Why should Christians look to put earthly things to death? (Col 3:5-11)
The instruction in Colossians 3:5 is a quite unusual one to our ears. We are to put what is earthly to death. When those words turn up in other places in the Bible, they usually mean what they literally say, to kill something or someone. But here the idea is not literal but is just as extreme. We are being asked to put something to death. There is something final, something very serious about this.
What are Christians being asked to put to death? “Earthly things”. We don’t need to work out what these kinds of things are, for Paul gives us a list. In fact, he gives us two lists, one in v5, and another in v7. The examples of earthly things in v5 are “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry”. You can probably see the theme here. All of these things have to do with sexual temptation. Don’t misread some of these things. It is not wrong to be passionate; what is meant by “passion” is a desire for sex and lust for others that we should not have. “Evil desire” does not mean that we can stop lustful thoughts entering our minds; these things occur to all of us even when we don’t want them. But this means to dwell on it, to entertain the idea, to think about it. And covetousness means wanting what is not yours, which Paul says is idolatry, living for something that is not God.
Many in our world are driven by lust and a desire for sex. That is all too commonly seen in pornography, in Tinder, in a whole series of decisions and life choices that chase the next sexual experience. This is a destructive way to live, that Paul says must be put to death.
We see another list of “earthly things” in v8 and 9. This list includes “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth”. Lying to one another is added in v9. What do the items on this list have in common? They all have to do with our attitude towards other people. When we see other people as competition, or items to make fun of, or problems for us, we end up with anger and slander and lying. This is destructive for us and for them.
The fact there are two lists here shows us that they are a summary, not a complete list. You could easily come up with a list of behaviours that support a life of greed, for example, or a list that outlaws chasing other religions. The point is that there are all kinds of attitudes and behaviours that make no sense for Christians to be part of. Things that must be put to death.
That instruction, to put these things to death, is an active, ongoing instruction in Greek. So, a better translation might be, kill these things and keep on killing them. Why does this matter? Because dealing with issues like lust and anger are ongoing problems for Christians. I wish I could tell you that becoming a Christian meant the end of lust and greed and selfishness forever, but that’s not true. We need to make decisions, daily, to actively deal with our sin. And the instruction is dramatic, not to think sin is a bad thing, or a little bit naughty, but it requires active killing in our lives. We need to identify the sin in our hearts and take big steps to get rid of it.
Why should we do this? Not because “it is our duty” or “it is the right thing to do”. No, there are real reasons given here. One is in v6; on account of these the wrath of God is coming. This doesn’t mean that Christians should be terrified that God will punish us for our sin. No, we are forgiven, we have died with Christ and risen again. Yet this reminds us that God is angry with these sorts of behaviours and attitudes. God, our loving Father, hates these sins so much he took the drastic action to send Jesus to die for them. He hates these sins so much that eternal punishment is the right answer for them. So how can we live in these ways and think it is OK?
Yet the bigger explanation is in v7. All of us used to live this way. This is what is means to live without Jesus; we live in ways that are driven by lust, by selfishness, and by greed. That is how all of us have lived at some point. Yet, because of Jesus, we are in a new place, we have a new identity, and the old way of living no longer makes any sense.
Let me illustrate this for you. I knew someone in the past who was a foster carer for children. These children were in foster care, being cared for by someone else other than their parents, usually because of some terrible background. These are kids who had been through abuse and neglect and awful things. In the foster home, they were safe, they were loved, and they were provided for. Yet it was a very common thing to find new children in the home stealing food and hiding it in their rooms. They also often hid away and were slow to join in conversations with their foster parents. Why? Because in the past, they didn’t know if they would get fed the next day, so they always stored some food if they had some. And when they talked in their previous home, it often led to bad things. They were safe in their new home, but it took a long time for them to understand this was true. They still lived as they used to, and it took a lot of love and patience for them to start to live like people who were loved and safe. Christians too need to remember we are loved and safe; the old way of living no longer makes any sense for us to do.