Chad Coley
Series in Colossians/ Christ Above All
The War against Sin
Colossians 3:5 - 7
27 October 2019
The war against sin and the flesh is a reality that believers need to understand. Any victories we may win in the here and now are only temporary. Whilst the power of sin indeed has been broken, and the payment for sin has indeed been paid in full, nevertheless the battle against sin and the flesh is very real. And the battle continues. In fact, it will continue till Christ returns. So as born again believers, we need to be in constant battle against the sin that remains in our lives.
We need to understand that peace is not the absence of conflict; it comes through victory. Therefore, as believers, we must constantly wage war against indwelling sin. And in the text before us today, Paul is exhorting believers to wage war on indwelling sin as their spiritual duty.
Mortify the flesh (v. 5).
It is important to remember what mortification is not; mortification is not mutilation.
Instead, it is about putting the flesh to death. Which means, to starve it of its power and strength by living in the power of God. Sure, the new nature we have breaks sin's power; but we must make serious efforts in the fight against sin.
Specific vices to mortify (v. 5)
Paul lists sexual immorality, moral impurity, passion for wrong things, desires of the mind for wrong things, and unsatisfied greed as sins to kill. We need to remember that godly contentment is great gain. Merely dealing with external behaviour is not enough. We must deal with the internal thoughts and attitudes.
The reasons to mortify the flesh (v. 6 - 7)
Paul reminds his readers of divine retribution against sin. We must mortify the flesh out of an understanding of how much God hates sin. If He will pour out His righteous indignation upon sin, then that should motivate us to kill sin the moment it rears its ugly head in our lives. We must remember that as God's children, He will discipline us to be made more like Christ. Sin is how we used to live, but now we have the Spirit's power to obey. Which means that we can be victorious. There is no excuse for sin in our lives. We must mortify the flesh