The Old Life
Pondering Colossians Chapter Three
So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.—Colossians 3:5-11
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.—Colossians 3:2
Shifting our thinking and focus to heavenly things means that we have to do something about the earthly things. As we said in the previous devotional, these are rooted deep within (Mark 7:21-23). Paul asserts that here as well, “evil things lurking within you”.
Lurking. In the social media world, “lurking” means that someone is watching, not participating, ready to strike unexpectedly. The AMP translates the first part of this verse: “So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts].” That’s a frightening thought in some ways, but we are all too familiar to be surprised. What are the earthly things that we are to put to death?
Sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires.
Greed, which is idolatry, is worshiping the things of this world.
Anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, dirty language, and lies.
These are all things that categorize the old life - the one we were living before we put our faith in Christ. Yet somehow they still lurk, waiting until a convenient day when faith is running low, or patience is wearing thin. They spring up when solitude convinces us that we are alone, and when friends gain new possessions that we suddenly need.
But what we now know is that these sins cross paths with God’s will, and his anger is stirred because of them. We can repel these things because we have a new nature and we are renewed in spirit. Our goal now is not self-fulfillment but to please the Creator and to grow in ways that make us more like him.
I know, we can believe that this is easy for other people, but hard for us. The truth is that this is uncomfortable, self-denying, and a struggle for everyone. But another thing is true for all of us who are believers, no matter your heritage, religion, background, or current state of life: “Christ is all, and is in all” (Colossians 3:11, NIV).
The old life comes calling, sometimes frequently. But keep your focus on Christ. He is everything. He is in you. He is empowering you. Hear him above the call to the old life. Those things are to be put to death.
