“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature…since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ” (Colossians 3:5&10, NIV)
This morning we continue to look at a repetitive theme for Paul. That theme is that we, as Christians, must continuously die to the earthly sinful nature in us and rise to the new nature created in us by the Holy Spirit. I cut out a whole section of verses so that the point I make this morning will not be missed. The verses I cut out describe the actions of the earthly nature that Paul wants us to die to (ie. sexual immorality, lust, lying, greed, hatred, anger, slander & malice). We know these ideas and motivations well enough. This is what we hate in ourselves and what we know we need to die to on a daily basis.
What I would like to emphasize this morning is one of the “why’s” we should die to the sinful nature in us. Paul says above that we are to take off the old self and put on the new self. The image is of us walking into our closets and purposefully deciding what to wear for the day to come. Paul goes on to say that our new nature is being renewed in the image of its Creator. This is the new self we are called to put on. We intentionally get up each day and put on Christ. We clothe ourselves first with His blood that washes our sins away. Then we clothe ourselves with “love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal. 5:22&23). We do this because these attributes reflect the nature of God in whose image we are being restored.
Note what I mentioned earlier, that for Paul this is a daily intentional process we are to put ourselves through. When we wake up and begin our day, we will choose to live in one of our two natures. Which one will you live in today? Join me in dying to the old sinful nature and in rising to the new nature that reflects the very nature of God who is at work in us.
Peace!
Pastor Tom
www.firmlyrooted.church
