Colossians 3:5
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Puritan John Owen asked, “Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.” Why kill sin? He added that, “Every unmortified sin will certainly do two things: One—It will weaken the soul and deprive it of its vigor, and two—It will darken the soul and deprive it of its comfort and peace.” Does this ring true to you by experience? It certainly does to me.
The primary focus of this verse (and list) is sexual, and that is an important emphasis for 21stcentury Christians. We live in a sex-saturated world, and while men tend to be more easily stimulated visually, woman are not immune to the danger of the temptations that swirl about us. In addition to sexual imagery that can be obtained in anonymity, we are also living in remarkably “me-centric” times. You deserve a break. You deserve to have a little fun. If it makes you feel better, you should do it. Who am I to question what kind of lifestyle you choose to live? Who am I to question your decisions? In short, just about anything goes.
Recently, a Christian author wrote that, “We should whisper about what the Bible whispers about, and shout about what the bible shouts about.” That is a dangerous position to take. One pastor went so far as to say, “The Bible appears more to whisper on sexual sin compared to its shouts about materialism and religious pride.” If there is one sin category the Bible definitely shouts about, it is sexual sin! Is sexual sin worse than other sins? It certainly can be in terms of its impact, and it most definitely is in terms of its power to ensnare and then to corrupt and control. Additionally, it is also a sin against one’s own body (1 Cor. 6:18).
Bible commentator William MacDonald remarked that, “God is not saying anyone who has ever committed any of these (sexual) sins is doomed and destined for eternal separation from Him, but He is saying that the one who practices these acts as their lifestyle should not be surprised at where they ‘wake up’ after they’ve taken their last breath on this earth!” That is a sobering thought, indeed, and there is ample scripture to back it up. Every Christian is susceptible to sexual sin, and the more of a problem it is for any one of us, the more we need to call on the power of the Holy Spirit to help us kill it. As Dr. David Jeremiah once said, “Lust is not something you can manage—you have to starve it to death.”
In other words…put it to death.
