Off With The Old; On With The New

Good evening and welcome to the Panhandle. I'm posting a bit late tonight because we went to see the movie “I Can Only Imagine.” Man what a great movie!

The plight of humanity is described in Colossians as belonging to “the power of darkness” (Col 1:13), “estranged and hostile in mind” (Col 1:21), and “dead in trespasses” (Col 2:13). Christ’s death (Col 1:22; Col 2:13–15) and resurrection (Col 2:12–13), however, mean that God has “rescued us … and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13) and offered us “forgiveness” (Col 1:14). The result of such reconciliation is “peace” (Col 1:20) with God that should also manifest itself in peace within the body of Christ (Col 3:15).

Reconciliation is, also, to occur among the people of God because they have put on the “new self” (Col 3:10). This reconciliation means that certain earthly things should be set aside—i.e., impurity, greed (Col 3:5), anger, abusive language (Col 3:8), lying (Col 3:9), etc. God’s elect should be clothed with compassion kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (Col 3:12) and should forgive others “just as the Lord has forgiven you” (Col 3:13). The result of such a transformation embodies the new status that believers have in Christ Jesus, wherein “there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, skoo'-thace (Scythian), slave and free” (Col 3:11).

Col 3:7-11
7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.

8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.

9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,

10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him --  

11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. 

The Christ-filled life obviously can't at the same time be filled with Christ-less things.

1. Put To Death The Old (vs. 5-7)

People do not automatically start living perfect lives when they first become Christians. It seems that the Christians in Colosse may have been slow in their Christian growth. Paul gave two list of things Christians should not do (vs. 5, 8). The first list is of things that are carnal in sinful nature. 

“Put to death your members which are on the earth” (vs. 5). “Put off” the evil ways in which you once walked. It is our duty to mortify our members which incline to the things of the world. This is a reference to the sin in your life and not to practicing self-abasement. Is there sin in your life? Then kill it, like weeds or vermin which spread and destroy everything around them. Kill it, before it destroys you.

You must continually oppose all kinds of corrupt workings, with no provision made for carnal indulgences..

The first list of five includes sins of desire, primarily of sexual impurity. First on the list is fornication, uncleanness (KJV) or sexual immorality, a broad, general term for all kinds of illicit sexual behavior. God created sex to be enjoyed by one man and one woman in the confines of marriage. Any sexual activity that does not fit that definition is not to be part of a believer's life. 

Inordinate affection, evil concupiscence or impurity reminds us that immorality is “unclean” or dirty and incompatible with the purity of our Saviour. Believers are not to be slaves of their lust or evil desires. 

With his mention of greed (covetousness; KJV), Paul moves outside the sexual arena and into broader, internal areas. Greed is assigning too high value to material things and that is idolatry. The Greek word used here pleonexia (pleh-on-ex-ee'-ah) means: a desire to have more. It has been said “Greed is the assumption that all things and passions exist for our own benefit.” Greed is the internal, sinful desire to gorge ourselves with more, more, more. Greed is bad enough that Paul equates it with idolatry. To act as if everything exist for us is to place ourselves in the place of God Himself. All things were created by him and for him (Colossians 1:16), not for any of us. To make the acquisition of things or gratification of desires your ambition is to demonstrate that your aim is too low – on earthly things rather than things above. 

 

Why do these behaviors and attitudes need to be put to death? First because they are the very things that bring the wrath of God upon you, which is His future judgment. Secondly, these behaviors and attitudes are to be eliminated because they reflect the way you once lived. A transformed lifestyle should be the trademark of your new life. Is it?

At first glance, you may discount Paul’s specific sins that we are to put off, as hearkening back to the days of a puritanism that we have long-since outgrown, as victorian as ankle length hem lines and high neck collars. But look again. Phillips translates the list: sexual immorality, dirty-mindedness, uncontrolled passion, evil desire, and the lust for other peoples’ goods. Those sins are as modern as the Wifi or Starbuck's Coffee.

Sexual immorality is rampant, destroying people and shattering homes. In the name of self-expression and self-fulfillment we have created a promiscuous society driven by sexual passions. Look at the rampant proliferation of pornography both on and off the Web. Look at the permeation of sexual symbols used in advertising. Modern and relevant? Dirty-mindedness and uncontrolled passion? Paul's words are sharp and knife-like, leaving no doubt about the dramatic changes that are to be made in our lives. “Put on the new man” (v. 10).

2. Put On The New (vs. 8-10)

Paul made his call to put off the old nature and put on the new even more emphatic as he listed some of the things that have to go from our lives.

In his second list Paul told us But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. (v. 8, NASU). Paul switches metaphors in verse 8. He is still talking about sin, the reality and ravages of it. And of its persistent power to deceive you and entice you away from the new center of your life, Christ Jesus.

The exhortation remains the same, but the picture changes. The imagery behind the call to rid yourselves, in verse 8, and take off and put on in verses 9 and 10, is like that of taking off clothes. Believers are to discard their old, repulsive habits like a set of worn-out clothes. They are to adorn themselves new, with the kind of behaviors that are fully acceptable to the Lord. 

Don’t miss the radical nature of this by looking only on the surface. Paul is not talking about anything so superficial as Cinderella abandoning her servant rags to dress like a princess for the ball. If you want to look at a fairy tale for a picture, Paul is talking about something like the prince who was cursed as an ugly frog, and then being kissed by a lovely maiden and became a handsome prince again.

But this is really nothing as superficial as a dress or one's appearance: it is your condition, your nature, that is changed. You are to “put to death” the “old man,” and “put on” the “new man.” At a much, much deeper level, you become a new person as you put off the old life and put on the new life of Christ Jesus. Have you done this yet? Have you wrapped your self in Christ Jesus?

Paul is calling for radical surgery. He is saying that we are to put to death every part of our being which is against God, and which prevents us from doing God’s will. He said the same thing in Romans 8:13: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

3. Life Transformation (vs. 9-11)

Perverted passions, hot tempers, sharp tongues, and lying to one another are to be removed as a part of your life transformation process. To become a Christian means to put aside your old nature and become a new person in Christ Jesus. In Adam mankind was made in the likeness of God, but sin marred that image. And as hard as you try you can't remake yourself into an image unmarred by sin. 

This is where the power of Christ Jesus comes into play. The Christian life is no do-it-yourself, make-yourself-right, lift-yourself-by-your-own-bootstraps religion. It is a religion, a relationship of the heart in which all that you are is yielded to the transforming, healing power of Christ Jesus. 

 

Believers are like immigrants to a new country, not yet completely accustom to its ways of life. You have accepted citizenship in this new country and you must learn to live in it. As a member of this new community you are to conduct yourself in ways which enhance harmony in the community. To continue to live your life in sin, such as those mentioned; is to live in disunity and disrupted harmony. Sin also damages human relationships and your relationship with God. And so as Paul reminds us, all believers are equal in God's eyes; and all are to discard any and all behaviors and attitudes which are inappropriate for relationship with Christ Jesus.