Verse of the Day Devotion: Colossians 3:5 

“Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” – Colossians 3:5  

In this verse, Paul is telling us, now that we are Christians, we need to change the way we think and act.  Back in chapter two, he says, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,” Colossians 2:6. His meaning is simply:  since we have received Christ, we must walk as such.  Let His ways guide every part of our lives.

He then goes on in chapter three to show us how we can do this successfully.  He starts by saying, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory ” Colossians 3:1-4.  We are to focus on things in heaven where Christ now dwells for we have died to self, and our lives are now hidden in Christ.  The idea behind hidden is that as the glory of Christ now is hidden from the world, so also the glory of believers’ inner life, proceeding from communion with Him, is still hidden with Christ in God. Then when Christ, the source of this new life is revealed, then we also will be revealed as well.

Now, because of all this, we are  to refrain from our bodies sinning against God.  Paul puts it this way in our focus verse.  “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” Colossians 3:5.  The idea is to see these bodily members as dead to sinful desires;  by depriving them of the power they have over us.  This happens when we focus on the things above and not on the wrong desires we have here.  We must remember we are new creations in Christ.  “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”  2 Corinthians 5:17.  And because we are new creatures, we must put to death our old ways and become who God has remade us to be.

If we do not consider the members of our earthly body’s dead to our sinful desires of which he lists immorality, impurity, earthly passions, evil desires  and greed which Paul says amounts to idolatry, then we will not have victory over them.  For if we do not put these passions to death, then we are desiring these things more than God Himself, which in essence is idolatry.  It can be difficult to do, especially if we have been controlled by these things for a long time.  However, to put these desires to death, we must stop focusing on them.  We must stop thinking about wealth, honor, and pleasure.  Our affections should not be fixed on things such as houses and lands, fashion and gaiety, nor low and debasing enjoyments.  But our thoughts should be fixed on Christ, what He did for us and what we can do for Him: on those who are unsaved in leading them to Christ, and on our brothers and sisters and how we help and bless them.  They should also be on  our eternal home and the fellowship we will enjoy with God and all those whom He calls His children.  Since we are delivered from the death caused by our sins, and are reborn to live in a new and glorious life, the great object of our contemplation God and His calling on our lives.  In comparison, the things of this world really have no value at all. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.