Put Off the Old (Part 1)
Put off the old and put on the new
(Part 1)
Col 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Col 3:6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
Col 3:7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
Col 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Col 3:9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
Col 3:10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Our lives should reflect our submission to Christ.
Put off (vs. 1-4): set your sights on the reality of Heaven; think on the things of God, not the things of this world.
Verse two says to set your mind on things above. Much like a compass points north, we are to “set” or fix our minds on things above- heavenly things in the spiritual realm. This is contrary to our pluralistic society where there are not rights or wrongs. We must come out from the world and fix our compasses on the heavenly.
Sinful earthly things lurking within you:
1. sexual sin- anything sexual outside of marriage; this sin is tearing apart our society today. From child rape, incest, bestiality, to homosexuality- these sins tear at the very fiber of our society today
2. impurity- sexual deviances; this includes anything that causes our minds to drift away from the pure things of God’s Word (Phil 4:8)
3. lust- selfish fulfillment with no regard for others; this is seeking after pleasures and desires are purely selfish in nature
4. shameful desires- wicked sexual desires; these are the unmentionable desires which cross the line of purity and delve into the wicked
5. greed/idolatry- worship of self or material items; this includes anything which replaces our worship and admiration of the Lord
These things are contrary to the word of God and destructive to the lives of Believers. The fact that these things are mentioned in this text means that believers can and will sin in their new walk with Christ. The good news though, is that we don’t have to. We can consciously choose not too. These things are not to be an active part of a believer’s life.
Where are you at today? Are you bogged down with the circumstances of life, going from trial to trial, tossed to and fro? Or are you striving through each battle coming out stronger and stronger because you are being exercised each time by God’s Word. Colossians 3 and 4, offer us vital clues as how to live as believers today. We are to put-off our old nature and the sins associated with it, and put-on the new nature of Christ and all that comes with it. He empowers us to live a Holy, separated, consecrated life unto Him!