PT-4 "Intro to Colossians 3:5-9a)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/18/2017 11:33 PM

My Worship Time                                                              Focus:  PT-4 Intro to Colossians 3:5-9a

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Colossians 3:5-9a

            Message of the verses:  “5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6  For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7  and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.   8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another,”

            The word “therefore” in verse five is referring back to what Paul wrote in Colossians 5:1-4 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”  We mentioned that the word “if” should be translated “since” and so we learn from there that we have already been raised up with Christ.  Since all believers share the life or Christ then it should be their desires to want to kill the sin in their lives.      

            John MacArthur writes that the NASB translation is obscured where we see it says “members of your earthly body as dead” when it should say “to kill the members of your earthly body.”  We are not just to consider them as dead, but we are to kill the flesh.  MacArthur adds “Paul is actually referring to the sins associated with those members.  It should be noted that this hits at the Colossian dualism regarding body and spirit.  Paul is saying that the body should be holy, under the control of the redeemed spirit.  The body does what the inner disposition compels it to do—and a Spirit controlled body must do what is good.  This will not happen until the day when the body will be redeemed (Rom. 8:23).”

            We see two lists of sins in verses 5-9a, but these are not exhaustive, but are sins that are common and many believers have to deal with them.  MacArthur writes that “The first list begins with acts and progresses to motives, whereas the second begins with motives and progresses acts.  The first list involves personal sins, the second social ones.  The first list relates to feelings, the second to speech.  In between the lists (3:6-7), Paul gives two reasons for putting sin to death.”

4/18/2017 11:53 PM