COLOSSIANS 3
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old selfwith its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. – Colossians 3:5-15
COLOSSIANS 3 ACTS THAT PROVOKE GOD’S WRATH
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When God chose you as his child, you were granted regeneration
It is not your own doing that you are going through transformation
Jesus took God’s wrath on you so you can now be reconciled with God
Christ gave you a new creation in order for you to walk in humility and love
Through Christ, you can give up habitual sins and have a life of service
The lamb of God took away all your old tendencies to love yourself
So put to death all what is demonic, ungodly, unspiritual and earthly
Humble yourself before the Lord so you won’t provoke God’s anger.
In this letter of Paul to the Colossian church, he wants the believers to walk away from their old life which was already renewed when Christ died for them on the cross. He warns them of the aftermath if they do not put off their old lives and continue living in sin while they claim that they are believers. He gave them a list of that old nature that they so love that stir the wrath of God in their lives. He calls them earthly, in other words, it is a life that follows the world. James talks about this also in 3:15-16 where he talks about human wisdom driven by self-ambition and envy as earthly, sensual and demonic which leads to disorder and evil.
Some of these natural and earthly demonic tendencies that stirs God’s righteous anger are:
· Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, adultery, fornication, orgies, drunkenness
· Envy, desires and covetousness leading to idolatry, anger, malice, slander, murder, debauchery
· Lying to one another, malice, obscene talk, gossip and false beliefs and deception
It is a sad fate to watch our world become so oblivious of what stirs God’s wrath as we participate in these wicked acts. Let us heed Paul’s caution for us to put off all these and put on Christ.
REFLECTION
· What are we to do with the prevalence of wickedness that stirs God’s wrath as believers?
