Chapter Fourteen
Colossians 3:5-11 Avoid Doing These
The world is all that we can see, touch, hear, taste and smell, so as humans, we can only relate to others and determine what is real through those five senses. One of the reasons we need to study the entire Word of God is to reset the standard on how we relate to each other, to God and of course help us recognize what really is reality. Paul reminds us that as Christians we need to think about God and the things of God continually. Jesus should be our priority at all times, that’s morning, noon and at night. Jesus once asked Nicodemus, “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:2, ESV) We should stop allowing our senses or the world to govern our thinking, we need to think, as Jesus put it, on heavenly things.
3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Now with our minds recalibrated on God, Paul says we are to continue that process by putting earthly thinking (a response from verse two) and influences to death (for we have died, see verse three). Paul uses strong language here to make the point that we are not to just temporarily set aside our earthly influences and temptations or simply ignore them for the moment, they are to be eliminated, extinguished completely, otherwise they might return. The Greek word that is translated, “put to death” (‘nekroō’) can also be translated as “deprive of power.” Some manuscripts (and thereby some Bible versions) add, “members that are on the earth,” (or similar, see KJV, NKJV, NASB), this would be a metonym, referring to our bodily parts being responsible for our sin, instead of the whole.
Wait, isn’t sin already dead in us? Paul explained in his epistle to the Romans, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:5-11, ESV) Paul is explaining that we have indeed died to the “results” of sinning, the penalty of sin no longer affects us, praise God! But, sin can still influence us, its lure can be powerful, especially when our flesh is weak, and without God’s help, that would be all the time. That is why we must continually put sin to death. How do we do that? By yielding to the Holy Spirit (read Romans 8:12-17 and Zechariah 4:6). John MacArthur once wrote: “Sin is like a deposed monarch who no longer reigns, nor has the ability to condemn, but works hard to debilitate and devastate all former subjects.”[1]
Paul provides two lists of things Christians should avoid, the first list might be described as internal (inside us), things that affect our relationship with God. It might be easier to use the alternate translation for ‘nekroō’ here (see above) and understand that Paul wants us to “deprive of power” the following: 1) ‘sexual immorality’ (Greek word is ‘porneia’, which can refer to a wide variety of sexual perversions) we read in both of the epistles written to the church at Corinth that sexual sin was a huge problem, which influenced many at that church (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 12:21); 2) ‘impurity’ (Greek word ‘akatharsia’ referring to something or someone being unclean); 3) ‘passion’ (Greek word ‘pathos’, the word can be a favorable passion or an unfavorable passion as it is being used in context here, referring to lusts); 4) ‘evil desire’ (Greek words ‘kakos’ referring to a “bad nature” and ‘epithymia’ pointing to a craving or something to lust after, together these words imply the desiring of things contrary to God) and 5) ‘covetousness’ (Greek word ‘pleonexia’, the word relates to a “greedy desire”), which Paul further clarifies by saying that covetousness is really an act of idolatry (the Greek word ‘eidōlolatria’ has become a reference to the practice of honoring false gods, the phrase technically refers to the following of a prescribed ritual of sacrifice or false worship). One could also easily apply the category of ‘idolatry’ to each of the five internal sins listed. Some scholars string the words, ‘passion’, ‘evil’ and ‘desire’ together instead of two components, making it a reference to the depravity of man, having passionate evil desires and thoughts.
3:6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
Paul says that since many people have not accepted Jesus, these ‘internal’ sins must be atoned; therefore, the wrath of God is coming. Some Bible versions include the words, “upon the sons of disobedience” (see LEB, KJV, NKJV, NASB) similar to what Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:6, ESV) We need to understand that the wrath is not coming to believers, since Jesus took care of literally everything for us. To clarify this point, Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica, “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10, ESV) and “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1 Thessalonians 5:9, see also Romans 2:5-11; 5:9 and John 3:36).
In the previous chapter, we explored the often-used phrase referring to Jesus sitting at the right hand of His Father, we looked at Psalm 110:1 and how the author appeared to be referring to God the Father talking to His Son Jesus, saying He should sit at His right hand until He made His enemy His footstool. When you read the remaining verses in Psalm 110, we can quickly see that the Psalmist is describing the period of time the Bible often calls, “the day of the Lord” or judgment day for unbelievers. God is a ‘just’ God, even though He is a merciful God, sin must be punished, Therefore, due to the existence of sin (as seen evidenced by those offenses listed in verse five), the wrath of God is coming. However, God provided a “way out” from the penalty of sin, through His Son Jesus. But for those who did not or will not accept Him, they will receive the wrath of God. The book of Revelation describes in detail the final wrath of judgment, ultimately usurping the last authority of the devil.
However, we must remember that even though we have been delivered from God’s wrath, we are still subject to being disciplined (see Hebrews 12:3-11). This is very confusing to some Christians, wrath or judgment versus discipline or persecution. God allows us to experience His discipline and persecution from the world, but He will not bring judgment or wrath upon us.
3:7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
Paul reminds us that we once walked living in sin (see Ephesians 2:1-10) and that includes those ‘raised’ in the church (see 1 John 1:8). Even though Jesus raised us up from being dead we should not continue sinning. Paul also wrote, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2, ESV) He is saying that we must put these internal sins away.
3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
Paul now turns to sins that affect others, external to ourselves, he lists: 1) ‘anger’ (Greek word ‘orgē’, referring to temper, and impulse violence; this is the same word found in verse six that was translated there as ‘wrath’); 2) ‘wrath’ (the word ‘wrath’ in this verse is the Greek word ‘thymos’ meaning ‘fury’); 3) ‘malice’ (Greek word ‘kakia’, means ‘ill will’ or a desire to injure; this is the same word used in verse five translated as ‘evil’); 4) ‘slander’ (Greek word ‘blasphemia’) and 5) ‘obscene talk’ (Greek word ‘aischrologin’ referring to foul language, low speech, obscene, filthy or just plain improper speech) from our mouths. Many of these terms are synonyms of each other. Paul continues this second list with the need for us to not lie to one another (see Ephesians 4:25 and Leviticus 19:11). Paul then reminds us as to why we should not continue in these sins, because we have put off the old self. Our ‘old’ self should be long gone, right? Paul used this analogy several times, earlier he said, “by putting off the body of the flesh” (Colossians 2:11b, ESV), in his epistle to the church in Rome he wrote, “our old self was crucified” (Romans 6:6b, ESV); in Ephesians he stated, “put off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires” (Ephesians 4:22b, ESV) and in his second letter to the church at Corinth, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17b, ESV). We are to put on our new self, the Greek reads similar to someone putting on or changing clothes (see Romans 6:4).
3:10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
This new ‘self’ is in the process of being renewed, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16, ESV, see also Romans 12:1-2 and Titus 3:5). We are being renewed in the knowledge (Greek word ‘epignosis’, the true and thorough knowledge) after the image of our Creator! The new self is continually being renewed by God, to be more like Him (see 1 Corinthians 15:49; 1 John 3:2-3).
3:11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Paul says that in Christianity no one is special nor is there anyone that is below or subordinate to another. He clarifies that there is no Greek or Jew (Greek word ‘loudaios’ means “of Judea” referring to the Jews), circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian (Greek word ‘barbaros’, which can refer to people that have difficulty speaking or ones that are inarticulate, the word later became a reference to people who simply did not speak Greek), Scythian (a reference to the Nomadic tribes north of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea from Scythia, now modern Russia, at the time Paul wrote this these people were regarded as the most barbaric, rude and uncivilized of all people groups. Josephus wrote in his book, Against Apion, “Now, as to the Scythians, they take a pleasure in killing men, and differ little from brute beasts; yet do they think it reasonable to have their institutions observed.”[2] Fellowship with a Scythian would have been unthinkable!), slave or a free man. This list is to help us understand that there is no distinction between people groups in Christianity.
Paul makes a simple statement, Jesus is all and He is in all. There is no room for bigotry, racial separation or any other man-made classification for believers, since Jesus is all (see Colossians 1:17) and is in all (see Ephesians 2:15). We are all Christians, period.
Recognizing that God is holy (without sin) and that His Son bought our freedom from sin with His own blood and suffering on the cross, our response to God’s love for us should be, at minimum, to know what pleases Him and then do them as well as to know what does not please Him, so that we can avoid such things. One of the psalmists wrote, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18, NIV), we understand that we can hurt our fellowship and affect our relationship with Jesus if we continue to sin (see 1 John 3:9-10; 5:18). In addition, our sin can also affect our witness to others. When unbelievers see us sin, or hear about our sin, they may have difficulty in understanding the difference between a Christian and anyone else.
Since this section of Colossians mirrors much of the wording found in Ephesians chapter four, it may be beneficial to read Ephesians 4:17-32 and compare.
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[1] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1992). Colossians (pp. 132–135). Chicago: Moody Press.
[2] Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged (p. 810). Peabody: Hendrickson.