(Colossians 3:1-11)…..If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
Again, as we work through this text in Colossians that we used in yesterday’s devotion, we have a few other points to bring out. God not only requires that we set our minds on things above (proper things), but that we properly deal with our bodies as well. We must put to death the sensual sins, those that appeal to the “lust of the flesh.”
- Fornication – Gr. – porneia {por-ni’-ah}, this is a general term for illicit sexual activity which can include adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, etc.
- Uncleanness – Gr. – akatharsia {ak-ath-ar-see’-ah} in a moral sense: the impurity of lustful, luxurious, and wild living
- Passion – Gr. – pathos {path’-os} this is inordinate affection, depraved passion, vile passions
- Evil desire – Gr. – epithumia {ep-ee-thoo-mee’-ah} this is evil craving, a longing or desire for what is forbidden, an evil lust
- Covetousness – Gr. pleonexia {pleh-on-ex-ee’-ah} that which appeals to the lust of the eyes, a greedy desire to have more, described in the Scriptures as being equivalent to idolatry
If these are in our life on a regular basis it is evident that we have not set our minds on things above (where God is), but on things below, making such objects our idols. It’s one thing to do these things when we lived in them, but in Christ we have died to them. We also must put off social sins (sins of emotion), these are sins of…….
- Anger, violent emotion, agitation of the soul
- Wrath, passion, heated anger, boiling over
- Malice, ill-will, desire to injure
- Sins of the tongue
- Blasphemy, slander, detraction, speech injurious to another’s good – reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty
- Filthy language, filthy communication, foul speaking, low and obscene speech, cussing
- Lying, to lie, to speak deliberate falsehoods, to deceive one by a lie, deception
The reason for putting off all these things is that we must demonstrate in practice what God has done for us and in us (Colossians 3:10-11) (Colossians 2:11-12). Due to your belief of the gospel, you have put on the new man who is renewed according to the image of Him who created him. What does that mean? To be renewed is to be changed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). To become like Christ, a mirrored image of Christ – that is the Fathers will for you. This is what might be called “the whole duty of man” in New Testament terms: to be renewed according to the image of Christ. Also we have the words of God through Peter giving us a charge to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:2-10) . Briefly defined…….
- Faith – conviction – strong assurance
- Virtue – moral excellence – God’s goodness
- Knowledge – correct insight of God’s word
- Self-control – self-discipline – morally
- Perseverance – bearing up under trials
- Godliness – godly character out of devotion to God
- Brotherly kindness – love toward brethren
- Love – active goodwill toward others
Now notice carefully (2 Peter 1:8). We must “abound” in these eight areas. Only then can it be said that we are growing in Christ. You see growing as a Christian is more than simply increasing our intellectual knowledge of Jesus. This is talking about growing in a fuller and personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. The more we grow in these areas that I have shared with you, the more we really know Jesus. And that is my hope for you that you grow!