Time to clean out your closet? All of us carry baggage and the life of a Christian is one of living in the tension of the old self versus the new self. Join Dr. Marty Baker in Colossians 3 as we continue our series on The Connection That Counts.
This week, I sifted through my closet, with my wife’s help, of course, and got rid of probably half of my T-shirt collection. Many of them needed to go for years, because I’ve had them for years. They were ratty, had holes in them, some of the necks were too big, and so forth. So, Liz pulled the trigger and motivated me to get with the program. Some were my favorites, but I knew they needed to go, so I took definitive action. Some of these T-shirts I’ve had for years before I even moved here, and that was almost 18 years ago.
Was it hard to do? Sure, I have many memories associated with some of them, especially the ones I purchased at rock concerts or picked up at surf shops. Was I tempted to rationalize keeping a few of them a little longer? Sure. Who wouldn’t want to keep a black Santana tee? But in the end, I made a radical break from the old, tattered tees.
And then I went to work and started studying the next section of Colossians chapter 3 for my sermon. As you know from our last study of verses one through six, Paul waxes eloquent in calling saints to radically put to death sinful activities they engage in because of who Jesus is as their Lord. In verse 8, he switches from the metaphor of killing sinful behavior to pulling it off because it represents the clothing you wore as a non-Christian.
This new emphasis leaves me with one practical question: How’s your spiritual closet? Got any old sinful clothes that need to go? Got any sinful clothes you’ve had for far too long? Got any sinful clothes you frequently make excuses for wearing? If so, Paul’s teaching in verses 7 through 11 of Colossians 3 challenges you to clear the closet. So, I ask you: What are you waiting for? What will you do when you leave this service?
As we sink our interpretive spades again into this rich soil, allow me to remind you of the main motif before us:
Your Christian Life Should Always Be Moving From The Old Life To the New Life (1 Col. 3:5-4:6)
The Identification of the Wrong Clothing (Col. 3:5)
Paul develops this theme by vacillating between negative and positive commands rather than suggestions. In verse 5, he hammered home how various sexually sinful garments need to go lest they negatively impact our spiritual walks. Did you address them in your life? Did you take definitive action?
Why should you address these sins? Why, with the Spirit’s power, should you put them to death or remove them as inferior clothing? Paul gives us the motivation in verse 6.
The Motivation for Clothing Change (Col. 3:6)
The answer is clear: God is going to judge us for how well we went after these sins. No, heaven and hell are not in view, but reward from the Lord’s loving, just hand is (1 Cor. 3:1-10). Who doesn’t want to from Him, “It was so good watching you go after those sexual sins that plagued you. Let me now reward you with eternal rewards for your courageous efforts.”
With verse 7, Paul, like a skilled attorney arguing a point, returns to detailing more sinful clothing that needs to go.
The Identification of the Wrong Clothing (Col. 3:7-9)
Here, Paul employs another metaphor for dealing with sin. He likens the process to walking.
7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
7 ἐν οἷς καὶ ὑμεῖς περιεπατήσατέ ποτε, ὅτε ἐζῆτε ἐν τούτοις·
There are just two ways you can walk in life, spiritually speaking. You can walk in the way of evil, or in the way of holiness. You can walk in the way of the flesh, or in the way of the Spirit (Gal. 5). Paul uses the past tense (aorist) verb for walking, peripateo (περιπατέω), to denote how we used to live as non-Christians. Grammatically, the aorist could be classified as gnomic because it stresses a timeless truth. Yes, as unbelievers, we lived for sinful behavior. Paul talks about this in Romans 3, if you are interested in seeing a snapshot of your old life.
This doesn’t mean there were not good, noble things in our lives, but at our core we were sinners through and through, or totally depraved as John Calvin would argue. Choosing sin over holiness was, therefore, as Paul says here, how we lived. The imperfect verb (ἐζῆτε) in the last clause is probably a durative denoting perpetual action in the past time. Like a car with a bent frame, we might have rolled down the road straight for a moment, but eventually we naturally drifted off the spiritual course because of our inner spiritual problem.
Of course, now that we are believers, we have the choice to walk in our old sinful ways or to follow God’s ways. Paul makes this argument in Galatians 5, and he even likens our choice to the same Greek verb we see here: peripateo, meaning “to walk.”
16 But I say, walk ( περιπατεῖτε . . . a command) by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk (στοιχῶμεν . . . a Greek word for falling in line like a good soldier) by the Spirit. (Gal. 5)
The fact that the word for “walk” is a command demonstrates that it is quite possible for saints not to heed the command, and to choose to walk according to the deeds of the flesh, deeds which Paul enumerates. The proper spiritual behavior, of course, is to fall in line like a loyal, dutiful soldier by walking according to the fruits of the Spirit.
How does one go about this? It starts with confession, and this leads to yielding to the Spirit’s prompting, and it ends with you walking according to His way, not yours. Or, to employ Paul’s metaphor in Colossians 3, it involves putting to death sinful actions in your life, and choosing God-honoring ones, or putting off sinful clothing and putting on holy clothing. Again, I must ask you, how are you faring in this daily, moment-by-moment spiritual quest to mature as a disciple of Jesus Christ?
What types of soiled spiritual garments need to go in a believer’s life? Paul mentions five more in verse 8:
8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
8 νυνὶ δὲ ἀπόθεσθε καὶ ὑμεῖς τὰ πάντα, ὀργήν, θυμόν, κακίαν, βλασφημίαν, αἰσχρολογίαν ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν·
In Greek, the temporal adverb, nuni (νυνὶ), is emphatic, and rightly so because it establishes a stark contrast between sinful clothing and holy clothing. The main verb, “put aside,” apotithemi (ἀποτίθημι), is a clothing term that speaks of taking clothes off and putting them down. BAG’s lexicon verifies this truth:
ἀποτίθημι fut. ἀποθήσω; aor. ἀπέθηκα LXX (the act. does not occur in our lit.); 2 aor. mid. ἀπεθέμην, 3 pl. ἀπέθοντο Hs 8, 5, 1; 1 aor. pass. ἀπετέθην (s. τίθημι; Hom. et al.; ins, pap, LXX, TestSol, JosAs; ParJer 5:14; ApcSed 9:1) gener. ‘put off’.
① take off
ⓐ lit. of clothes (Teles p. 16, 7 ἱμάτιον; Alciphron 3, 6, 2; 2 Macc 8:35; JosAs 13:2 al.; Jos., Ant. 8, 266) τὰ ἱμάτια ἀ. MPol 13:2; take off and lay down Ac 7:58.
ⓑ fig. lay aside, rid oneself of τὰ ἔργα τ. σκότους Ro 13:12. ἀλαζονείαν
What sinful clothes need to be removed are quickly listed in the next clause. As we move through these, I challenge you to ask yourself a very personal question. In fact, you might ask the Holy Spirit, “Could you please show me if any of these godless, unholy garments are on my spiritual body?”
First up is anger. Oh great. Paul just had to start here. Granted, anger can be justified if our cause is holy. For instance, what God-fearing, life-affirming saint cannot get righteously angry about our State’s proposed amendment to legalize abortion up to birth and to erase parental consent? I’m sure that righteous anger will motivate many saints to vote against the zero-safety amendment. This kind of anger is justified because it reflects God’s heart and commands.
Most anger, however, is not righteous but unrighteous. The word Paul uses here is orge (ὀργή). Richard C. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament states that this type of anger is more long-term and brooding, and is usually wedded to some form of jealousy. Think of a coal mine fire, and you can get a better mental handle on this word. Like a coal mine fire, this type of anger can burn beneath the surface for years, then suddenly appear and scorch everything around it. Coal leftover from coal mining ignites from a surface fire. Abandoned entry vents supercharge the fire, and over time, vents formed by mining fractures allow the fire to rise from the depths and suddenly ignite combustible items on the surface.
Likewise, an event that made you extremely angry years ago is buried in your life, only to smolder under the surface. And then suddenly, there is a fracture in a relationship related to the original infraction, and you explode all over the place. Say you and your only brother have a history of fighting over the years. You did things to him, and he returned the favor. Then, your parents died, leaving you two with the estate. Your brother outfoxed you and stole the inheritance from you, and there wasn’t a whole lot you could do about it. You exploded all over him, probably many times, but your anger didn’t get you anywhere. So you stuffed it. Later, something was said at a family gathering, and you erupted and verbally burned him to the ground. That is orge, Greek for suppressed, hidden anger. Do you have this type of anger in your life right now? Is it burning below the surface? Has it surfaced lately, only to consume friends and family?
Next, Paul mentions another kind of anger: thumos (θυμός). Trench’s book explains that this word for anger points to the explosive type. A person who struggles with thumos is what we’d call a hot-head. Think of Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who went postal in the eighth inning of their game against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 19th. Boone thought the second baseman trapped the line drive instead of catching it cleanly. So, he exploded as he ran out onto the field to yell at the umpire. In a few moments, his thumos caused him to be ejected.
Think back to New York in 2013. Alexian Lien was driving with his family when they got caught up in a big group of bikers on their annual bike ride. When one biker stopped suddenly, Lien hit his bike. The biker instantly lost his cool, as did other bikers. They surrounded Lien’s car, so he panicked and ran over three bikes in a quest to escape. They caught up with him on 178th Avenue, smashed his window with a helmet, dragged him out to the vehicle in front of his family, and beat him unconscious. Sounds like thumos to me. It denotes sudden explosive rage that can be verbal, physical, or both. (By the way, the worst states for road rage are #1: Louisiana, #2: New Mexico, #3: Colorado, #4: Arkansas, and #5: Montana. You might want to steer clear of these states this summer, and opt for Maine, which is ranked as the clamest state.)
Are you wearing this garment in your life? Are your children afraid of you? How about your wife? Do you scare her with how you explode at her or others? When you play a board game or a sport, and something doesn’t go your way, do you flip the board or rush out onto the field, hurling explicatives? When someone cuts you off in traffic, do you become a wild, screaming monkey in the car? Paul says it is time to lay this garment at the feet of Christ and ask the Spirit for victory, becoming a person of peace.
After wrath, Paul mentions malice. BAG’s definition of this word in Greek is helpful:
② a mean-spirited or vicious attitude or disposition, malice, ill-will, malignity (Diod S 1, 1; PRein 7, 15 [II B.C.]; POxy 1101, 7; Philo; Just., D. 65, 2 ἁπλῶς καὶ μὴ μετὰ κακίας εἰπών; 136, 2; Tat. 34, 1) w. other vices Ro 1:29; Eph 4:31; Col 3:8; Tit 3:3; 1 Pt 2:1; B 20:1; D 5:1. τὸ στόμα σου ἐπλεόνασεν κακίαν 1 Cl 35:8 (Ps 49:19). Cp. B 2:8 (Zech 8:17).
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, malice “is the deliberate intention to cause harm, injury, or suffering to another person. It is characterized by ill will, spite, or a conscious, wrongful disregard for the rights and safety of others.” Malice was displayed when Cain became envious and angry that God accepted Abel’s sacrifice as opposed to his, so he killed his brother (Gen. 4:1-12). Malice reared its ugly head when Joseph’s brothers became jealous of their father’s favoritism shown to him rather than to them, so they eventually hatched a diabolical plan to get rid of him (Gen. 3:18-28). Malice is written all over the actions of Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, when she coveted the beautiful and successful vineyard of Naboth (1 Kings 21). She worked to get rid of the godly man so she could seize his prized possession. In all of these instances, malice ran rampant.
Is it running rampant in your Christian life? Is it a godless garment you need to get rid of? Are you plotting to get back at someone who did you dirty? Do you waste no time maligning someone with some vicious gossip so you can make their life hard? Do you post nasty comments on a certain person’s Facebook page because you don’t like them? And don’t tell me that malice isn’t that big of a deal today. D.C. would probably shut down if malicious behavior among politicians stopped. How many leaders live as if malice is now some virtue to subdue their opponents, while propelling them forward? Too many. How many people are instantly malicious when circumstances are not to their liking? On a plane, a mother lets her child kick the back of your seat constantly. You turn and politely ask her if she can put a stop to this, and she F-bombs you, and for the rest of the flight, the kid continues to kick your seat. Your neighbor lets his teens play loud music on their backyard sound system, and it interferes with your quiet time with your wife at dinner on many occasions. Then, these parents throw a dinner party, so you place some large speakers on your deck, aim them at your neighbor, and fire up the heavy metal tunes. That’s malicious.
Are you a malicious person? Are you skilled at getting back at people or causing them pain and suffering? Once more, this is a godless garment that needs to go, today.
A fourth godless garment is slander.
The Greek word is one you probably recognize. It is blasphemia (βλασφημία). BAG’s Greek lexicon defines this word as: speech that denigrates or defames, speech that reviles, disrespects, or slanders someone (BAG, 178). Pastor Warren Wiersbe says it “describes speech that slanders others and tears them down.”
The Pharisees were skilled at using cutting language against Jesus in a twisted quest to control or silence Him. How did they do this? They labeled Him with all kinds of hurtful titles:
• They called him Beelzebul/Beelzebub in Matthew 12;24. By so doing, they accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan.
• They called him “A glutton and a drunkard” (Matt. 11:19).
• They called him “A man possessed by a demon” (John 10:20). This way, they could hopefully explain away his miraculous works.
• They called Him “A seducer and a deceiver (John 7:12). They accused him of leading the common people away with erroneous teaching concerning the Scriptures.
• They called Him “A friend of tax collectors and sinners,” (Luke 7:34). This was their attempt at guilt by association. They sought to shame him by his fraternizing with the social outcasts of the day . . . instead of hanging out with the likes of them, the so-called “righteous.”
• They said He was “Born of fornication” (John 8:41). With this moniker, they implied his parents had him out of wedlock.
All of these statements are illustrations of blasphemia. It is using words to cut, hurt, and destroy another person. Are you guilty of this type of activity? It’s time to put a stop to it and start learning how to speak words of truth, love, and care.
Next up is abusive speech. The Greek word here is aischrologia (αἰσχρολογίαν). This is the ancient term for foul language, coarse humor, or obscenity. What about you? Do you have a potty mouth? Do you use double entendre to turn innocent statements made by people into sexual jokes? Do you use foul language to emphasize points when you argue with your husband or wife? Do you use all the wrong words when you are playing a sport? Anymore, it seems like abusive speech is on an uptick. Used to, cussing wasn’t heard in the political arena, but today it is becoming the way one political side denigrates the other. People used to be very careful how they spoke to law enforcement personnel, but not anymore. Abusive speech instantly spews forth from hearts full of darkness and hate. I know of one special needs teacher who, years ago, resigned from the job she had loved for over twenty years because the students constantly cussed her out in class, and the parents wouldn’t do anything to help her. Finally, one day, she had had enough and quit.
When I played sports in high school, I struggled with this particular garment. As with any sin, the more you do it, the less you feel convicted about it, and the easier it is to do. It took me years, but eventually the Lord gave me victory. He can give you victory, too, if you will but ask Him.
Last up is an ugly garment we know too well: lying.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
9 μὴ ψεύδεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους, ἀπεκδυσάμενοι τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον σὺν ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτοῦ
Interestingly, Paul combines a negative here with a present-tense imperative, μὴ ψεύδεσθε. Grammatically, this expressly forbids an action in progress, meaning the saints in Colossae were guilty of lying to each other. Sad, isn’t it? Why do believers lie? For the same reasons unbelievers lie: to protect themselves, to avoid punishment, to get ahead of others by stretching information, to maintain social peace . . . Oh, that was a great performance, when it really stunk, to maintain a positive self-image, to get something you want, to hurt another person, or to look good to others . . . who can forget Ananias and Sapphira who lied to Peter about the money they would give to the Church (Acts 5).
Why shouldn’t we lie? We shouldn’t lie because it is an illustration that we are still wearing a garment from our old, sinful life, a life that should, at this point, be gone. Do you struggle with telling the truth? Do you twist the truth to make yourself look better? Have you told so many lies that you have a hard time keeping track of what you have said to whom? Satan, of course, is the father of lies, so to tell them is to emulate his evil behavior. It’s far wiser to be a person who speaks the truth all the time. So, if this godless garment is part of your wardrobe, I know the Lord wants you to take it off right now, lay it at His feet, ask Him for forgiveness, and then receive the power and ability to be a truth speaker.
Telling the truth is always beneficial. When I sold boats in college at my roommate’s father’s massive boat store in Los Angeles, I eventually specialized in selling the used boats out back that no one wanted to sell because the commission wasn’t that big. I, on the other hand, was a poor student who needed money, so any sale was a good one. So, I decided to take a different approach to selling the used boats. Unlike some of the other salesmen, I was determined to tell the truth about the boats. I held no facts back, even if it cost me a sale. In time, I sold more used boats than the other salesmen because I told the truth. Telling the truth is always the higher road to take in life. Will you take this road for a change?
As Paul did in the opening verses, he moves again to give us some motivation for the command he just gave us:
The Motivation for Clothing Change (Col. 3:10-11)
Why should you remove this godly clothing just mentioned?
10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him 11 — a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
(Col. 3:)
For one, you should trade these godless garments for godly ones because this is evidence that you have put on the new self, or you have become a believer who models their life after Jesus Christ, the Savior. For another, you should trade garments because godly ones don’t create barriers between people. Sinful garments destroy relationships and build walls between people. Holy garments build relationships and destroy the walls that keep people distant from one another. What greater thing could you do, then, in a local church, than really live like you are being renewed in your thinking and acting by wearing garments that Christ wore when He walked among us?
Therefore, I must ask you again: What garments need to go? It’s time to get rid of them. It’s time to live the renewed life Jesus wants you to enjoy. But you have to take the first step. Who will step forward?
