-10).Likewise, when Lazarus was raised from the dead, Jesus instructed the people to “loose him and let him go” (Jn. 11:44).Grave-clothes represent the old life with its sinful deeds.Now that we have new life, we must walk in “newness of life.”
Col. 3:10 …and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
The Greek word for “renew” is in the present participle, implying that it is to be an ongoing experience in the Christian’s walk.
Rom. 12:2: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Our spiritual man is like a battery that needs to be constantly recharged. 2 Cor. 4:16 shows that renewal is a daily activity: “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”
One of the ways that renewal takes place is through “knowledge,” or receiving a fresh understanding of our promised position in Christ. Each day our mind requires the imparting of God’s word, either through private devotion, biblical meditation, or outside instruction.Let us remember that our old nature is also being renewed day by day, or better yet depleted, by the barrage of carnal knowledge that comes at us each day.
Col. 3:11 …where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
In Christ all distinctions are removed.Gal. 3:28 reads, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”Anyone foreign to Greek culture was considered a “barbarian.”A Scythian was a wild, savage nomad; these were the lowest of all barbarians.All distinctions drop when we become a Christian, a child of God.The ground is even at the foot of the cross.
We are to remember that Christ is all and in all.Everyday as we wake up and get ready to start our day remember to put on Christ and pray to God to not lead us in to any temptations and resist our carnal nature.It is difficult initially but I encourage you to submit to God in prayer and take on the day,you will be victorious.
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