slander

While obedience to rules cannot bring salvation, those who are saved ought to live worthy of that salvation. Thus, Paul gives the Colossians instructions concerning proper conduct in verses 5-8. He states in negative and positive terms the kind of life that God wants Christians to live. Although the believers at Colosse were once captivated by the evil practices listed in verses 8, 8, and 9, they were to abandon such practices.

Because we are alive in Christ, we must seek the things that are above. And, because we died with Christ, we must put off the things that belong to the earthly life of past sin. The result is that we can become like Jesus Christ! God wants to renew us and make us into the image of His Son!

5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— 11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Stop walking in your old self, and live in the brilliant freedom of your new Christian self
• Check yourself. Are you serving anything other than God? Are you seeking satisfaction in something outside of God? Only God can satisfy and is worth serving.
• Sanctification is a process. God is at work. Let the Spirit work in you and renew you to become more mature

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CLOSER LOOK:

Read More »Colossians 3:5-11 – Putting off the sins of the old life