Putting to Death

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS

PUTTING TO DEATH

 Col 3:5-11

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.   7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

NIV

Since we are no longer setting our minds on the things of this world, but rather setting our minds and hearts on things of heaven, we are to put to death certain attitudes and behaviors. Before becoming a believer, the idea is that we partook in such activities, or at least the people of Colossae did. Although Paul makes it clear those attitudes or behaviors are a part of our earthly nature. We can certainly view all sorts of sexual immorality in our culture today. However, it would seem if a person grew up in a strict Christian atmosphere, they would have never learned or engaged in any kind of sexual immorality or impurity whatsoever. It would also seem every person alive has those feelings at some point in their life, no matter their background. Those who did not get saved until later in life certainly were within one of those categories. It is interesting the list consists of sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. As Christians, we certainly have put to death sexual immorality and impurity, but it still might be possible we could lust. The Greek word here carries a meaning of inordinate affection, but it also implies that which is a depraved affection, so then we must put that to death as well because that might well fit right alone with evil desires. If we love the Lord, how is it possible to have those other feelings, especially evil desires, which appear to cover all the previous attitudes or behaviors on the list. But then greed is also on that list. It seems it is the only one associated with idolatry. How can a believer engage in idolatry? We have to put greed to death as well. But what exactly does it mean to have greed? The Greek word is used is coveting or covetousness. Jesus used this word which gives it context.

Luke 12:15

 15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 

NIV

Again, this has to do with not setting our hearts on earthly things, but on heavenly things. That whole list is about life in the world, life on earth as humans, eagerly fulfilling our own passions, desires and wants. What we have to wonder is if God created us, why do we have those kinds of feelings built within us? Why is that our human nature? Did he not create us with his nature? Yet he created Adam with the ability to choose, or with the freedom to choose, what we would call free will. Is our human nature a result of the choice Adam made, and thus we no longer have the nature of God as a norm? So then we have to put to death that human nature so we can once again live as God intended, with his nature. We haven’t even got to the rest of what we are to rid ourselves of, but those will have to deal with next. Still, it all comes down to putting to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature.