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Colossians
BC Weekly Digest Monday, January 26 1998 In this issue: Colossians 3:5 Colossians 3:6,7 Colossians 3:1-4 Colossians 3:8 Colossians 3:5 Colossians 3:5 (OPV) 5 Put to death therefore the parts of you that are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. == 3:5 "Put to death" Although we "died" to the world when we became Christians, conscious effort will be required to eradicate worldly things from lives. 3:5 "The parts of you" The reason it is difficult to get rid of sinful thoughts, desires and practices is that they indeed become a 'part' of us, something that 'lives' within us and must be 'put to death!' Notice that there is no compromise here. 3:5 "That are on the earth" Since our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20) we may not continue with one foot on earth (maybe even both feet). We may not allow our souls to be weighted down, possibly even brought back down to earth, by allowing sin to live within us. As the Hebrew Christians were admonished: "Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb 12:1 ASV). 3:5 "Fornication" This word designates sexual immorality in the broadest sense and includes sexual relations before and outside of marriage, homosexual practices, and all other forms of sexual perversion. 3.5 "Uncleanness" Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees were like tombs, inwardly full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness, which He explained as being full of hypocrisy and iniquity (Matt 23:27,28). In Romans 1:24 Paul uses this word in connection with homosexual practices. In Romans 6:19 he says that they who practice lawlessness enslave their members (same word as 'parts' above) to uncleanness. In 2 Corinthians 12:21 uncleanness is something that is 'practised' along with fornication and lasciviousness. The "works of the flesh" mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21 include uncleanness, fornication and idolatry, found in this list. Uncleanness is associated with lasciviousness and greediness in Ephesians 4:19. See also Ephesians 5:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and 4:7. 3:5 "Passion, evil desire" The strong sexual desires most men and women have, are God-given. They are intended to be a source of enjoyment within the protective bounds of morality. "Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy life of vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all thy days of vanity: for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labor wherein thou laborest under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 9:9 ASV). "[Let] marriage [be] had in honor among all, and [let] the bed [be] undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Heb 13:4 ASV). The word passion in this context refers to these desires when they are allowed to run wild and to get out of control. There are good desires and there are evil desires. We are to put to death our evil desires. 3:5 "Covetousness, which is idolatry" Covetousness is an excessive and improper desire for the possessions of another, often accompanied by resentment and distress. Contentment is the opposite characteristic. Paul could say: "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content" (Phil 4:11 ASV). As he told Timothy: "But godliness with contentment is great gain: for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out; but having food and covering we shall be therewith content" (1 Tim 6:6-8 ASV). This contentment is based on a confidence that God will take care of us: "Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee" (Heb 13:5 ASV). Paul observes that to covet the things of this world is actually a form of idolatry, the worship of something other than God. Roy Davison ------------------------------ Colossians 3:6,7 Colossians 3:6,7 (OPV) 6 The wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience because of such things, 7 in which you also once walked, when you lived therein. == 3:6 "The wrath of God" To fully appreciate grace we must also understand the wrath of God. Many people like to emphasize John 3:16, and it is a beautiful passage indeed, but John 3:36 is often neglected: "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Because of our sins we are under the wrath of God and we will REMAIN so unless we have an OBEDIENT faith. Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). 3:6 "The sons of disobedience" Once again we find similar thoughts expressed by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: "For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no man deceive you with empty words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience" (Eph 5:5,6 ASV). 3:7 "In which you also once walked" One of the most difficult things to do, is to change people, especially for the better! Down through the ages the gospel of Jesus Christ has demonstrated time and time again its remarkable power to transform lives. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor 6:9-11 ASV). Roy Davison ------------------------------ Colossians 3:1-4 Those who have died to earthly things and have been raised with Christ seek treasures that no longer belong to this world, but set their hearts on their heavenly citizenship and the richess stored there. It is the enemies of the cross who are attached to earthly things (mammon). We instead aspire to be like Christ and to be with Him, there where He is. Compare Matthew 6:19-24; Philippians 3:18-21 and 1 John 3:2,3. J.Lee Roberts ------------------------------ Colossians 3:8 Colossians 3:8 (OPV) 8 But now you also put away all these things: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and shameful speaking from your mouth. === Paul lists some things we are to remove from our lives because we have died with Christ to live for God. 3:8 "Anger, wrath" These two words are often used together and the Greek words are so close in meaning that each word can sometimes be translated either 'anger' or 'wrath' depending on the context. Both words are also used in an 'acceptable' sense and in an 'unacceptable' sense. In this passage they are of course used with the 'unacceptable' meaning. The first word [ORGEE] is used for the 'wrath of God' (John 3:36; Rom 1:18; Eph 5:6; Col 3:6; Heb 3:11; 4:3; Rev 19:15), the coming wrath of judgment (Matt 3:7; Luke 3:7; 21:23; Rom 2:5,8; 3:5; 4:15; 5:9; 9:22; 12:19; Eph 2:3; 1 Thes 1:10; 5:9; Rev 6:16,17; 11:18; 14:10; 16:19) and God's wrath exercised via human governments (Rom 13:4,5). Jesus had anger in the 'acceptable' sense (Mark 3:5). When men pray they are to lift up holy hands "without anger" (2 Tim 2:8) and James gives this warning: "But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God" (James 1:19,20 ASV). Both words are found in the 'unacceptable' sense in Eph 4:31. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice" (ASV). The second word [THYMOS] is also used for the fury or wrath of God in Judgment (Rom 2:8; Rev 14:10,19; 15:1,7; 16:1,19; 19:15). Moses did not fear the 'anger of the king' when he fled from Egypt (Heb 11:27). On certain occasions the preaching of Christ and His apostles is rejected with fury (Luke 4:28; Acts 19:28). Paul was afraid that he might find 'anger' among the Corinthians when he came if they did not repent (2 Cor 12:20). 'Anger' is one of the works of the flesh (Gal 5:20). This word is used of the 'great anger' of the devil (Rev 12:12) and in certain contexts it can mean 'passion' (Rev 14:8; 18:3). 3:8 "Malice" Malice is the intent of causing harm to others. 3:8 "Blasphemy" The word in the original can refer both to blasphemy of God and slander of others. 3:8 "Shameful speaking from your mouth" "Shameful speaking" is from one word in Greek that refers to indecent speech of any kind including abusive and obscene language. This is one of several words in Colossians that appear only once in the New Testament. Roy Davison