Colossians 3:5

Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;

'PUT TO DEATH' -'to treat as dead' (Robertson p. 501) 'The aorist implies. single decisive act.' (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 537)

Points to Note:

1. Habitual and chronic sins can be stopped! Even highly addictive habits can be ceased--for good (1 Corinthians 6:9).

2. Such phrases and words as "put to death", "crucify the flesh" (Galatians 5:24); "repentance" (Acts 2:38); and "put off the old man" (Ephesians 4:22), demand the conclusion that no sin can ever be called "hereditary". For if something is "inherently" part of us, then there is no way we could "stop it". In fact, since God created us, we would have to accuse God of placing that moral weakness in us. You see, any argument using the "inherent" moral flaw reasoning, must accuse God of creating beings with evil desire, i.e. God is unethical (1 John 1:5; James 1:17).

3. Freewill is again found in this context. The individual has the choice and the power to "put to death", cease such things (Romans 6:11 '..do not let').

'THEREFORE' -For people who have died with Christ, such things are all part of. shameful past,. life not worth living,. level of existence that is far below the intented purpose for men and women created in the image of God.

'YOUR MEMBERS' -Note: Paul isn't saying, 'Kill your hand, etc..'

Bruce notes, 'What we have here is rather an extension of the ordinary sense of "members". Since these people's bodily members had been used as instruments of sin in their former life (Romans 6:19), they are viewed here as comprehending the various kinds of sin which were committed by their means...what he really has in mind is the practices and attitudes to which his readers bodily activity and strength had been devoted in the old life..' (p. 141)

In other words Paul is saying, 'Stop using your bodily members (eyes, tongue, mind, etc..) for the following wicked activities. Consider all of you, body and mind as dead to the following things. 'Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to..' (NASV)

Point to Note:

We need to be impressed with the idea of "dying to these things". To me that means: (a) We have nothing in common with them--there is nothing in these sins which benefits us, which could even be called in our best interest. They do nothing good for us, in any sense of the word. They destroy our present and future happiness, they are the enemy. (b) There is nothing to be admired or respected about the following items (Romans 6:21). They are shameful, selfish, abusive, foolish, unloving, unethical, they lack integrity. They are for people who desire to live below their Divine potential.

'WHICH ARE UPON THE EARTH' -'the members of your earthly body' (NASV)

'FORNICATION' -4202. porneia por-ni'-ah; from 4203; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry: -fornication.

-The generic word that covers all unlawful sexual relationships.

Points to Note:

1. Carefully note that Paul doesn't lapse into the error of severe bodily self-denial. The abuse of sex is condemned, but not the wholesome sexual desire built into us by God and which is given it's proper outlet in marriage (1 Corinthians 7:1).

2. The Biblical writers often condemned fornication (1 Corinthians 6:9; Galatians 5:19; etc..). Not because they had any sexual hangups, but because the world had such. preoccupation with it.

3. In such verses the idea that the moral standards of the Bible were for that culture, falls completely on its face. For that culture didn't have. problem with fornication, i.e. they accepted it as normal. Barclay notes, 'In the ancient world sexual relationships before marriage and outside marriage were the normal and accepted practice.' (p. 150) Thus, the attitude which says, 'It's accepted by Society at large, therefore, it isn't. sin anymore'; is not only terrible logic, it's just plain unbiblical.

4. It is interesting to note that the primary meaning of the word "fornication" is to "traffic with harlots" (Bruce p. 143). The very origin of the word teaches us. number of lessons: (a) Sex outside of marriage is never motivated by true love. It is always. selfish thing, it is self-gratification. (b) In such sinful relationships, someone is being treated as an object to be used. (c) Healthy respect for the other person cannot be achieved in such situations. (d) "Free-love" is. myth. For you are always "trading" something for fornication. Fornication is all about bartering-trading in your self-respect, trading companionship for sex, etc...In such relationships, you always have to give something up, it's never free.

'UNCLEANNESS' -167. akatharsia ak-ath-ar-see'-ah; from 169; impurity (the quality), physically or morally: -uncleanness.

-'impurity' (Wms); 'dirty-mindedness' (Phi); 'moral uncleanness...it points to..the behavior of the man whose actions are determined by his commitment to his..lusts.' (O'Brien p. 182)

Point to Note:

The sin known as "uncleanness" may just condemn more people, even than fornication. For "uncleanness" would apply to the Christian to ceases to fornicate, but still secretly desires to do so. The person who has cleaned up their life, but has never cleaned up their mind. The person who doesn't have. pure heart (Matthew 5:8). The Christian male who still views women as objects. The person who refuses to give up their sinful fantasy life. Obviously then: (a) The person involved in pornography is guilty of uncleanness. (b) The person who still enjoys. good dirty joke or. joke with. double meaning. (c) The person who enjoys some "spice" in. Movie, book or T.V. show. Barclay says, 'it is the quality of that which is soiled and dirty. There is. kind of mind which is itself soiled and which soils everything which passes through it. It can reduce the finest action to. mean motive, and it can defile the purest things with. smutty jest.' (p. 30)

'PASSION' -3806. pathos path'-os; from the alternate of 3958; properly, suffering ("pathos"), i.e. (subjectively). passion (especially concupiscence): -(inordinate) affection, lust.

-'uncontrolled passion' (Phi); 'lust' (NEB). 'When it appears in this kind of context it denotes "dishonorable passions" (Romans 1:26).' (Bruce p. 143) Clearly, God wants us to be "passionate" in. good sense (i.e. zealous for truth) (1 Corinthians 15:58; 1 Peter 1:22).

'EVIL DESIRE' -'unholy desire' (Wey) 'There is. kind of person who is the slave of his passions..and who is driven by the desire for the wrong things.' (Barclay p. 151)

Point to Note:

God gets down to the "root" cause. Not only is fornication wrong, but the inward evil desires that fuel it are also condemned (Matthew 5:28). God isn't satisfied with merely. new acting person, for that is the level of morality often practiced even by non-Christians (Matthew 5:20). God desires the total commitment of the whole person to His cause--including our desires and passions. God demands. new thinking man. God demands the man or woman with. clean heart,. good honest heart (Luke 8:15). People filled with evil thoughts won't make it.

'COVETOUSNESS' -4124. pleonexia pleh-on-ex-ee'-ah; from 4123; avarice, i.e. (by implication) fraudulency, extortion: -covetous(-ness) practices, greediness.

'and all greed' (Wey).

Point to Note:

Often we connect this term purely to money. But it applies to greed for anything, i.e. material possessions, people, pleasures, intangible things like fame, prestige, etc..(Exodus 2:17).

'WHICH IS IDOLATRY' -(Ephesians 5:5). 'Seeing it stands in the category of' (Vincent p. 502)

Points to Note:

1. Covetousness is idolatry, because it naturally places something or someone in. place which is only to be occupied by God, i.e. the most important possession in life,. relationship with God.

2. Gambling really doesn't have. leg to stand on: (a) Why would anyone risk their hard earned wages, fully knowing that the odds against winning are so great, unless they did have an unhealthy preoccupation with money. (b) People claim that such odds prove that they don't care if they lose their money or not--then why not give it to. good cause??? Obviously, money is very important to them. (c). have looked long and hard at gambling, and personally. have been unable to get the greed motive out of such. practice.

3. Covetousness also includes taking unfair advantage for the pursuit of profit--unethical business practices, false advertising, etc..all fall into the same category.