Colossians 3:5-7

Colossians 3:5-7

Therefore, put to death the earthly parts: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful passion, evil desire, and greed – which is idolatry.  On account of this the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  In these things you all also once behaved, when you all were living in them.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul gives us an interesting list here.  What I find so interesting is that the first three can all be taken on a sexual nature – although admittedly the third one has a bigger scope than just sexual lust.  But this reinforces within me the fact that sexual sin is one of humanity’s greatest areas of weakness.  Even more important than this, though, is Paul’s additional comment after he talks about greed.  What we are talking about in even greater detail is idolatry.  All sin is idolatry.  All sin is ourselves focused on what we want instead of what God wants.  All sin is a break in the relationship between us and God.  Therefore, all sin is idolatry because all sin is about lifting up myself over the place that God should have in my life.

Why are human beings so idolatrous?  Why do we resist having God and His ways as the focus of our life?

Second Thought:

Paul tells us that the wrath of God is coming because of our sinfulness.  We have earned God’s wrath.  Humans deserve judgment.  God does not send us His wrath because He is mean or cruel.  In His righteousness, He gives us the verdict that we truly deserve: wrath.

In what ways do you deserve wrath?  Do you think God is righteous even when He reveals and judges your sinful nature?

Third Thought:

Paul ends this section with a very important reminder.  We have all been there.  We are all guilty of living in sin.  None of us have the right to look down our nose at those who still live in sin.  None of us are saved by anything other than God’s grace.  In fact, it is only by God’s grace that we have the ability to rise above it at all anyways.  God’s salvation – our ability to live above our nature – begins with Him.  But Paul tells us that God’s wrath is coming upon the sons of disobedience.  In Christ, we are no longer sons of disobedience.  We are sons of God.

Why is grace important to you?  Why is it important to you that you remember it is by grace we are saved and not because we have earned it?

Passage for Tomorrow: Colossians 3:8-9