July 13, 2025
Living it Out: Unpacking Your Spiritual Wardrobe
Colossians 3:5-11
Have you ever done a massive closet clean-out? You pull everything out, and you sort through it: what fits, what doesn’t, what’s worn out, what you haven’t worn in years but can’t quite bring yourself to part with. It’s a process of deciding what to keep, what to discard, and what new things you might need.
In our passage today, the Apostle Paul is inviting us to a spiritual closet clean-out. He's calling us to examine the wardrobe of our lives and consider what we're truly wearing. Colossians 3:5-11 is a powerful call to radical transformation, a declaration of who we were, who we are in Christ, and how we are to live as a result.
Paul begins with a strong command in verse 5: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
"Put to death." That's not a gentle suggestion, is it? It's a violent, decisive action. Paul isn't talking about merely putting these things aside for a little while or trying to manage them. He's talking about execution. Why such a strong language? Because these vices, these aspects of our "earthly nature," are not just bad habits; they are fundamentally opposed to the life of God within us.
He lists five specific sins here:
• Sexual immorality (porneia): This is a broad term encompassing any sexual activity outside the bounds of a covenant marriage between a man and a woman.
• Impurity: This refers to moral uncleanness, a defilement of thought and action.
• Passion: (lust) Intense, uncontrolled desire, often sexual, but also for other things.
• Evil desires: A general term for all kinds of covetous and wicked cravings.
• Covetousness: (greed) An insatiable desire for more, especially material possessions. Paul famously calls greed "idolatry." Why? Because when we chase after things, money, or power with a relentless desire, those things become our gods. They become what we serve, what we worship, what we trust in more than the living God.
Paul reminds us of the consequences of these things in verse 6: “On account of these, the wrath of God is coming.” This isn't about scaring us into good behavior, but a stark reminder of the gravity of sin and its ultimate separation from a holy God.
He then connects this to our past in verse 7: “In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.” This is crucial. Paul is acknowledging our past but also drawing a clear line. "You used to walk in these ways." The emphasis is on the past tense. This is not who we are anymore.
This leads him to another strong command in verse 8: “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” Here, Paul expands the list of what we need to "rid ourselves of." This metaphor suggests taking off dirty clothes. These are sins that often manifest in our relationships with others:
• Anger: Not righteous indignation, but uncontrolled fury
• Wrath: Explosive outbursts of temper
• Malice: A desire to harm others, ill-will
• Slander: Speaking false or damaging statements about someone
• Obscene talk: Obscenity, vulgarity, or words that tear down rather than build up
Then, Paul gives us another imperative in verse 9: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.” Lies destroy trust, and they are fundamentally opposed to the truth of Christ. Lying is a characteristic of the "old self," the person we were before we came to know Christ.
However, this is where the passage turns, where the "why" becomes clear. Verse 10 states: “and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” This is a powerful truth! We are not just called to take off the old, but to put on the new. This "new self" is not something we earn or achieve by our own effort. It is a gift, a spiritual transformation that takes place when we are united with Christ. When we are "in Christ," we are given a new identity, a new nature.
What is this new self? It is "being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." This is a process. We are being continually renewed, transformed to become more like Christ. It’s like a sculptor constantly refining their work, bringing out the intended image. This renewal happens as we grow in our knowledge of God and His truth, as we walk with Him.
Finally, Paul drives home the profound implications of this new identity in verse 11: “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in.”
This is a revolutionary statement! In the ancient world, these divisions were paramount.
• Gentile or Jew: The fundamental religious and ethnic divide
• Circumcised or uncircumcised: The mark of the covenant for Jews
• Barbarian, Scythian: Culturally "uncivilized" versus "civilized" people
• Scythians were considered particularly wild and savage
• Slave or free: The most significant social and economic divide
In Christ, all these distinctions, which once defined and divided humanity, are rendered meaningless. Why? “Because Christ is all and is in all.”
This means:
• Christ is all: He is preeminent. He is the one who defines us, not our ethnicity, social status, or background. He is our identity.
• Christ is in all: He indwells every believer, regardless of their past or their worldly distinctions. This creates radical unity among believers. The same Holy Spirit, the same Lord, lives in each of us.
So, what does this mean for us today?
First, it means radical repentance and ongoing vigilance. The "putting to death" of the old self is not a one-time event, but an ongoing commitment. Just as we might find a forgotten dirty sock in the closet, so too can old habits and sinful patterns try to creep back into our lives. We must constantly surrender these areas to God, confess them, and ask for His strength to resist. Are there "earthly natures" or "old self" practices that still cling to you? Name them, confess them, and invite Christ to help you put them to death.
Second, it means embracing our new identity in Christ. We are not defined by our past sins, our failures, or even our worldly successes. Our deepest identity is found in being a child of God, redeemed by Christ, and indwelled by the Holy Spirit. This new self is being continually renewed. Are you living as if you have "put on the new self"? Do your thoughts, words, and actions reflect the image of your Creator?
Third, it means living in unity and love with fellow believers. If Christ has broken down all the walls that divide us – racial, social, economic, cultural – then we, His church, must reflect that unity. Our churches should be places where these worldly distinctions are irrelevant, where love for Christ and for one another transcends all else. Do you see your brothers and sisters in Christ through the lens of His love, or through the filters of worldly divisions?
This passage is a challenge and encouragement. It’s a challenge to deal decisively with sin and encouragement because we are not left to do it with our own strength. We have been given a new self, and we are being continually renewed by God’s power.
Let us, then, live out the truth of who we are in Christ. Let us continually shed the dirty rags of the old self and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, adorn ourselves with the beautiful wardrobe of the new self, reflecting the image of our Creator, to the glory of God.
