Colossians: Alive In Christ Ihe Atụ

Yesterday we looked at the reality of our new, hidden life in Christ. This big perspective shapes the rest of what is said in this chapter. Everything in our lives is affected by this massive change in who we are. We are now, as individuals and as churches, called to live out a new life in Jesus Christ. 

Verse 5 makes it clear that we can’t both have life in Christ and life in sin. Consequently, we’re called not to negotiate or procrastinate with sin in our lives but to kill and eradicate it. Our life in Christ leads us, in other words, to take drastic action with sin. The word ‘earthly’ here is not referring to physical things, as if our bodies are in and of themselves bad, but to a fallen world. This is contrasted with the heavenly life we have with Christ (see 3:1).  

The particular sins Paul focuses on in verse 5 are out-of-control sex and out-of-control desires. Notice how he traces this all back to idol worship at the end of the verse. When we replace the living God with false gods, our lives spin out of control into all kinds of sexual sins and addictions. Paul reminds us in verse 6 that these things don’t bring life, but God’s just anger. 

Life in Christ, on the other hand, brings a completely different mindset. Instead of idols, sexual immorality and addictions, we now have Christ, and so we now seek to live his way (in contrast to the old way, v. 7). The old ways belong to our past and have no place in our future. As people in Christ, we don’t negotiate or procrastinate with immorality and addiction, but we kill it, knowing that we’ve been called to a new heavenly life in Jesus. 

Reflection

1. Are there any obvious outward expressions of sexual immorality in your life today? Are there secret desires or lusts that you're cultivating?

2. Why do these things not fit with life in Christ?

3. How will you put these things to death?