In chapters one and two, Paul has expressed a litany of doctrinal principles that we have in Christ. He has shared his concerns about false doctrines that were permeating the church. But now in chapter three we see a change in his approach. His concern now is not so much doctrinal as it is practical. Not that doctrine isn’t practical. It is very much so. But it’s the application of doctrine which is what we mean by practical.
Now as we look at this first verse, we notice that it begins with the word “if.” In this case that word does not indicate something questionable, but it would be better if it were translated “since.” All the doctrine which has been said previously in Colossians up to this point has established the fact of our salvation. So Paul is not now questioning our salvation with the word “if”, but he is going to build on that fact, and so he begins with “since.”
Vs 1 then says, “Therefore if (or since) you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Now to understand what is meant here, we need to flip back to the previous chapter and look at verse 20 which starts in a very similar fashion; “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”
We can apply the same translation of the word “if” to “since” in this verse as well. So notice then what Paul is saying. He says in 2:20, “since you have died with Christ…” And now in 3:1 he says “since you have been raised up with Christ…” Now that should help us to understand what he’s talking about in vs 1. He is speaking of our conversion, our death and spiritual resurrection to new life through our representative Jesus Christ.
Perhaps we can get another perspective of what he is talking about by looking at Rom 6:2-11 “How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with [Him] in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be [in the likeness] of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with [Him,] in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Ok then, it should be clear that Paul is referencing our salvation, illustrated by baptism - the fact that we have died with Christ, died to the old sin nature, and in effect buried with Him. So that since we have died with Christ, the sin nature no longer has dominion over us. We are made new creations. We are raised from death to a new life in Christ.
So since we have died with Christ, we have also been raised with Him to live a new life. Baptism symbolizes this fact. It’s an outward illustration of what has transpired inwardly. If we have died with Him, then we are raised with Him to newness of life. So that we walk in newness of life. We walk by the spirit and not according to the flesh. Our focus isn’t on temporal things, but our focus is on eternal things.
And that’s exactly what Paul indicates here in vs 1. “Since you have been raised up with Christ keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” So now that we have been converted from death to life, Paul says we are to keep seeking the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. We have a different outlook, a different perspective. It’s a spiritual perspective. It’s a Christ centered perspective.
Notice a couple of things that Paul says of Christ. Christ is in heaven with God. He is alive, eternal in the heavens. He is seated; that indicates that His work is finished. His redemptive, representative work on our behalf is finished. And at the right hand of God indicates the place of honor and privilege. It indicates the place of intercession.
Consider what Hebrews 7:24-27 “but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the [sins] of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”
I like that phrase; “he is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him.” Our eternal security rests in the eternal Son who lives forever, and is above all rule and authority, having paid the price for our sins, who was the perfect, complete and final sacrifice so that we might be made complete and perfect in Him. And He intercedes on our behalf at the right hand of God. The favored, privileged position whereby He is able to save us forever by His power, and by His righteousness.
So since you have been raised up with Christ, since you have been reconciled, redeemed, justified, sanctified, cleansed, made new, forgiven, given new life in Christ, then keep looking to Christ. He is our example, He is our Help, He is our Comforter, He is our Guide, He is our Shepherd. He is our Master. He is our Lord. Keep looking to Him for everything relating to this new life. Keep pursuing Christ, keep following Christ. Keep seeking Christ. As James says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Now how do we do that in practical ways? Paul says in vs 2, “[by setting] your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” I like the KJV rendering of this verse better actually. It says, “Set your affection on things above, not on things that are on the earth.” I like that word affection because it indicates this is a matter of the heart. Now the mind is a part of what is referred to as the heart, but affection indicates what you desire, what you admire, what you like or don’t like. As Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” So you can think with your heart. The natural man is ruled by his heart, he is ruled by his affections. The heart by the way refers to the seat of your emotions, your will and your intellect. And part of our salvation experience is that we have a change of heart. We are given a new heart.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 speaking prophetically of this conversion God will says, "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” So if we are given a new heart then we will have new desires, new affections and a new mind.
So let us set, affix, focus our affections, our minds, on things above. I have two dogs that live in our house, Maggie, an older lab, and Jackson, a young Siberian Husky. They have completely different personalities and temperaments. But they are both alike in one respect. When we sit down to eat at the dinner table, they sit up on their haunches with their ears erect, and their gaze fixed resolutely on us. They are not distracted by anything else, they watch us intently. I sometimes can’t help but think God created dogs to teach us how we are to act in our relationship with Him.
Dogs cannot understand everything we humans are doing. They have to look to us to feed them, to water them, to take them for a walk. They are totally dependent upon us whether they realize it or not. And when it comes to food, they want to sit where they can get an uninterrupted, unobstructed view of everything we are doing.
Perhaps that’s sort of the idea of how we should set our attention on Christ. Christ is the source of our life and so we should be looking to Him for our satisfaction. Paul understands though that our affections can be turned back to the things of the world. And our love of the world keeps us from unaffected love of God. Jesus said in Luke 12:34 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I’m reminded of Lot’s wife. Remember how the angel of the Lord told them as he was delivering them from the impending destruction, to not look back. But Lot’s wife did look back, and she was turned into a pillar of salt. That serves as a great lesson to not look back at the former things of the natural man. To look back with affection on the things of the world leads to destruction. But now that we have a new life, we need to have a new purpose, a new perspective, new desires. And seek those things which are above, not the things of earth.
That of course does not mean that we go live in a monastery or something and forego all earthly necessities, or earthly pleasures that God has given us to enjoy like marriage and children and even the work of our hands. But what it means is those things are not the focus of our lives now. We are no longer wrapped up in our careers, focused on society, or even all wrapped up in our family or those we love. We have a higher calling, a higher devotion, and consequently, a spiritual perspective. We look beyond the immediate to the eternal. We have a new heart with different affections. And our supreme affection is for Christ.
Vs 3 says, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Now we have already discussed this aspect of dying with Christ. But what does it mean our new life is hidden with Christ? I think it means that the new life is spiritual, and not physical. Our spirit is made alive, is made new when we are born again. It was made new in Christ. As He was raised from the dead, so are we. But from outward appearances, there is very little physically to suggest that. It’s an inward transformation, not a physical one per se. Certainly, there will be behavior differences between the old and the new life, but as far as appearances go, there is very little.
But also the word hidden indicates our spiritual union with Christ. We are now part of His body, the church. He is in us, and we are in Him. Furthermore the word hidden also indicates security. We are hidden in Him means that we are safe in Him, we are secure in Him, we are protected in Him. It is a common theme in the Psalms to speak of being in the shadow of His wings. It’s a place of refuge from destruction. So whatever destruction that may lay wait for us, we find refuge under His wings, and we are hidden in Him. In a manner of speaking, we are born again and like the offspring of an eagle who provides for and protects her young until they are mature, so we are kept hidden in Christ, protected, provided for, until the day of our completion.
In that day we will no longer stay hidden. In vs 4 Paul says, “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” There will be a day when Christ will come to earth again, visibly, physically. He will come in power. He will come to claim HIs kingdom. And in that day we that are saved will also be revealed physically in a new body.
1John 3:2 says, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” When Jesus returns, the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together to be with the Lord. And this old body will be changed to that which is incorruptible and undefiled, and from that which is temporary to immortal. Then we will be revealed in all our glory, for we shall be like Him and share in His glory.
So since this is who we are, and who we will be revealed to be, let us act like the people that Christ has redeemed for His own. Let us behave as children of God. Let us live the kind of lifestyle that comes as a result of our new life in Christ.
Let’s look at it this way. You were dead in your sins. You were by nature corrupt and vile. But , now you have been washed, cleansed, regenerated. You are made new. It’s like your mother making you take a bath when you were little, and then saying to you, “Son, you have just taken a bath, now don’t you dare put those old dirty clothes back on. Put on some fresh, clean clothes. That’s basically what Paul is saying in the remainder of this chapter. You have been given a bath spiritually. Now first of all put away the old dirty clothes of the past, and then put on these new clean clothes of righteousness.
Unfortunately, we are only going to have the time today to talk about what you need to put off. Next week we will look at what you need to put on. Here then in vs 5, is what Paul says we need to put to death. “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”
Have you ever gotten your clothes so filthy that there was nothing left to do but throw them away? That’s how Paul describes these sins. They need to be put to death. Put to death the sinful way of life which belongs to your old nature. And the first one that you must put to death is immorality. That word refers to all forms of sexual intercourse outside of God honored marriage. It’s what is called "fornication" elsewhere in Scripture; and adultery, which is sexual misbehavior by a married person with someone other than his or her mate. This is to be "put to death” by all Christians. The Word of God is absolutely clear on this. Eph. 5:5 says, “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” Anything having to do with fornication outside of marriage cannot be something we engage in in this new life.
The second sin is "impurity." It is the word for "uncleanness." It refers to being corrupted, depraved, indecent. It may simply be expressed as hedonism. Then he says put off passion. Passion is being inflamed with desire for something. The Bible speaks of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Passion is closely related to lust. Lust consumes, and it is never satisfied. It only craves more and more, often leading to the destruction of that individual.
Evil desire is a lust for evil. Lust leads to even more vileness, which is a desire for evil. And then Paul mentions greed. Greed is covetousness. Greed is desiring more than what you have, more than what God has given to you. Ambition is one thing, in your career, or in your business dealings it’s fine to have ambition. But greed is the evil side of ambition. It’s wanting more than is right. It’s wanting what someone else has. Its’ wanting something that doesn’t rightfully belong to you. And Paul says greed is idolatry. Idolatry is worshipping something, isn’t it? And it’s possible to be guilty of idolatry because of your desire for a woman, or a man, or a car, or a house, or anything that you prioritize ahead of your relationship with God.
But as Christians we too often tend to accept these practices and to excuse or overlook the error of those who fall into them. The apostle says there are two things wrong that that acceptance. First, he says in vs 6, “For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience.”
The wrath of God is the judicial response of God to evil. In many cases, it is the inherent destruction that such sins carry with them. If you get drunk, for instance, there is an inherent judgment that is a part of drunkenness. It might mean that you wreck your car, or lose your life in some drunken accident, or you lose your family. It’s not always the same thing in every case, but all sin is destructive, and there are inherent consequences to sin that are part of the wrath of God.
But as a child of God, should you revert to your old desires and fall back into one of these evil practices, then you can expect God to discipline you as a son. And that too is a part of the wrath of God. In speaking of striving against the sinful nature, the author of Hebrews tells us in chapter 12:6 “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” If you’re a child of God and you continue in sin, you can expect Him to discipline you. You will face the wrath of God.
The second reason Paul gives is stated in verse 7: “and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.” That kind of sinful lifestyle isn’t what God has saved you to live. It’s a part of the past life. And that past life is one that brings destruction and it caused the death penalty to be placed upon us. It’s not who we are made to be in Christ. We are a new creation. 2Co 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” We are no longer walking the old paths, but walk in a new way, the way of Christ.
Peter said in [1Pe 4:3 NASB] 3 For the time already past is sufficient [for you] to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.” That time past should have been sufficient for you to realize the end of that life is destructive, and damning. Why would you turn back after being washed and cleaned up and put back on those filthy clothes? You have a new resource, a new power, a new life, a Savior who will help you in every moment of temptation, and by His power you can put that old lifestyle away. You can put it to death.
Then Paul takes us to a deeper level, to our inner attitudes in Vs 8, “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—“
In this new life we are now different, therefore we should act differently. Our heart is different. We have new affections. You are to put off your old self. Paul described this earlier in this letter as "being circumcised with Christ." A cutting off of the flesh. You are no longer what you once were. You have "put on the new self," which is growing and increasing in knowledge of righteousness. The more you learn about this new life the more you will find you can put away the old. It is increasing in knowledge, growing into the image of Christ. Children grow up to look like their parents. So we should grow up to look like Christ.
So Paul gives us a list of attitudes to renounce. First, he says we no longer are to give way to anger. Anger is contrary to acting in love. As believers, we must not act in anger any more. We must not give way to anger. The Lord said to Cain, “why are you angry?” “Sin is crouching at the door, and it’s desire is for you, but you must master it.” Put anger away. It leads to sin.
The second word is "wrath." This refers to vindictiveness. It’s taking your anger out on someone else. And wrath is closely related to the next word, malice. Malice is the hidden hatred of the heart. It’s acting in spite. Then related to that is slander. Slander is speaking ill of someone to injure them. I think we are guilty of all these sins of the tongue more than we would like to admit. James says in James 3:6 “And the tongue is a fire, the [very] world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of [our] life, and is set on fire by hell.” What comes out of the mouth reveals the heart.
The next phrase is abusive speech. I think that covers a lot of territory. It’s not just cursing. It’s demeaning someone. It’s talking down to someone. It’s abusing your authority over someone by what you say to them. Your words can wound deeper than any sword.
And then lying. Lying is bearing false witness. It’s one of the 10 commandments. It’s representing something falsely. How often do we do that? I think we do it without thinking sometimes. We may even excuse it as a means of trying to protect someone. But as Christians we are to be the ambassadors of truth. What we say must be trustworthy. We must be able to be believed, because we speak for God. So false witness, lying is something we must put off, and ultimately put to death.
And Paul speaks of that change in a positive way saying, “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—“ Notice the conjunctive “Since” you laid aside the old self. I pray that is true. Past tense. That you have died to the old man with Christ. You have laid it aside. You no longer carry with you the remnants of that old nature. Put it to death. God has given us a new life, put it on. He has clothed you in righteousness, wear it. Practice righteousness. Practice holiness. Practice walking in His steps day by day, hour by hour. Keeping your gaze fixed on Him who will keep you, and sustain you, and hold you as you draw near to Him.
Notice Paul speaks of this new life as a renewal to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him. As we look at Christ, we learn how we can be conformed to His image. We learn to be like Christ by looking at Christ. And then in our daily walk we practice what we have learned. We walk in HIs footsteps.
Peter said in 1Peter 2:21 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” That is what this new life is all about. Christ has called us, saved us out of the life we once lived, the life dominated by sin, by evil passions and attitudes. And now by faith in Him we have been washed, we have been cleansed, made new, and like children we walk in HIs footsteps, follow in His example in our actions and in our attitudes.
Next week we will see more specifically those things we are to put on in this walk of faith in Christ. But for now, I hope it’s sufficient to recognize those elements of the past life that need to be put off and put to death, in light of who we are in Christ. Paul says no matter our heritage, there is no physical distinction in our life with Christ, no matter if we are Greek or Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. He is our life. He is our affection. He is our example. He is our Lord.
I trust that you are hidden in Christ. I hope that He is your Savior and Lord. Faith in Him is the beginning of this new life. He has made salvation available to all who believe in Him and confess Him as Lord. You can have that eternal life in Christ today.
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