Leave Behind the Old Vices
5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, 7 and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. (Colossians 3:5-7)
From verses 5 to 17, Paul then gives practical challenges to the believers about how they could live transformed lives because of Christ. Starting with verse 5, in light of Christ being the foundation of their entire lives, being brought back from death into eternal life, “therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature.” The old sinful actions are to be completely done away with after being saved. What follows are some vices that must be put away. First, sexual immorality, meaning all kinds of illicit sexual behavior. God created sex to be exclusively for one man and for one woman in a marriage relationship. Any other sexual activity found outside the confines of marriage is sin. Associated sexual immorality, second is impurity, keeping away from any perversions. Third is lust, the sexual desire of another, which can lead to adultery, as seen in Matthew 5:28 stated by Jesus, “But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Fourth is evil desires, a general term for anything sought out that goes in contradiction with the holiness of Christ. Fifth is greed, which Paul equates to a form of idolatry, for greed shows the lack of trust and contentment in God’s blessing. Eventually, that could lead to any earthly possession that is sought out more than God, becoming an idol in your life.
The consequence of these vices is found in verse 6, “God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient.” In the end of all time, God will pronounce His final judgment, and because God is holy, sin will face eternal damnation and be cast out of His presence forever, and anyone not found righteous through Christ will face such judgment as well.
Finally, in verse 7, Paul reminds believers that they “once walked in these things when you were living in them.” It was and should be in the past. Believers were saved from such terrible judgment because of Christ’s work on the cross. Therefore, their lives should show a mark of new transformation, leaving their past sins behind, dead and buried, and instead, walk with Christ.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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