Colossians 3:1-17 "Appropriating a Heavenly Truth into an Earthly Reality"

Tonight’s text is going challenge to us to not focus on the horizontal things of this world but rather to look upward. to the place where we are hidden together with God in Christ. Paul is going to explain how the believer died to the basic principles of this world and therefore shouldn’t be focused on the things of the world.

but in the same breath, he is then going exhort the believers in Colossae, and by extension of application, you and I, to live a holy life by not engaging in sexual sin, selfish ambition, outbursts of anger, and so on. To live our lives in the same manner that Christ did, which includes living in this world and being subject to behavior restrictions and disciplines here on this earth.....

this seems to contradict....

but even Jesus taught very paradoxical teachings and they are found all over Scripture

one example is:

Matthew 16:25 NKJV

25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that the wisdom of God is foolishness to men....he then goes on to say that God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. There are 2 reasons why God’s instruction to us or about us can seem to contradict.

we are so bent by sin that what we think is right is actually so wrong

God’s teachings are actually meant to show us prideful creatures just how far off we are

so we shouldn't be confused by teaching that appears to be in contradiction....we just let the Bible interpret the Bible and search the Scriptures for the meaning and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal these truths to us.... after all, all wisdom is a gift from God in the first place.

before we get to our text this evening, we need to lay some groundwork and bring our passage into context...

we see in Colossians 2:20-23 which is just a few verses before our text tonight starts...

Colossians 2:20–23 NKJV

20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Paul had already explained to the believers at this point in the letter that the believer spiritually dies to sin in the same manner that Jesus died and was buried. and that the believer is raised with Christ to life in the same manner that Jesus rose from the grave. Baptism symbolizes this.

His point to them is this: your worldly self died so why would your focus be on wordly things any longer?

notice how Paul points to physical things “do not touch, taste, or handle”

but then we see in Colossians 3:5-7

Colossians 3:5–7 NKJV

it sounds like Paul is a bit schizophrenic here.....Paul you just said we died to the world so don't worry about physical things and then you tell us to put to death our members which are on the earth.. sounds like a contradiction, huh?

well its only contradiction if you don't understand the spiritual principle of “already, not yet”

we are “already” in the Kingdom of God and Christ is already ruling and reigning at God’s right hand now but He has “not yet” began His millennial reign where He will physically rule and reign on the throne of David.

Hebrews 2:8–9 NKJV

8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

this shows that God put all things under Christ’s rule but also says that we don't currently see that taking place around us with a rejecting world not submitting to His authority.......just wait....it happens.

He is King of kings here and now....but fully at the second coming, He will fully rule over the entire world.

now this “already not yet” principle is found throughout Scripture not just in dealing with the Kingdom of God and eschatology....in our passage tonight we see Paul saying “we died” and then saying “put to death” so that death he is referring must be incomplete in some way. It is only incomplete in that we still live in a sinful body, surrounded by a sinful world that is still awaiting the fullness of redemption to take place at Christ’s second coming. All that being said, Paul’s teaching here is that we died to sin and should then live to holiness by putting these sinful desires and actions to death in real time. we must make the heavenly reality a worldly reality in our actions. the question is how?

Paul hashes this doctrine out a little more in depth in Romans....lets look there quickly before we dive into our text tonight fully just to lay some groundwork…turn quickly to Romans 6. I’m going to just read this and briefly explain....this is very much a parallel passage to our text tonight....

READ ROMANS 6 AND DISCUSS.

now to give a little bit of context to the book of Colossians, Paul was partly writing this letter to address some false teaching known as Gnosticism that had crept into the church. I don't want to get too far in the weeds of Gnosticism but their basic beliefs were that all material things were evil. the way to salvation for them was attained through this secret knowledge by which you could escape the prison of the material world that held you captive. to them it would have been impossible for a Holy God to enter into the wicked physical world.

if you read the book of Colossians with an understanding of Gnosticism, it makes even more sense as to why Paul wrote the way he did and the words and instruction he used about Christ and about what the Colossians were doing and what they should be doing.

when Paul is instructing them to not subject themselves to regulations about food and drink…he is doing so because they were practicing a self-denying type of anti-materialism that flowed from this false teaching. if you have ever watched The DaVinci Code (which i would not suggest you do unless you fully understand that it directly contradicts the teachings of the Bible and is strictly a piece of fiction) there is a scene early on where a creepy catholic guy is whipping himself in the back with a whip…he seems to be doing this for some sort of penance or punishment for his sin as if it is actually his physical flesh that is responsible for his actions...

Paul would teach that this “neglect of the body has no value against the indulgence of the flesh” (Colossians 2:23)

so Paul is making sure to correct these false teachings of Gnosticism with the reality of the cross and what that means....Paul in Romans was not correcting Gnosticism, but here in Colossians he was....the teaching of Colossians 2 and 3 is so very similar to Romans 6. Paul simply teaches the same truth in both instances but put emphasis on the error in Colossians…we can learn a lot from him in this....when speaking to a doubter or unbeliever of the Christian faith. Maybe someone in your family or friend group..remember that the truth is the same and it is the truth that will set them free, but the way we deliver the truth can appeal to them specifically. When they raise specific questions or reject in a direct way, give them the simple Gospel truth with an emphasis on what they specifically need....

so looking at our text with these things in mind, lets see what we can learn as universal truths about the Gospel and our fellowship with both God and man...

Body

Colossians 3:1–17 NKJV

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. 12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

as we just learned, Paul has already explained to them this baptism into the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. They died to the sinful flesh and were raised with Christ to new life…so starting here in chapter 3 Paul beings to exhort them that since those truths are a reality in their lives, their focus should be rooted in this truth and their actions should exemplify this in their life.

lets talk for a minute about appropriation.

now in our world the word appropriate can have a negative connotation. When someone steals money or uses it for themselves instead of its intended use in business or whatever, they are have said to have misappropriated funds. basically, they took something that belonged to someone else and used it for themselves.

but in the Kingdom of God, God has given us freely so many blessings and gifts and for us as Christians. Ephesians tells us we have every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, but how do we walk in that here and now? we must appropriate what we already have in Christ, into our actions. Not just to lay claim, but to actually spend these treasures. We have a winning lottery ticket as believers, lets take it and redeem the money that it represents. After all, the piece of paper is no good until you redeem it.

Miles J. Stanford talks about appropriation in his book, “The Green Letters - Principles for Spiritual Growth”

here is what he says...

“Appropriation does not necessarily mean to gain something new, but to set aside for our practical possession something that already belongs to us.”

he continues....

“To appropriate something for our daily walk in Christ, we face two essentials: to see what is already ours in Christ; and to be aware of our need for it. On these two factors rests the ability to appropriate.”

-Miles J Stanford

before we can live like Christ, we must understand the reality of what Christ did for us and what that means to us....our obedience must flow from that.

we see this principle of appropriation here in the first verse of chapter 3 ....”If then you were raised with Christ, seek....”

Paul is saying, because of this,....do this...

we are DEAD to sin....past tense

we have been RAISED to new life in Christ....past tense

so walk in this newness of life. we already have new life so our walk should be new.

Paul is teaching that our focus is not to be rooted in a past life experience of sin. after all, Jesus came to be sin for us. and by His obedience to the Law of God, He was accepted as a spotless lamb of sacrifice and by death He condemned sin in the flesh and forever put it to death....the power then came when He was raised to life again. This same power that raised Jesus to life, now dwells in us and empowers us to be more Christlike.

Paul is saying that since Jesus did all of this for us and we were raised with Him, then we have to live like we believe it. but it isn't just that we must muster up the strength to kill our flesh in response... look at how Paul describes this reality…look at the language..

Paul tells us we are hidden with Christ in the heavenlies…He instructs us to “set our mind” on these heavenly truths.

that sounds way different than whipping my sinful body into submission and flesh killing....

elsewhere in his letters, Paul will instruct us to walk in the Spirit so as not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh.....He doesn't say don't fulfill the lusts of the flesh so that it will be possible to walk in the Spirit. He also doesn't say run in the Spirit or even power walk in the spirit....I’m just imagining some old granny putting her sin to death walking circles around the mall with her hips slamming from side to side....sounds unbiblical…i dunno....

walking in the Spirit happens and then the lusts of the flesh dissipate....

so to start this chapter he is telling them that the way to walk in this newfound freedom in Christ is not to attempt to kill the physical aspects of sin in their lives by shear will power.....but rather rest in the fact that Christ killed it for them. to set their minds on this truth and then appropriate that into their actions. This doesn’t absolve us from any responsibility, it just teaches us where our strength and motivation comes from and that, paired with God’s Spirit working in us, gives us the ability to live in a way that matches our identity

He even tells us that “Christ is our life” in verse 4. If we are hidden with Christ, our sins covered by His intercession forever, and if He is our life then truly we aren't our own and it takes any pressure off of us. Because as soon as we put the pressure to “not sin” on our shoulders in this way, we put ourselves back under the law in a way and that is a burden that will eventually overtake us.

(take a few minutes to explain a testimony about this as a drug addict and the “dont focus on the tree” analogy)

once Paul has shifted the focus onto their identity in Christ it is then and only then that he begins to instruct them in application.

Colossians 3:5–10 NKJV

5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

Therefore.......basically means here, “because of this truth, this is what you should now do..”

since you died.....put to death

this is the already not yet thing....

we are spiritual beings made of flesh and blood. sometimes what is a reality in the heavenlies doesn't seem to translate to the physical world we can see.

likewise, we spiritually died and were spiritually raised to new life (with a promise that the physical glorification will come)

1 John 3:2–3 NKJV

2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

here John tells us that NOW we are children of God. this is a truth but the fullness of what that means hasn't been fully realized yet.....but soon it will be. you guys can read 1 Corinthians 15 for a more in depth description of the promise of a glorious physical body at Christ’s coming

but look at what John says in verse 3.....He says that because we have a future hope of being “like Jesus” when we are resurrected into our glorious bodies and fully united together with the Father for eternity, we should purify ourselves just as He is pure...

He is saying, because we are Children of God now with an even more full promise coming, we should act like it!

Christ is our life so live like Christ.

Jesus didn’t practice sexual immorality.....neither should we

Jesus wasn't a covetous idolater…neither should we be

Jesus wasn't angry or blasphemous or malicious.....neither should we be

these are things we are instructed to do here but we must always remember that to attempt to “put to death” these things in our lives apart from the Spirit and the Word, will only be behaviour modification and not sanctification.

there are a few different ways we might unsuccessfully attempt to “put to death” sin in our lives…lets look at a few of them: (if you want to dive into these in more detail you will find them and more on pages 43-45 of The Green Letters which i have previously quoted from)

Mortification - denying oneself certain things for a time or even for all time.

this would be the worldly way to attempt what Paul says “put to death”

about this method A.W Tozer says this:

“There have been those who have thought that to get themselves out of the way it was necessary to withdrawal from society; so they denied all natural human relationships and went into the desert or the mountain or the hermit’s cell to fast and labor and struggle to mortify the flesh. While their motive was good, it is impossible to commend their method. For it is not Scriptural to believe that the old Adam nature can be conquered in that manner. It yields to nothing less than the death of the cross. It is altogether too tough to be killed by abusing the body or starving the affections.” - A.W Tozer

so even though Paul uses the phrase “Put to Death” here in Colossians, what he has previously taught in chapter 2 shows that sin mortification is not the answer.

another way we might try to “put sin to death” is

Conquest - the believer’s struggle to conquer and control this rebel self

more prayer, more meetings (in some of our cases, AA meetings), more Bible study, can be one way to strive to harness God’s power to help conquer sin. Every Christian should be reading their Bible and praying and gathering together with other believers to study God’s word, but without the power of the cross and the understanding of what Christ did, these practices can become routine and ineffective in this particular area of holy living.

I’m sure we have all seen the seminary student that can quote scripture all day and is regularly attending or leading Bible studies and then ends up falling into sin or lives a life that is far from mimic of Christ....

There is also the method of Growth which is basically the belief that as i continue my walk with the Lord, i will eventually grow and mature. there is an aspect of truth to this but I’ve met Christians that have been saved 2 years that were way more mature in Christ than some that have been saved 20 years....why? Because it isn't a time thing, it isn't a striving thing, it is an identity issue and a faith and surrender issue.

Paul’s teaching in chapter 2 and 3 of Colossians here would be sufficient to combat any of these sanctification “techniques.”

Paul’s instruction to “put to death” these things in verse 5 is once again brought to the past tense in verse 7 where he reminds the Colossians that these were things they “once walked in” you know, back when they were still alive to sin.

and again in verse 8 Paul gives more instruction but once again says this in verse 9

Colossians 3:9 NKJV

9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,

its cool because in verse 5 he says to “put to death” this lists of sins and then in verses 7 he reminds them that they “no longer live” in them

in verse 8 he brings it more into application with words like “put off” and “put on”

He has stair-stepped them into applying such a weird truth. “Paul you have said I’m dead....what the heck? how am i supposed to do any of this as a dead man?” well he has used this cross example because it is the reality as far as the heavens are concerned but he must understand that another analogy is necessary to make this more clear.

Colossians 3:8–14 (NKJV)

8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,

10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

Paul shifts from the death/life speak to this “put off/put on” language...

we can picture this like taking off and putting on a shirt. this language makes a little more sense to a living breathing person living on the earth....Paul had used this death/life language and this heavenly realty because of the truth of the teaching, but he shifts to a more natural theme to appeal to his audience more in the moment since they are still living in their earthly bodies

but also look at the difference in the list of sins....

in verse 5 the sins he instructs them to “put to death” are more active in that they are mainly things they wouldn't do impulsively but would take action on their part…fornication for instance.

but in verse 8 Paul tells them to put off anger, wrath, malice, etc. These aren't things that we must put to death because they happen in our minds and erupt into our actions quickly . These things must be put off in the moment.

think of it this way.....the difference between premeditated murder and self-defense.....one is an act that is planned and acted upon, the other is a response to something that is out of our control. Fornication must be “put to death” because it mimics premeditated murder and therefore should be put to death with forethought and intentionality but anger must be put off because like self defense, it is only brought into play when an emotional urge presents itself and needs to be handled quickly and in the moment. Now i do believe that over time, by the Spirit, we can drift farther away from wrathful outburst and they will happen less frequently but when these thoughts come up, we must continue to put them off.

I love how Paul shifts his analogy to speak to not only the doctrine he is teaching but also the specifics of what he is talking about. all done in a simple way that would appeal to his hearers best.

after these 2 exhortations to live a holy life in response to the cross....Paul says in verse 9-10

Colossians 3:9–10 NKJV

9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

once again ill emphasize the tense of these truths being in the past, but these 2 verses once again give us the motivation....don't do all of these sinful things, “since you have put off the old man and have put on the new man...” that word “since” here gives us the reason we should do these things.

verse 10 says this new man has been “renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”

I think Paul is calling back to something he had already spoken of to them with this verse…look back in

Colossians 1:19–22 NKJV

19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

What Jesus did was more than save people from their sins and give them the promise of Heaven.....here it says He reconciled ALL things to Himself whether things on earth or things in heaven....He is making all things new. this is the Gospel more fully realized. it isn't just about us, its about all of creation.

but Paul does shift his focus specifically to us however…verse 21 (reread)

notice how the truth is that Christ made us holy and blameless. past tense. this is the new nature we have. the New Man is holy. in the same way that our old man died to sin, our new man lives to holiness. so when Paul says in verse 10 of chapter 3 that we have put on our new man and that our new man is renewed in knowledge according to Christ’s image, he is basically saying that we have been restored to a holy and blameless reality. it is the knowledge of this that propels our actions and obedience to make this a reality in our mortal bodies.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 NKJV

14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

This our motivation and the driving force behind our obedience.

now up until this point, i haven't spoken much about our responsibility in regard to how to actually deny ourselves these lusts and walk in holiness.....

It must start with a love for Christ and a knowledge of just what happened at the cross, but we must apply this to our daily walk. we cant just sit with our heads in the clouds and expect sin to disappear.

John tells us in:

1 John 2:3–6 NKJV

3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

and Paul tells us in Romans 8 that we are being conformed into the image of Christ. so how do we bring all of these truths together? we are holy and blameless in Christ but we must act holy and blameless and keep His commandments if we truly believe in Him and know Him.....how do we appropriate a heavenly truth into an earthly reality?

We walk in the Spirit.....we sow to the Spirit.

when anger comes upon us, we bring that feeling into captivity to the truth of what God says about us. we cast it out as a lie, and we pray for the Spirit to empower us to overcome it. Then we put on peace, we put on Christ. we take the shirt of righteousness that is already ours and put it on.

2 Corinthians 10:4–6 NKJV

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

notice how all of this is rooted in truth. what are we casting down? arguments that put themselves in opposition to the knowledge of God. So…Lies. but Paul says here that we don't fight in the flesh. so even our obedience is mighty in God. its not by our might or power, but by His Spirit...

These are practical things we can do but the driving force is Love...

verse 5 in 1 John 2 says if the love of God is perfected in us, we will keep His word. Paul would agree....lets look at verses 12-17....

Colossians 3:12–17 (NKJV)

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

more “put on” language and man are these some beautiful things to put on...

in verses 12-14 Paul lists things that should be displayed in our lives as Christians. this list is very similar to the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. Now Paul doesn't explicitly say this but i believe that if our focus begins with our identity in Christ as Paul mentions in the first few verses of this chapter and we then focus on putting on these traits as the Spirit produces them in our lives…kindness, humility, love, peace....there will be little room for anger, wrath or malice. I think Paul’s writing bookends these commands in the middle verses with focus and identity in verses 1-3 and love and peace in verses 12-17 because that is the way to walk this out.

look what Paul calls Love....the bond of perfection.

God is love. It is His act of love that makes us perfect. The cross. This is love. This is death, burial, and resurrection. He died so that we might live but the life we now live, we live by faith and obedience to Him and this comes with a call to live holy just as He is Holy.

Galatians 2:20 NKJV

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

1 John 3:16 NKJV

16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

these 2 verses sum up our teaching tonight pretty well… we have truly been crucified with Christ and we live to Christ…but what truth are we called to live in the most? the bond of perfection.....love. Above all things, put on love. and we must let the peace of God RULE in our hearts. How do we let peace RULE in our hearts? our focus must be on peace. our focus must be on love and God is love. God has made it possible for us to be at peace with Him, through the blood of His Son. (Romans 5:1 “1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” )

and these verses show that the way we can know we are walking in true love is if we give up ourselves for God and for others.

I promise you guys, if you are busy loving people and walking out your calling as gifted believers in Christ. If you are plugged in to a church body when you leave here and are actively walking in freedom with the understanding of exactly what Christ has done and what that means, there will be zero time, energy, or focus to do drugs or get drunk. replace the darkness with light, replace death with life. focus on the good things and walk in them....

1 john 3:23

1 John 3:23 NKJV

23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

since we are the elect of God by faith, let us act like it by keeping God’s commandment to us....Love God and Love People....that is only possible however if we appropriate what Jesus already did for us by faith.