Vice or Virtue (Part 1)
Colossians 3:5-12
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practice, 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Intro: Romans 6:6 states, And we know that our old being has been put to death with Christ on his cross, in order that the power of the sinful self might be destroyed, so that we should no longer be the slaves of sin. It should not surprise us that Paul informs believers that while they have been crucified with Christ in His death and have been risen with Him in His resurrection that Christians must execute sin in their lives putting it to death.
In salvation, we have been granted a positional reality that is awaiting the final resurrection. Thus, while in Christ I am certainly dead to sin and alive to God, my triumph over sin and death must be worked out in practical living. Each day I must strive to follow the leading and protection of the Holy Spirit that I might abide in Christ. In reality, Christians have died to the penalty of sin, but the power of sin can still lure them away from the intimacy of their salvation b/c their unredeemed flesh is still vulnerable and weak.
Verse: If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, then he who raised Christ from death will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of his Spirit in you. So then, my friends, we have an obligation, but it is not to live as our human nature wants us to. For if you live according to your human nature, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death your sinful actions, you will live. Those who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s children. Rm. 8:11-14
Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant. Instead, be holy in all that you do, just as God who called you is holy. The scripture says, "Be holy because I am holy." 1 Pt. 1:14-16
Quote: There can be no holiness or maturity in a life where sin runs unchecked.
Note: Sin is like a deposed monarch who no longer reigns, nor has the ability to condemn, but works hard to debilitate and devastate all his former subjects. We must never forget so long as we are in this world that sin is still potent, and that success over sin demands and requires the Spirit’s power.
Trans: With this in mind, let’s turn our attention to the responsibility each of us possess to walk by faith and to become fully developing followers of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, in working out our salvation with fear and trembling, it all boils down to a simple concept of Vice or Virtue.
I Vices of the Old Life to be Abandoned (5-11)
Verse: 5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practice, 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
A Vices of Idolatry and Lust (Executed)
Verse: 5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
Word: put to death (nekrōsate) to mortify; to treat as dead; to execute.
Note: Paul boldly applies the metaphor of death (Col. 2:20; Col. 3:3) pictured in baptism (Col. 2:12) to the actual life of the Christian. Paul’s idea is that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cr. 6:19) and is therefore subject to the leading and unction of the Holy Spirit within the believer. Thus, while the flesh sets its desires against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh (Gal. 5:17), b/c the Christian has been crucified w/ Christ (Gal. 2:20), he can overcome the by the blood of the lamb (2 Cr. 5:17) b/c greater is He that is in me, than he who is in the world (1 Jn. 4:4).
Idea: Believers are to make a decisive resolution to put sin to death, bringing the flesh under subjection to the Spirit-filled life.
Verse: In the same way you are to think of yourselves as dead, so far as sin is concerned, but living in fellowship w/ God through Christ Jesus. Rm. 6:11
1 Sexual Immorality
Word: immorality (porneia) illicit sexual activity outside of marriage.
Origin: The English word pornography is derived from this word – a writing or picture about sexual sin.
Originally it referred to prostitution but was later expanded to include all kinds of sexual depravation.
Note: In contrast to the perverse sexual activity often connected w/ pagan idolatrous worship of false gods, Christians are to have a differing attitude regarding the gift of sexuality.
2 Impurity
Word: impurity (akatharsia) uncleanness of thought and action; filthiness or dirty-mindedness;
3 Lust
Word: passion (pathos) a drive or desire that does not cease until it is satisfied physically.
4 Evil Desires
Word: evil desires (epithumian kakēn) a drive or desire that does not cease until it is satisfied mentally. It is sexual perversion created in the mind.
5 Greed (Idolatry)
Word: greed (pleonexia) insatiable selfishness; a covetous spirit with a unquenchable desire for more of what is forbidden. It is the root of all perversion and the defining characteristic of idolatry.
Note: Idolatry is setting anyone or anything on the throne of your life in place of God. Greed places itself above obedience to God setting itself as god which is the root cause of all sin.
Verse: You shall have no other gods before Me. Ex. 20:3
Idea: When people choose sin, they are doing nothing more than seeking to fulfill what they desire and what is pleasing to them. The problem is that the pursuit of my will over Gods’ will stands juxtaposed to the heart and will of God. In essence, people are choosing to worship themselves instead of God, and that is idolatry in it most basic form.
Reasons for Putting Sin to Death
1 The Wrath of God – The full force of God’s wrath will fall upon both sin and the sinner.
Verse: God’s anger is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known. God punishes them, because what can be known about God is plain to them, for God himself made it plain. Rm. 1:17-18
2 The Knowledge of the Past – Who can forget the power, penalty, and pain of sin?
Verse: In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins. At that time you followed the world’s evil way; you obeyed the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, the spirit who now controls the people who disobey God. Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God’s anger. But God’s mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God’s grace that you have been saved. Eph. 2:1-5
Question: Why would anyone who has been made rich return to the slums to live in poverty?
B Vices of Disdain and Discord (Put Away)
Verse: 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
Word: rid yourselves (apotithemi) to put to the side; to change one’s clothes.
Idea: Just as a person takes off his dirty clothes at the end of the day, so should a Christian discard the filthy, tattered rags of their old life once they have placed their faith in Christ unto salvation.
Verse: If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone all things have become new. 2 Cr. 5:17
Trans: Once I have received Christ, I am to set my hearts affection and mind’s attention on things above and not on the things of the flesh. Thus, as Galatians 5 explains, I am to walk by the Spirit and not by the desires of the flesh. The evidence of the flesh are characterized by qualities that do not reflect the character and nature of Christ, instead they only reveal the ambition of the natural man. Paul provides a much shorter list in Colossians as he provided in Galatians 5.
1 Anger
Word: anger (orge) an intense and burning fire of hostility. A deep, smoldering resentful bitterness. It is internal animosity brought to a boil.
Note: The Bible speaks to the perils of anger 262 times in 256 verses in the Bible.
Note: Four Kinds of Anger
1 Sudden Anger Sudden outbursts of hostility based in fear and frustration.
2 Sinful Anger Calculated hostility directed at a person that is determined to gain revenge.
3 Stubborn Anger Sudden or sinful anger that feels justified and refuses to let go.
4 Sanctified Anger Righteous indignation correctly focused upon sin and not a sinner.
Quote: Of the 7 deadly sins, anger is the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back – in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.
Quote: I got so angry I gave him a piece of my mind. And it was a piece that I couldn’t afford to lose. Swindoll
Note: The root of anger is bitterness. In Ephesians 4:31, Paul calls all believers to get rid of sinful anger that is rooted in bitterness. We are do strive diligently to never allow anger to germinate or sink its roots into our hearts b/c anger does not achieve the righteous life that God desires for His children (Jm. 1:19-20).
Truth: Bitter people walk through life under the weight of “apologies owed me.”
Note: Bitterness is a spiritual poisoning of the heart rooted in wickedness. It says “everyone else is to blame.” It begins w/ a “root of bitterness" that expresses a scandalous person or any dangerous sin leading to apostasy. It’s a toxin. It distorts one’s perspective on life... (it is) a kind of soul-pollution that inflames evil appetites and emotions. Such bitterness can even spread from person to person, ultimately defiling many.
Truth: Forgiveness is the only antidote. Forgiveness is a healthy, wholesome, virtuous, liberating act. Forgiveness unleashes joy. It brings peace. It washes the slate clean. It sets all the highest virtues of love in motion. In a sense, forgiveness is Christianity at its highest levels.
2 Rage
Word: rage (thumos) wrath; sudden outburst of combative anger.
Quote: Whenever you fly into a rage, you seldom make a safe landing. Rogers
Note: Three things occur when you fly off the handle:
• You say and do foolish things you will later regret
Verse: A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. Pr. 29:11
• You do things that cause problems for others
Verse: For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife. Pr. 30:33
• You do things that have a hefty penalty
Verse: Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant. Gal. 5:7
3 Malice
Word: malice (kakia) a vicious nature that is intent on inflicting harm.
4 Slander
Word: slander (blasphemia) an attempt to belittle or cause someone to fall into disrepute w/ a bad reputation.
Idea: Slander is the verbal murder and assassination of a person’s character.
Poem: The boneless tongue, so small and weak, can crush and kill declares the Greek. The tongue destroys a greater horde, the Turk asserts, than does the sword. The Persian proverb wisely says—a lengthy tongue—an early death. Or sometimes takes this form instead, don’t let your tongue cut off your head. The tongue can speak a word whose speed, say the Chinese, outstrips the steed. The Arab sages said in part, the tongues storehouse is found in the heart. From the Hebrew the maxim sprung, Thy feet should slip but never the tongue. The sacred writer crowns the whole—who keeps the tongue does keep his soul.
5 Filthy Language
Word: filthy language (aischrologian) shameful and abusive speaking that is demeaning and demoralizing intent upon wounding another.
Verse: Nor is it fitting for you to use language which is obscene, profane, or vulgar. Rather you should give thanks to God. Eph. 5:4
Trans: The mouth is the bucket that dips into the well of the heart. Thus, whatever comes forth from one’s mouth depicts the identity of their soul.
C Vices of Untruth and Disbelief (Discontinued)
Verse: 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practice, 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Word: lie (psuedos)
Note: It may seem strange that the apostle should seriously exhort Christians to put away “lying,” implying that they were in the habit of indulging in falsehood. But we are to remember:
That lying is the universal vice of the pagan world. Among the ancient pagans, as among the moderns, it was almost universally practiced. The Colossians had been recently converted, and were, to a great extent, ignorant of the requirements of the gospel. A conscience has to be “created” when pagans are converted, and it is long before they see the evils of many things which appear to us to be palpably wrong. The effects of former habits abide long, often, after a man is converted. He who has been in the habit of profane swearing, finds it difficult to avoid it; and he who has been all his life practicing deception, will find himself tempted to practice it still. It was for reasons such as these, probably, that the apostle exhorted the Colossians to put away “lying,” and to speak the truth only.
Note: Now let’s be honest. Truth-telling has fallen upon hard times. We have white lies, black lies and little gray lies in between. Joseph Stowell, President of Moody Bible institute says that “our culture has shifted to the ethics of expediency and self-advancement, so falsehood is not only tolerated but even encouraged in many cases.” This means that what once used to be a vice is now viewed as a virtue.
Quote: When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful. Liars chip away at the bedrock of truth which in turn weakens trust and confidence in every relationship into which non-truth is injected. St. Augustine
1 Slide of Hand Lies – Including beguilement, deceit and false witness.
Note: These lies seek to tamper w/ the truth attempting to manipulate and distort reality.
2 Ego of the Mouth Lies – Including lies of exaggeration and flattery.
Note: These lies possess a secret ambition to make someone appear better than they really are.
Exegesis
5Execute by putting to death, whatever belongs to your earthly, fleshly nature: illicit sexual activity outside of the bonds of marriage, dirty-minded thinking, passionate lustful desire that will not stop until physically satisfied, passionate evil desire that will not stop until mentally gratified, and insatiable greediness and selfishness, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the full wrath and vengeance of God is coming. 7You, before you came into a saving relationship with God through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now, since you have been saved by God’s grace through faith alone, you must put off to the side by eliminating from your life all such things as these: smoldering anger that burns with intense fire, sudden outburst of combative rage, maliciousness that viciously seeks to inflict harm on others, slander that seeks to belittle and assassinate a person’s character, and filthy, abusive, obscene language from your lips. 9AAlso, discontinue lying to each other but rather be people of integrity and truthfulness, since in salvation you have taken off your old self with its carnal practices and have been made a new creation, 10having put on the new self inspired by the Holy Spirit indwelling within you, which is being daily renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
