with its evil practices

“Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 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.” (Colossians 3:5-10 NASB1995)

When we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ it is not just so we can have our sins forgiven and so we can go to heaven when we die. For the whole purpose of Jesus’ death on that cross was that he might, in his death, take our sins upon him, putting them to death with him so that, by God-persuaded faith in him, we will now die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands, in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives – all in the power of God, and not of the flesh.

So, we don’t just “get saved” and then that is it until we die and go to heaven. It doesn’t work that way at all! Believing in Jesus Christ means denying self, dying to sin daily (by the Spirit), and walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands in holy living, by the grace of God, in practice. It means giving up our former ways of living in sin and according to the flesh so that we can live holy lives pleasing to God. Sin must no longer be our master but God must be Lord (Owner/Master) of our lives from now on.

But this is contrary to what is being popularly taught today as “the gospel.” So many are teaching a “lip service only” faith which is of human flesh and not of God at all. And they are convincing the masses that if all they do is profess Jesus as Lord, they are now forgiven all sins and they have heaven guaranteed them upon death, but regardless of how they live. Sin is being widely accepted within the gatherings of the church as just “normal” and to be expected. But might we still sin? Yes! But sin must not be our practice.

And that is what is being stressed in this letter to the Colossians. We are to consider the members of our earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. Why? For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience. And we are reminded of that also in 1 Corinthians 10:1-22, Hebrews 3:1-19, and Hebrews 4:1-13. And we are to not be like they were lest we also do not get to enter into God’s eternal kingdom via disobedience.

“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

“But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” (Ephesians 4:17-24 NASB1995)

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]

Realizing

An Original Work / May 14, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Realizing what He did for you
Should cause you to walk with Him in truth.
Trust in Him to be your Lord today.
Turn from sin; obey without delay.

Realizing He died on a tree,
So that from sin you could be set free,
Should bring you down upon bended knee,
Repentant; humbly; submissively.

Realizing that He loves us so,
Which is why, to the cross He did go,
Is what leads us to salvation free,
Through our faith in Jesus Christ our King.

Laying Aside the Old Self
An Original Work / March 16, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love