The Basis of  Christian Living--Colossians 3:5-11

     The Apostle Paul, after expressing his concerns in the first part of  Chapter One of  Colossians, presented the Person of Christ in the middle part of  Chapter One and the work of  Christ in latter part of  Chapter One and the first part of Chapter Two.
     He then set forth the Body of  Christ, the Church, in warning, in teaching, and in its obligation in the rest of  Chapter Two and the first four verses of  Chapter Three.
     Now the apostle turns to the outworking of  this doctrinal presentation by first stating the negative in "The Basis of  Christian Living" set forth in 3:5-11. He presents first of all:

I. THE DEATH--vv.5-7
     A. The Fact of  This Death--v. 5
          1. The word "mortify"
               a. It simply means "Put to death."
               b. This is a reiteration of  our death with Christ.
                    (I) 3:3a
                    (II) 2:20a
                    (III) 2:11, 12a
                    (IV) There are others in the Pauline epistles.
               c. "Since it is our duty to set our affections upon heavenly things [verse 1], it is our duty to mortify our members
                    which are upon the earth, and which naturally incline us to the things of  the world." (Henry, VI:762; italics
                    are his.)
          2. What to mortify
               a. The lust of  the flesh
                    (I) Paul lists some of  these lusts which are not to be considered inclusive--that is, not a complete list.
                    (II) The first pair stated
                         (A) Fornication and uncleanness (or impurity)
                              (1) Ephesians 5:3
                              (2) 2 Corinthians 12:21
                              (3) Galatians 5:19
                         (B) Has reference to sexual sins so prevalent in that day and ours.
                         (C) This pair "refers to act, the first term more particular, and the second, more comprehensive." (Eadie,
                              222-3)
                    (III) The second pair presented
                         (A) Inordinate affections and evil concupiscence
                              (1) The first term "seems here to denote the state of  mind that urges and excites to impurity . . ., that
                                   condition in which man is mastered by unchastity, and the imagination being defiled, is wholly at the
                                   mercy of  obscene associations." (op. cit., 222)
                              (2) The next term ". . . , refers to the same circle of  vices, and is more general in its nature." (Ibid.)
                         (B) See some of  the Scripture verses given above.
                         (C) "the second pair [in contrast to first pair] to impulse, the first, again, more special, and the second
                              more sweeping in its nature." (op. cit., 223)
                    (IV) All of  these are "so contrary to the Christian state and the heavenly hope." (Henry, VI:762)
               b. The love of  the world
                    (I) The word "covetousness"
                         (A) This is "an inordinate love of  present good and outward enjoyments, which proceeds from too high a
                              value in the mind, puts upon too eager a pursuit, hinders the proper use and enjoyment of  them, and
                              creates anxious fear and immoderate sorrow for the loss of  them." (Ibid.)
                         (B) This word "is a far deeper passion than mere miserliness or avarice, as being 'the fierce and ever
                              fiercer longing of  the creature which has turn from God to fill itself with the inferior objects of  sense.'"
                              (Eadie, 223)
                         (C) Cf. James 5:1-6
                    (II) The nature of  covetousness
                         (A) It is basically idolatry; people today worship those green pieces of  paper with presidential pictures on
                              them, not out of  need, but out of  lust.
                         (B) "This desire of having more, and yet more, is idolatry.  What it craves it worships, what it worships it
                              makes its portion.  To such a god [called "mammon" by Jesus] there is given the first thought of  the
                              morning, the last wish of the evening, and the action of  every waking hour." (Ibid.)
                         (C) Thus, an idol is not just a statue to which one bows down but anything that takes first place in the
                              human heart.
               c. The pride of  life
                    (I) These three things are mentioned by John in 1 John 2:15-17.
                    (II) Though Paul does not deal with the pride of  life directly in our passage, it underlies the other two.
     B. The Reasons for This Death--vv. 6, 7
          1. The wrath of  God--v. 6
               a. God's wrath is because of  these things just mentioned.
               b. God's wrath comes upon the unbeliever.
                    (I) Here they are called "the children of  disobedience."
                    (II) Cf.
                         (A) John 3:36
                         (B) Ephesians 2:2, 3
                    (III) "They who indulge in such vices, remorse and stupefaction." (Eadie, 224)
          2. Our past lives--v. 7
               a. We walked in these things.
                    (I) Note again Ephesians 2:2
                    (II) God is concerned with the walk of  humans.
                    (III) Here the walk is what we did in the past.
                    (IV) "The consideration that we have formerly lived in sin is a good argument why we should now forsake it."                          (Henry 762)
               b. We lived in these things.
                    (I) Note again Ephesians 2:3
                    (II) The living here is in regard to our spiritual lives rather than our physical; but the spiritual side of  our lives
                         affect the physical.
                    (III) The difference between the two verbal expressions is that the first signifies an activity whereas the latter
                         implies a settling down and more passive.

II. THE LIFE--vv. 8-11
     A. The Putting Off of  the Old--vv. 8, 9
          1. The outward things--vv. 8, 9a
               a. He presents a list.--v. 8
                    (I) He does not include what was mentioned in verse 5.
                    (II) He presents the outward expression of  the sin in the heart.
                         (A) Anger--This a habitual attitude or state in which "the idea of  visible display is usually associated with
                              it." (Eadie, 225).
                         (B) Wrath--it "is the outburst or the vice in a palpable form." (op. cit., 226).  The former is more
                              controlled, whereas this is explosive.
                         (C) Malice--This is a more settled state of  mind and action as well as more subtle; it is still a form of
                              anger, but of  a worse sort than anger and wrath.
                         (D) Blasphemy
                              (1) This is the outward verbal expression of  the previous three.
                              (2) As directed to man--"Giving ill language to them or raising ill reports of  them, and injuring their
                                   good name by any evil arts." (Henry, VI:763)
                              (3) Most often directed toward God.
                         (E) Filthy communication out of  your mouth
                              (1) This is not mere swearing or cussing though it would be included.
                                   (2) "all lewd and wanton discourse, which comes from a polluted mind in the speaker and
                                        propagates the same defilements in the hearers." (Ibid.)
               b. He emphasizes the lying.--v. 9a
                    (I) This is a separate exhortation from the list in verse 8.
                    (II) He is speaking here to believers.
                         (A) "it is contrary both to the law of  truth and the law of  love, it is both unjust and unkind, and naturally
                              tends to destroy all faith and friendship among mankind [especially among believers]." (Ibid.)
                         (B) Besides it makes us like Satan who is the father of  lies.
                    (III) Cf. Ephesians 4:15
         2. The inward aspect--v. 9b
              a. The nature of  the old man
                   (I) Here again the devil has taken a Biblical term and misused it; your human father is not your "old man."
                   (II) "It is a bold personification of  our first nature as derived from Adam, the source and seat of  original and
                        actual transgression, and called 'old' as existing prior to our converted state." (Eadie, 227-8)
                   (III) Cf. Romans 6:6
              b. The putting off of  the old man
                   (I) The first part is twofold.
                        (A) A knowing that the old nature has been crucified with Christ
                        (B) A reckoning or counting on that fact to be true in our lives
                   (II) The second part is twofold
                        (A) A negative--not yielding our members as instruments of  unrighteousness unto sin
                        (B) A positive--a yielding of  ourselves and our members as instruments of  righteousness unto God
                   (III) Notice this is something that has already been done for the believer--Cf. Romans 6.
                   (IV) Cf. Ephesians 4:22
     B. The Putting on of  the New--vv. 10, 11
          1. The action--v. 10
               a. The believer puts on the new man.
                    (I) Again, note that this is a past action which took place when we were first saved.
                    (II) The new man is that new nature we receive upon salvation.
                    (III) Cf.
                         (A) 2 Corinthians 5:17
                         (B) Ephesians 4:24
               b. We renew the new man.
                    (I) This work of  renewal is God's work, not ours; the phrase here is passive.
                    (II) "Those who have put off the old man have put it off with its deeds; and those who have put on the new
                         man must put on all its deeds--not only espouse good principles but act them in a good conversation."
                         (Henry, VI:763)
                    (III) This work is in knowledge.
                         (A) Again note the emphasis on knowledge.  True Christianity is a "Know-so" faith, not a blind faith.
                         (B) Herein is the difference between true Christianity and its sects; they want to keep their people in
                              ignorance of  the truth.
                         (C) "The grace of  God works upon the will and affections by renewing the understanding." (Ibid.)
                         (D) Cf. Romans 10:17
                    (IV) This knowledge is after the image of  God Himself.
                         (A) The original creation of  man may be implied here.
                         (B) More likely, however, the new man itself is which God created.
                         (C) This is in accord with Ephesians 2:10.
          2. The Result--v. 11
               a. The negative
                    (I) Certainly the negation of  the things mentioned before would fit.
                    (II) Here Paul is explicitly referring to race and national distinctions.
                         (A) There is no room in the life of  the believer for respect of  persons as to race (specifically mentioned
                              or color (certainly implied).
                         (B) Cf. James 2:1-10
                    (III) The classifications
                         (A) Gentile nor Jew
                              (1) This was the big separation between nationalities.
                              (2) Cf. Ephesians 2:14-16
                         (B) Circumcision nor uncircumcision--religious ceremonial distinctions cease in Christ.
                         (C) Barbarian nor Scythian
                              (1) The barbarians were considered by the cultured Hellenists as beneath them.
                              (2) The Scythians were the lowest of the barbarians, so they were thought to be the scum of  the scum.
                         (D) Bond nor free
                              (1) This is a social distinction.
                              (2) Today one might say rich or poor.
                              (3) Unfortunately too many churches are marred by such divisions.
               b. The positive
                    (I) Christ is all.
                         (A) Cf. Colossians 1:17, 18
                         (B) "Christ is everything to all of  them having the new man.  To one and all of  them He is everything so
                              far as the sufficiency, offer, and enjoyment of  salvation is concerned."(Eadie, 237)
                         (C) Cf. Galatians 3:26-28
                              (1) This has to do with our position in Christ.
                              (2) This has been used wrongly to say that there are to be no distinctions in the church as to position or
                                   duties.
                    (II) Christ is in all.
                         (A) What a great truth!  We are in Him and He is in us.
                         (B) Cf. John 15:4, 5
                         (C) The phrase indicates that He is everything for and to the believer.

     This writer have set forth from Colossians 3:5-11 "The Basis of Christian Living."  It constitutes the believer's death with Christ--vv. 5-7:  The fact of  that death--v. 5 and The reasons for that death--vv. 6, 7.  It consists of  our life with
Christ--vv. 8-11:  The putting off of  the old--vv. 8, 9 and The putting on of  the new--vv. 10, 11.
     In the light of  this basis there is an action.  Negatively, it ignores the message and/or do nothing.  It results in a stunted Christian life and one that is not pleasing to God.  Positively, it realizes afresh your death with Christ and the reasons for it. It renews your life in Christ by the putting off the old that may be rearing its ugly head and putting on the new renewed in knowledge.  
     What is your action going to be?