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Intention

To be intentional about putting off the old earthly nature and putting on the new one.

Scripture

“When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.”

– Colossians 3:4–6

Reflection

Over the past year or so, I have found myself repeatedly coming back to Colossians 3. I’ve been consistently meditating on what the apostle Paul writes there.

In short, there are three main spiritual truths.

The first is to know who we are in Jesus. This is a crucial first step in Paul’s teaching. He begins his argument with the reality that we have already been raised with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly realms.

We have been justified through faith (Romans 5:1). Therefore, “our life is now hidden with Christ” (Colossians 3:3), which means that our salvation is eternally secure. As Paul says, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).

The second truth follows from this. We are to “put to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature” (Colossians 3:5). All kinds of sinful desires can be expressed by our old, earthly nature, including sexual immorality, lust, evil desires, greed, etc. The problem is though, all of these things are an expression of our perverted worship. It’s not just that one of those things is idolatrous (i.e. greed) – but that they all are. And this is why Paul says, “because of these, the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:6).

The third and final truth is that we must consciously clothe ourselves with virtues such as compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12). Two outworkings of this are to extend forgiveness to one another and intentionally express love.

John Owen was one of the greatest English theologians in the history of the Christian Church. In 1656, Owen wrote a little book – still widely read today – called The Mortification of Sin. It’s a relatively short work of around 160 pages, but it’s remembered for one line in particular: “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you”.

That’s a good summary of what the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to write in Colossians 3. If we’re not actively putting our sinful desires to death, then we can be sure that they will be seeking to devour and destroy us!

The Christian life is not just about taking off our filthy clothes. It is also about putting on clean ones.

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Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the saving grace You have given us in Christ. Thank You for making us alive in Him even when we were dead in our sins. We praise You for Your salvation and the hope of being united with Christ when He returns.

Grant us the conviction and power of Your Spirit to put our sinful desires to death, whatever form that might take.

Help us to grow in Christlike character, forgiving one another just as You have forgiven us. We want to be a people characterised by love, expressed particularly in our unity with other believers.

And may the Word of Christ richly dwell in us as we live for Him who died for us.

Amen.

Author Bio

Mark is the pastor at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, Hobart. He and his wife have six children. Mark is a passionate advocate for faith, family, freedom and life. He is a gifted communicator and has made various appearances on radio and TV. He contributes to numerous online publications including The Spectator Australia, where his articles often appear in the most popular list.

Prayer Points and Purpose for October 2024

1. Revival and restoration of sexual integrity to renew the individual, revitalise marriages, restore families and protect children. Hebrews 13:4
2. Revival, repentance and reformation of Australia. 2 Chronicles 7:14
3. Revival, repentance and reformation of America. 2 Chronicles 7:14
4. The Lamb that was slain may receive a reward for His suffering. Revelation 5:12

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