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Colossians 3:5-11
Pauls exhortation of the believers in the Lycus valley now turns to how they are to live, in actual practice.
They are to live sanctified lives; live the righteousness that has been given them, by Christ. And Paul
shows how this is done.
Well begin back in verse 1, to see how Paul ties this in with what he has already said.
[Read Colossians 3:1-11]
Pauls Therefore in verse 5 indicates that what he is exhorting the believers to do is based on
understanding the truth that he has just expressed. As the believer recognizes this truth, he comes into the
understanding that he has a whole new life now. And the victory over sin comes from living that life.
I want to read verses 3 and 5 back-to-back.
[Read Colossians 3:3, 5a]
When you united yourself to Christ by faith, God took you into death with Him, and then raised you up
alive, a new creation, in Him. This was the divine act of God, in Christ, that became real for you, the
moment you believed.
But right now, your life is hidden with Christ, in God. In the divine purposes of God, your life, as a
glorified son of God, is hidden with THE glorified Son of God, in the eternal heavens; thats your heavenly
reservation.
But you already have received the Life that will inhabit that body, here and now, on earth. You have eternal
Life; the spirit of Life; Life by which to live, in a body; that will be the Life of your glorified body.
Paul is saying, since this is true - by the divine act of God - make it true, in actual practice. Be what you
already are. You died; so put to death your members, which are on the earth.
What does Paul mean by members? The members of your body, right? So is that what Paul lists, after he
says put to death your members which are on the earth? No; he doesnt list body parts; he lists wicked
deeds; sins.
Whats the connection? Those sins are carried out by the bodys members, its parts - when those body parts
are used as instruments of unrighteousness (Rm 6:13). So we know Paul is not speaking literally, of
amputations (!); he speaking figuratively, of course. Paul is speaking of rendering the members of our
bodies inoperative to the Sin (Rm 6:6).
So how do we do that? Paul will make that clear toward the end of our passage here, but Id like to look at
something else he said about it, in his letter to the Roman assemblies.
Turn to Romans chapter 8. Paul has just finished describing his own personal failure to overrule sin in his
life - in his own strength. Now Paul proceeds to reveal where he found the power to have the victory, over
sin.
[Romans 8:1-13]

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v. 1 In the oldest manuscripts, the verse ends after Christ Jesus; the remainder of this verse is found
word-for-word at the end of verse 4. And certainly thats where it belongs, for that fact that there is now no
condemnation not because of our walk; its because we are in Christ Jesus. Arent we thankful for that!
Pauls point here is to emphasize the now; while we are learning to rule over sin in our lives, in the here
and now, God does not condemn us; all of our sins have been taken away, by Christ.
v. 2 Here is what Paul discovered. Paul stopped trying to restrain sin, himself; instead, he found that Christ
Jesus had given him the power to not sin. Paul simply had to rely on it.
So what is this power? Its the power of a new Life; the spirit of Life; the eternal Life, that Paul received
from Christ Jesus, when he first believed; spirit life, for the body.
Paul likens this spirit of life to a law, which made him free from the law of sin and death. How did it do
that? When Paul put the new law into effect, it overruled the old law - of sin and death. With the new law
in operation, the old law had no power; it was rendered inoperative.
Now Paul goes on to show how this was done.
v. 3-4 Paul is speaking here of the Law of Moses, by which the Jews tried to restrain themselves from
sinning. But the Law could never free a man from sin; instead, it caused sin to abound (Rm 5:20).
It took an act of God, to free men from sin - His act, in Christ. Christ lived a life of perfect righteousness in
a flesh and blood body, then offered up that body as the sin offering, for all mankind. He who knew no sin
was made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God, in Him (2 Cor 5:21).
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God judicially condemned the Sin in the flesh; by the divine judgment of
God, the Sin has been completely taken away, and therefore its power over men has been destroyed.
This has made it possible for the righteousness of the Law to be accomplished in us - that is, in those who
have believed into Christ.
Paul uses the subjunctive form of the verb here, might be, to indicate that the accomplishment of
righteousness is conditional - what does it depend on? On how the believer chooses to walk.
What are the two ways he can walk? According to the flesh, or according to the spirit - speaking again of
the spirit of Life (v. 2), the eternal Life that Christ has shared with him. If the believer chooses to walk
according to the spirit of Life within him, righteousness will be accomplished in his life.
Paul will go on to explain what influences how the believer chooses to walk; but before he does, we have to
have a tedious grammar moment here. But hang in there; its important.
Throughout the rest of this passage, Paul will speak of being in the flesh or in the spirit of Life; and he will
speak of walking or living according to the flesh or according to the spirit of Life.
In and according mean very different things, in the Greek; almost opposite. In conveys the idea of
rest; its fixed in position. But according is a motion word; it means to follow after something.
This is critical to the understanding of this passage. The creation of Adam is in the flesh; they are fixed
in position there, and as such, they can only live according to the flesh; flesh is the only life they have.

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But the believer in the spirit - he has the spirit of Life in Christ Jesus; Christ is his fixed position, and
Christ is his Life; the true source of his Life.
Now the believer is no longer in the flesh, right? But is it possible for him to still live according to the
flesh; to follow after the flesh? He can; he is capable of following after his former manner of life.
And thats Pauls whole point, in this passage; the believer can live according to the flesh, or according to
the spirit of Life within him. Only a believer has this choice. And now Paul goes on to show what
influences the way he lives.
v. 5 Paul is simply saying that what you choose to think on will determine how you live. This is in regard
to the believer only, who has a choice about it.
Those believers who live following after the flesh do so because they set their minds on the things of the
flesh. But those believers who live according to the spirit of Life in them do so, because they have set their
minds on the things that the Holy Spirit has shared with them; they are following His leading.
v. 6 Literally, this reads, for the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace.
The thinking, of that creation in Adam is death. All of the thinking, of men in that creation, is based on
their own self-will; their lawlessness, for which they are under condemnation, and slated for destruction.
A believer is still capable of thinking that way. It wont result in his condemnation - there is none for him,
in Christ Jesus. But as we get to the end of this passage, we will see it is not death, but deadly - deadly to
his new Life, in Christ. So why would a believer choose to set his mind there?
But the mind of the Spirit - the Holy Spirit - is life and peace. The Holy Spirit shares with us the thinking
of God, which is fostering that new Life within us, and preparing us for our forever Life with God. With
the Holy Spirits mind on things, were in perfect accord with God; we have rest, for our souls (Mt 11:29).
Life and peace - so why would a believer choose to set his mind anywhere else?
Paul now explains about the mind of the flesh.
v. 7-8 The mind of the flesh is the set mind of those who are in the flesh - those in Adam - and that mind is
enmity against God; its opposed to God; its lawless. So does any of that thinking belong in a Christ One,
who has chosen to become the friend of God, who now loves God, and desires to please Him? Of course
not.
v. 9 Paul reminds the believers of where they are; not in the flesh, but in the spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
The assurance that this is so is that the Holy Spirit dwells in them; the Spirit of God; the Spirit of Christ.
The Holy Spirit is the seal of Christ, the proof of His ownership; we belong to Christ. If one does not have
the Holy Spirit, it means he is still in the flesh.
v. 10-11 Now, all human bodies are dead, because of sin; Adam took the entire human race into death with
him (Rm 5:12). But if Christ is in you - thats His eternal Life, in you - then for you, the believer, though
this earthy body will die, we have the spirit of Life, for a new body.
And because Christ has accounted His righteousness to us, and we are learning to live by it, we will be
prepared to inhabit that new body. God will raise this mortal body up a body of glory, through the Holy
Spirit, dwelling in us; He is the guarantee of our new body.

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Paul concludes.
v. 12 Paul indicates we dont owe the flesh anything; thats our former manner of life. Yet he does indicate
were debtors - to who? To God - who gave us our new life. We owe it to God to live the life that Christ
died to give us. This is a debt of love (Rm 13:8, 1 Jn 4:11).
And that leads to his last word on the subject, here.
v. 13 If you live according to the flesh; if, as a believer, you follow after the flesh - Paul says, you will die.
What does Paul mean by that?
This is a most unusual form of the word die here, because it is continuous or repeated action. How do
you continuously or repeatedly die? Paul is clearly intending it in a figurative sense.
If a believer keeps on following after the flesh - pursuing his old manner of life - it has a corrupting
influence on him - like being in contact with something thats rotten. As we said before, its deadly, to his
new life in Christ - because then, hes not living it.
Its wood, hay, stubble - which in the end, will have to be burned away, in the fire of Gods holiness,
resulting in loss for him (1 Cor 3:12-15). Loss, of what he could have built into his life; loss, of what he
could have taken with him, into eternity; because he chose to live according to the flesh.
BUT - if instead, by the spirit - the spirit of Life - the believer puts to death the deeds of the body, hell live.
How does the believer put those deeds of the body to death? Simply by living the Life that Christ has given
him; the spirit of Life. He cannot live two ways at once; its one way or the other.
If the believer chooses to live the Life Christ has given him, he will not live according to the flesh. This is
what we had learned previously in Galatians chapter 5 - Walk in the spirit of Life, and you shall not fulfill
the lusts of the flesh (Gal 5:16).
[Return to Colossians 3]
This is how the believers are to put to death their members which are on the earth, that used to serve the
Sin. They do so simply by living their new Life; they present themselves to God as being alive from the
dead, and their members as instruments of righteousness to God (Rm 6:13). Their members cannot then be
used as instruments of unrighteousness, can they? And so, their members are effectively put to death to
serving sin.
Notice the difference between what Paul is saying here, and what these believers have been doing. The
believers have been trying to restrain or weaken their flesh; modifying their behavior, in an attempt to
control sin in their lives (Col 2:20-23). That doesnt work, because it doesnt touch the heart; it doesnt
touch their will, for themselves.
What Paul is calling for them to do is to understand first that they have a new Life to live, that has real
power over sin; but they must choose in their hearts to live it; they must be willing for it.
And what would make them willing? Love; when their love of God is greater than their love for
themselves. And when they make the decision to live their new Life in Christ, their members will be
simply be governed accordingly.

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Pauls put to death conveys the idea that this is to be done immediately; begin now, to live in the spirit of
Life; to stop immediately, living according to the flesh. This is an order to cease and desist. They are to
make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (Rm 13:14); nor are we. And it is the Spirit who leads us,
as sons of God, in the realization of that, in our earthly lives.
Now look at the list of sins which follows Pauls command. Certainly Paul designed his list, keeping in
mind that the former manner of life, of these believers in the Lycus valley.
Fornication, uncleanness, passion and evil desire all pertain to sexual sins, whether enacted by the body,
spoken with the mouth, or contemplated in the mind. Such excesses were very common among the pagan
Gentiles in Pauls day.
But Paul wants to make sure everyone feels included - so what is the last item on his list? Covetousness.
Covetousness is an attribute of the heart; it is the desire for oneself to possess more than one has; wanting
more. Who hasnt ever wanted more? Covetousness has been defined quite well as the longing, of the
creature that has rejected God, to fill itself with the lower objects of nature; and thats why Paul has ranked
it, here. It is a low and debasing passion. Covetousness secures the affections which ought to be given to
God. And thats why Paul calls it idolatry; for what a man covets has the throne in his heart.
Paul next brings out that these are the practices of men in the flesh.
v. 6-7 Sons of disobedience means that is their very character - to be disobedient to God. The sons of
disobedience - men in the flesh - practice these things as a way of life.
This is the lawless creation, in Adam, which is under condemnation, and is treasuring up for themselves
wrath in the day of wrath - when they will experience Gods righteous judgment, at the Great White
Throne. There He will render to each one according to his deeds (Rm 2:5-6) - deeds such as these.
And Paul indicates, these believers once walked in this same way; these were the deeds which marked their
conduct, when they were also sons of disobedience. But then they were washed, they were sanctified, they
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor 6:11).
And having been justified by the blood of Jesus, they will be saved from the wrath of the Great White
Throne - through Him (Rm 5:9). In fact, they have already been delivered from this present evil age (Gal
1:4). So why would they choose to participate in it, any longer? Why would we?
But Paul has another list.
v. 8 Pauls first list could be characterized as lusts; they are sins of self-gratification, and as such the sinner
is primarily violating himself. But these are sins which in particular lash out at others.
First, there are those which are retained in the mind - anger, wrath, malice against others; and then, those
that are expressed through the mouth - blasphemy, which here means slandering others; abusive or filthy
language, and in verse 9, lying to others. These are sins which all men tend to share in common; and they
are also regularly experienced, by all men - that is, men in the flesh.
But Paul says to the believers that they are to put them off; all of them. What does Paul mean? This word
for put off is used for the taking off of clothes. How exactly do you put off anger? Lying? In what sense
does the believer strip these off of himself? How is that done?

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As we continue with Paul, hell show us.

v. 9-10 Now, the putting off in verse 8 is a command - you yourself are to put off all these. It is just like
the command in verse 5: put to death your members which are on the earth; do it now.
But in verses 9 and 10, its a simple statement, of something that the believers did, one time, in the past:
They have put off the old man; they have put on the new man. And we have the word since in verse 9;
the idea is that since you have done the one thing, now do the other.
Each believe has already put off the old man, and put on the new man - theyve done it. When did they do
that? When they believed into Christ. To the Romans, Paul had written, our old man - the old man of each
one of us believers - was crucified with Christ (Rm 6:6).
Who is that old, meaning former man? Adam. When the believer united himself to Christ by faith, he died
out of that old creation in Adam; personally, individually, he made his exodus, out of the flesh. Remember
what we had read earlier today in Romans: as a believer, you are not in the flesh (Rm 8:9). Thats how
the old man was put off of each one of us - through death with Christ.
But Christ did not leave us in death; He brought us up alive on the other side - a new creation, in Him. This
is what Paul means here, when he says that the believer has put on the new man; actually, its just put on
the new in the Greek.
Now elsewhere, Paul says that the believer is to put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rm 13:14); He is the new
Man, as Adam is the old man.
But here, Paul is not thinking of the creations, collectively, but of each believer, individually. Each believer
has put off the old man; the body of flesh. And each believer has put on the new man; the body of glory.
Each believer has been born again, a glorified son of God.
We see this same concept in baptism; having being baptized into Christ Jesus, we are baptized into His
death, buried with Him, raised with Him. We are no longer a man in the flesh; we are a son of God. Paul
tied the two ideas together in his letter to the Galatians: For as many of you as were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ (Gal 3:27).
The putting on of the new man, the body of glory, reflects the divine work of God, in Christ: the work is
complete. But as Paul continues, he incorporates the eternal with the temporal. In terms of time, the new
man is not yet in his body of glory; he is still in his body of flesh.
But what does Paul say? He is being renewed in knowledge - according to the image of Him, who created
him. Who is being credited here, with the new creation - with the sons of God? The clue is in the word
image.
Who is the only member of the Godhead who has an image, a visible representation? Christ; He is the only
one, who took on a body; a body of flesh. But the new creation came out of the death of that body, raised
up in glory as the Incorruptible Seed. That is the image that each believer will be conformed to, when each
has his body of glory.

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And meanwhile, the believer is being made ready for that - here and now, on earth. How? By being
renewed in the knowledge of Christ. Paul uses the word for deep knowing here; this is speaking not of
knowing of God, or knowing about God, but knowing God Himself; the intimate experience of Christ,
person to Person, which truly changes a man. For to really know Him is to love Him; and remember love is
the motivation that changes the heart.
This word for renewing used here means to make new. What is being made new, here? The mind of the
believer. It is being changed - continually - from what it had been, when he was a man in the flesh, to what
it needs to be, as a glorified son of God - according to the image of THE glorified Son of God.
In Ephesians, Paul also spoke of the believer being renewed in the spirit of his mind (Eph 4:23). There the
word renewed doesnt mean made new - changed - it means rejuvenated - made young. It reflects the
reversal of the corruption of our minds, that had taken place when we were part of the first creation, in
Adam (Eph 4:22).
The thinking of the believer is being transformed (Rm 12:2) to fit him for his body of glory. And the new
man is growing stronger and stronger every day in a continuous, ever-advancing process, as he grows in the
grace and knowledge of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (2 Pet 3:18).
It is that very strength of understanding, in really knowing Christ, that is the source of the believers power
to live his life in sanctification, to walk in the spirit of life - the power is his love for Christ, by which he
overrules his will for self.
Thats where he finds the power to put off the deeds of the flesh, in actual practice in his life. And it all
begins where Paul began this chapter - by the believer setting his mind on the things above - where Christ
is - that he might know Christ.
Paul now concludes this section with a thought that will prepare his listeners for his next exhortation.
v. 11 Our first question must be, wheres where? This is a place which is a Person - from verse 10, its
the Him who created the new man - Christ. The place, then, is in Christ - where all the members of His
Body dwell; all of those who have put on the new man.
Paul is bringing out the oneness, in the Body of Christ. There is neither Greek - meaning Gentile here - nor
Jew. There are no racial distinctions. There is neither circumcised nor uncircumcised. There are no
religious divisions, either.
And there isnt barbarian - thats anyone uncultured, who didnt speak Greek. There isnt even any
Scythian - thats beyond uncultured, it was uncivilized. And there is neither slave nor free - no social
distinctions.
But what? Christ is all - that is, were all one Body. And Christ is in all - we all possess His Life of spirit.
The ideas are unity, and equality. Its not that we lose our identity, in Christ, we find ourselves, in Him. Its
not that were all the same, but we have Christ, in common; we share a common Life.
Pauls emphasis on equality and unity will serve to introduce his next set of thoughts, on relations among
the brethren.
Reading: Col 3, Gal 5:16-25, Eph 1:1-6, 4:1-3.