Some Instructions for the Christian Family Colossians 3:1-25 Part I
In this portion of Colossians (Chapter 3:1-25), Paul challenges Christians to live godly lives in conformity to who they are in Jesus Christ. The success of living Christlike lives was dependent not on their own power but on the power of Christ working in them. As Christians, our lofty Christian status embraces that we need to put off ungodly practices and put on godly practices that reflect our heavenly status.
Our text, Colossians 3:1-25, may be outlined as follows: I. Christians Focused on Our New Status – Colossians 3:1-4; II. Christians Turing from the Sins of the Past – Colossians 3:5-9; III. Christians Putting on Godly Virtues – Colossians 3:10-14; IV. Christians Living Harmoniously Among Others – Colossians 3:15-25.
- Christians Focused on Our New Status – Colossians 3:1-4
In this epistle, the false teachers were threatening to undermine the faith, and even to dilute the devotion of the Colossian saints. Paul urged these believers to resist what was false and hold tenaciously to Christ and the word. Paul begins Colossians 3:1 with a conditional clause. By doing so, Paul drove these believers to examine their lives! If they had truly received spiritual life in Christ, they needed to live like it. Having stated the condition, Paul urged the believers who have spiritual life in Christ to seek the things that are above. To seek means to give every effort to obtain. The “things above” are those things that belong to God’s domain in heaven. Christians should devote themselves to what God values.
In verses 2-3, Paul further admonished the saints to set their affections on things above, not things on the earth. Paul was stating that believers needed to be motivated by the things of heaven rather than the temporal concerns of earthly life. In Colossians 3:3, Paul gave a logical reason why believers should embrace a heavenly perspective rather than an earthly perspective. Theologically, believers have died with Christ. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God.
There are two perspectives in which our lives are hidden. First, we are hidden from people in the world. The people of the world do not value the things of God. Second, the full extent of our lives in Christ is hidden from view today.
According to I John 3:2, believers have to wait on what our future existence will entail when we are in His presence. As we look to the future, we can only anticipate glory with Christ (v. 4). Just as Christ died, rose from the grave, and then ascended to glory in heaven, so believers have died with Him, been raised to new life in Him, and will one day share in His glory.
- Christians Turing from the Sins of the Past – Colossians 3:5-9
In verse 5, Paul moved from describing the spiritual position of believers to detailing the specific practices they should not be engaged in. Paul admonished the saints to “Put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature.” The believers are admonished not to go on living as though they are still alive to sin, when in actuality they are not. They are to put away that old life, which springs from their earthly natures. Whatever belongs to your earthly nature is literally the members that are upon the earth.
This earthly nature is the “old self” or “old man” (Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:9). As believers we are not to live as we did before we were saved because we are now new creatures in Christ (II. Cor. 5:17). The list of evil activities stemming from man’s earthly nature includes immorality (porneia, or fornication), impurity (moral corruptness), lust (uncontrollable passion), evil desires (strong desires or cravings), and greed (coveting), which is idolatry. Coveting is considered idolatry because it seeks satisfaction in things below and not above. Because of these sins (evils), the wrath of God is coming (v. 6).
In verses 7-9, although the Colossian believers used to walk (live) in these evil ways before they came to know Christ, Paul commanded them not to do so! Paul admonished them to rid themselves of such evil acts! Like putting off a suit of clothes, they were to discard repulsive habits such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language. Anger is the chronic attitude of suppressed hatred; rage is an acute outburst; malice is an active ill will; slander is a railing or evil speaking. Filthy language is shameful or abrasive speech (v. 8). In verse 9, lying and all other vices are inappropriate for a Christian, for at salvation, he discarded his old self or “the old man,” the former sinful lifestyle of the believer.
