Dear Disciple,

 

Last time we explored the last “thing that is earthly in you” from Colossians 3:5 that we are to put to death. All told the list contained five items – sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Again, what is the Christian, who is to seek the things above where Christ is, to do with these sins? He is to put them to death. There are many ways to kill something. When it comes to indwelling sin we must of course always pray that God by His Spirit would just take the inappropriate desires or impulses away. We also pray that God by His Spirit would give us the strength, due to our far greater love for the Lord Jesus, just to say “no.” We pray for growing disinterest in what is spiritually bad for us and growing interest in what is good for us. But we don’t and can’t pray and then be passive. Paul says to us that we are to put to death these things. This requires our thought and attention and planning. Often, when it comes to sin, the best way is by cutting off all lines of supply, everything which feeds the sin and keeps it alive. Direct frontal attack does not always work, though sometimes warfare prayer is our only recourse.

 

We must grasp the seriousness of the battle. It is on account of things like these that the wrath of God is coming. In other words, God will judge the world for things like these. He will do so through the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who he has made to be king and judge. When the king returns, He will destroy that which is contrary to His nature and person and disloyal to His kingdom. So, again, this is the meaning of “seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” We are to seek to live in such a way that is consistent to Jesus being our King, our great King seated at God’s right hand, a King who is returning to reclaim his world. So, how can we indulge these things if we belong to Jesus Christ, if He is our King? We cannot. We must choose between them and our loyalty to Jesus Christ. We must do battle. We must fight. We must struggle even to the point of shedding our blood if we must. We will not win every skirmish. There will be times when we will fail. We are to continue, day to day, to repent and believe. But our lives must be characterized by walking in a manner consistent with Jesus being our King. This is what it means to repent, to turn to Jesus.

 

In a similar letter the Apostle Paul put it this way, Ephesians 5:1-6: