Colossians 3:1-11. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, September 28, 2025.
In the first two chapters, we have looked at the details of who Jesus is. He is the Messiah, but he is more than that. He is also the Creator who even hold all things together. It is a mistake to think of Jesus as merely a human who has been elevated to a high position. He is the first light that came forth from the Father to do His will in creation, and he is now doing the Father’s will in the New Creation.
The identity of Jesus is also connected to what he has done, particularly in the salvation that he has done for all who believe upon him. In Jesus, believers don’t just have all that they will need. We really do have all things, period, in Christ. There is absolutely nothing that others can come along and offer us that we don’t already have in Christ. This is where the Colossians have been susceptible to the deceivers and charlatans in their midst. These charlatans are not adding anything to Christ. Instead, they are separating you from trusting Christ completely.
In chapter 3, Paul now turns to an exhortation on what it means to live for Christ in the light of these great doctrinal truths laid out in chapters one and two.
Let’s look at our passage.
Paul begins with the words, “Therefore, if…” He is giving some conclusion type statements that flow out of what has been said so far. The teaching of who Christ is and what he has done is intended to make an impact upon the life of those who embrace it.
The conditional, “if,” is not so much questioning whether this has happened, but rather, lays out a logical progression from that reality. Thus, it can some times have the sense of “since this is true, then….” Of course, Paul is addressing a group. It is possible that he means it both ways. Some of them may need to examine themselves, whether they are truly in the faith. However, the main concern is for the Colossian Christians to see how the truths about Jesus should connect to their daily walk.
Also, though he is speaking to them as a group, and he will list some imperatives that are also in the plural, each one of them (us) will need to make an individual decision to heed the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Paul.
This brings us to the second part of the conditional statement. Paul basically says the same thing two different ways. First, they are to keep seeking, and second, they are to set their minds on the things above. The first has to do with seeking something, which can be seen as an external things. Yet, the second helps us to see that Paul is not just concerned about external action. The focus of our minds and the activity of our life need to be the things that are above where Christ is. Essentially, Paul is calling us to be concerned with heavenly matters, the purposes and desires of God.
We see this in the Lord’s prayer. We are praying that the Lord’s Kingdom would come and that His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Paul is not just talking about contemplating mysteries in the heaven. He is talking about the reality that it is the desire of God that we live out His purposes on this earth. However, this takes a person who is looking for that, seeking it, focused on it. What is God’s will for me down here?
Let’s take Jesus for example. He could have lived his life in a mortal body any number of ways, but God the Father had a particular purpose for his mortal body. Jesus sought to live out the purposes of heaven, of his heavenly Father, rather than purposes that his fleshly body would like. Yet, the Father wanted him to sacrifice that mortal life in order to redeem those who would believe on Jesus. God’s concerns are very different from ours. He really wants to save anyone who wants His help.
This helps us to see why the kings of the earth and all those who have power cannot save humanity, even if they really wanted to do so. Unless they die to themselves and seek the purposes of God, they are doomed to seek the purposes of their flesh. Humanity has a spiritual problem that cannot be solved through fleshly means.
What Paul is saying here is the same thing that Jesus was saying in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:31-34. He was challenging his followers to quit seeking the things of their flesh and focusing their minds on how they can get the things of this world for their flesh. Rather, we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and God will make sure our bodies and lives are provisioned. Notice, that seeking the Kingdom of God is seeking His purpose and will. Yet, the rule of God has very real focus on what happens on this earth. If you live for your flesh, you will live at a level that only brings death. However, if you live for the will of God, then you will live at a level that brings life into this world.
You see when we pray, “Your Kingdom Come; Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are not asking God to fix everyone else around us so that our experience and circumstances are good. Rather, we are praying for God to show us what that would look like in us, in our life. God, let your Kingdom come…through me! This is what Jesus did.
God is greatly concerned about the earth, about our jobs, our marriages, our families, the politics of our land, etc. But, He is calling us to seek Him and live lives focused on what He would have us do. His heart will direct our earthly enterprise, and we will become something greater than we could ever be as His purpose flows through us into the world around us. It starts in me, and then moves to my family, then to my neighbors, and beyond. This is to be our focus.
In verse one, Paul emphasized that Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father. On one hand, he could know this because Jesus ascended into heaven before his disciples. Also, the Deacon Stephen described Christ standing at the right hand of the Father during his stoning. Yet, this is also a direct allusion to Psalm 110. David’s lord is seated at the Father’s right hand, and he rules over those who volunteer to serve him. This will go on until the time the Father is ready to put Messiah’s enemies under his feet. This is also connected to the Son of Man in Daniel 7, although we are not told there that the Son of Man sits at the Father’s right hand. To be seated at the right hand of the throne is to be able to exercise the power of the throne. Jesus has authority over all powers and authorities in the heavens and on the earth (Colossians 2:10).
Why does the Messiah sit at the Father’s hands for a season? The Father is allowing people on earth to make a decision. Will they be on the side of His Messiah, or will they follow the path of the flesh? Yet, his sitting at the right hand of the Father also has a sense to it where the Christ and his glory is “hidden” (verse 3). Jesus did not show himself to the whole world following his resurrection. Rather, he showed himself to a select group who would be his witnesses to the world. More than this, he confirmed that this was more than a trick through signs and wonders, which involved amazing healings, casting out demons, and many other amazing miracles.
Of course, we are not in heaven. We are here on the earth. This is why Paul reminds us that our life is hidden in Christ and will be revealed in glory at the glorious Second Coming of Jesus. This isn’t obvious to the world, and you too may have trouble believing it at times.
At the Second Coming, Christ in all his glory will be revealed to the world (Revelation 19). Yet, at this time, we also will be revealed in glory. This is what Romans 8:19 is referencing. The whole creation groans, eagerly awaiting the revelation of the sons of God (that’s you and me!). It will be quite obvious who you are on that day. We are to live today in the light of the glory that we are destined to receive.
Since you are a child of God who is going to come with Christ in glorified form, then you should be focused on something in particular today. Verse 5 literally calls us to put to death “those members that are connected to the earth.” What does that mean?
This is limb terminology, the members refer to the parts of the body, particularly the limbs. Of course, Paul is not suggesting that we lop off hands and start gouging out eyes, literally. The “limbs” or “members” that we are to remove are listed in verse five. But, before we get into the list, we should recognize that we do not do these things in order to be saved. Paul is pointing to the glorious future we have with Christ as the reason to remove these things. Simply put, we do not do these things in order to be saved, but because He has saved us. We don’t do them to have a future, but because God has promised us a glorious future.
It might be easier to think of this in pruning terms. Jesus in John 15:2 says that every branch in him that bears fruit will still be pruned in order to be more fruitful. Paul is picturing bad things that need to be cut off. However, pruning may also cut off perfectly good things. They are removed in order to make room for carbon dioxide and sunlight. This increases fruitfulness.
Though pruning may be easier for us to understand, putting things to death and hacking off limbs refers to war. And, if you have ever tried to fight against sin, you know that it is a difficult battle in which you will need to kill the lusts of the flesh within yourself over and over again.
Christ is coming (verse 4), and the wrath of God will come upon those who continue in disobedience to the Father and His Messiah (verse 6). They continue to reject Jesus and the new life that he offers.
So, we need to be cutthroat about sexual immorality in our life, that is any sexual activity that is outside of a marriage commitment between one man and one woman. We need to remove that from our life. We also need to cut off impure things, passion (driven by the flesh), evil desires, and greed, which is called idolatry.
Idolatry is the worship of something that is not God in His place. It is to surrender to something that is created the type of devotion and influence on your life that only God should be given. A greedy person can never have enough. They are never satisfied because the thing they greedily desire has become something more than it should be in their life. We see this in the lives of people who are greedy for money, or can never get enough alcohol or drugs. These things take over their lives and become the sole purpose that directs their lives to the detriment of all other people, even themselves.
In verse 7, he highlights that this is how they used to live (before Christ). You used to be this way, but you can also be pulled back into those things. A believer lives a life of focus on the purposes of heaven and not the purposes of their own flesh. Believers are putting off these things of the flesh.
This is what verse eight emphasizes. Paul uses the language of taking off and putting on clothing. We are to put off the “clothing” of the prior life, lived in the darkness of ignorance. We can take off the sinful desires and actions of our heart, and we can then put on the righteousness of Christ.
This leads to another list.
The things of our past, flesh-focused life involve anger and wrath. The word malice ahs the idea of having an over all demeanor of being bad to others. We are to take off (or put off) slander. The word is literally blasphemy, but was used of both God and other humans. At its core, blasphemy is saying something that is not true about others. It is a form of lying. It can be done knowingly, on purpose, but it can also be done out of a lack of concern about the truth. I can slander people who I don’t like because I feel like they are bad, but have never taken the time to find out the truth. These things are wrong and called blasphemy. He also tells them to put off abusive (or filthy) speech. He ends the list with lying to one another. Verse 9 refers to this activity as the “old self,” or “old man.” These are the kinds of things that your old self used to do. Cut them out of your life. Take off those clothes and burn them in the fireplace!
Of course, we will have failures, but over time, if we keep focused, God will give us victory and we will become more and more fruitful for the Kingdom of God. You can’t do this alone, or by your own strength. The good news is that it is God who is working with you and in you to make this possible.
Put on the new self (new man) (v. 10-11)
In verse 9 and 10, Paul pictures this taking off and putting on as something that happened in the past. “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self…” This is something that we have to embrace. There is a point in our life where we hear the Spirit calling us to die to the old life and come alive to the new. The positive response of our heart to the Spirit happened at a point of time, and it had a real transformative effect within us.
Yet, this putting to death of the flesh is not done in one day. It will not be done by one decision or action. I see this first part as a sort of burning the ships behind you. Another image is that of “crossing the Rubicon.” You reach a place where you are committed to putting these things to death. This is what Paul is referencing here, your decision to follow Jesus, and not yourself or the world.
Yet, verse 10 tells us that the new self “is being renewed (renovated) to a true knowledge…” This renewal is not in the past tense. Rather, it is a present process that is happening in the life of the person who has chosen to follow Jesus. The Holy Spirit daily works in our life to help us prune, put to death, those things that are of the old man. He also works in our life to help us put on, cause to grow, the new self that looks like Jesus (the image of Christ). Next week, we will look at a list of good things that Paul gives, but verse 10 gives us the principle that governs the list. We are not only being renewed into the image of Jesus as he is right now in the heavens. We are first being renewed into the image of Jesus as he lived out the purposes of God the Father on this earth. We are learning to follow him in his humility, suffering, and commitment to pleasing the Father. He is our pattern, our template, the image that we seek to live out in this life.
There is a cooperation between the Holy Spirit and us in this renovation. The power is His, but we must take the steps of faith to see it flow through our lives. This renovation is finally completed by the power of Christ at our resurrection.
Verse 11 ends with the point that this renewal is such that the distinctions of this world become irrelevant. The distinctions that he lists could be expanded into others. In Christ, believers are not focused on distinctions that have been important in the past: Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian or Scythian, slave or free, etc. The purpose of God is to save all people no matter how far from him they have been, and no matter what class of people they are a part.
Why is this so? It is so because Christ is everything and is in everything. That last part is not meant in a New Age sort of way. Paul is telling them that Christ is everything you need, regardless of how many poor categories you may find yourself. He is your everything, and he will be in all the things that you face in your life. He is with the martyr at the end of his life. He is with the evangelist when someone ridicules and spits in his face. Christ is with you in all these battles that you fight against your old man. When you feel like God has forsaken you, trust His word that says He hasn’t! Know that even in this thing you are facing, the Lord Jesus is working out the purpose and will of God the Father. You are a part of His Kingdom coming into this world!