The Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Colossians

July 1

Now we face an abrupt change of emphasis in the book. At first, when I read “If then,” I think it could be “Since then.,” making it almost rhetorical, assuming all the readers were in Christ, but that is not the case. Εἰ οὖν συνηγέρθητε τῷ Χριστῷ, Ei oun synēgerthēte tō Christō, “If then you have been raised with Christ,.” Ei, if, a conditional conjunction, followed by any verb (here, sunegeiro), expresses a condition thought as real, understanding that the assumption may only be portrayed as factual. So, while Paul is not exactly asking a question, it is almost like he is say (in view of chapter 2) “make doggone sure. . .” The reason? When you read Paul in the larger New Testament context, you will find his teaching that “being raised” (being saved) results in a change of character, habits, and direction in life. Salvation frees us to serve God. Paul expressed this free to serve in Romans 7:4-6, “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” When I read this, I must always ask myself, “Do I know that I know that I am saved?” If you cannot answer yes, religion has overtaken you instead of faith in Christ.

July 2

Chapter 3, Verse 1, con’t, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God,”

Sunegeiro, from sun = together with, and egeiro = to waken or to raise up, used on by Paul three times in the New Testament, here and in Colossians 2:12 and Ephesians 2:6, is an aorist indicative, meaning it is a historical action that happened in the past. The implication is pure, simple, and powerful. The apostle wrote this to remind the Colossians, and all believers, that God’s plan existed long before any of us were ever born. Just before his betrayal by Judas, Jesus prayed, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:1-5). At the end of that priestly prayer, he said, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that yu have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:20-24). Everyone who accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord has been raised from death to life. Our lives have been changed by his righteousness that is applied to our lives by his Spirit. And that is something that cannot change. Jesus was walking through the temple on day and a group of Jesus asked him is he was the Christ. He answered, ““I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:25-30). Here is the point. If you are saved by grace, you are kept by the power of that grace. Your salvation is eternal, your future is secure, and your response should be gratitude and service to the cause of Christ which is sharing your faith with others.

July 3

Chapter 3, Verse 1, con’t, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God,”

τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε, ta anō zēteite, “the things above seek.” zeteo, I seek, is properly “to seek by inquiring,” hence, getting to the bottom of a matter. Many, if not most, people who by faith accept Jesus as Savior and Lord believe that somehow–magically, by osmosis, even supernaturally–all the questions about how to live the Christian life are suddenly going to be answered. That is why Paul said seek. Jesus, himself, said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). He also said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). Pursuing God requires investigation and it is a search that never ends. How do we do it? By and in the faith that saved us. Paul wrote, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:1-6). As we chase after the things of God, God rewards us with understanding. Paul told Timothy that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). And in verse 11 of that same chapter, he wrote, “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” Being in the word and spending time praying about all the issues of life will lead us to do at least two things. The first is letting go of the worldly desires that so easily overtake us and sidetrack our lives. And the second is we will want to help others know Jesus and the life they can have following after him.

July 4

Chapter 3, Verse 1, con’t, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God,”

Near the end of the Last Supper, after Judas left on his mission to betray the Lord, Jesus said to the remaining disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3). The morning of the resurrection, when Mary recognized Jesus outside the tomb, he said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). And in Matthew 28, right before Jesus ascended back into heaven, he told the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (verses 18-20). Mark reported the end of this declaration with these words, “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19). The one who is our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5, μεσίτης, mesités, mediator = “a go between” who is an agent of something good) is representing us in heaven before the Father. God, the Father, sees all believers in Christ and that is where our focus should be–not on the place, but on the person of Jesus, the lovely Son of God who gave himself for us, defeated death, rose again, and ascended into heaven where we will one day all be together. In this first two chapters of Colossians, Paul addressed doctrinal issue and warned us not to be focused on the worldly. In chapters three and four, he talks about the practical ways in which we walk in the power of God. He begins by telling us to look up and see Jesus so that we can reflect who he is to the world that is always looking down.

July 5

Chapter 3, Verse 2, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖτε, ta anō, phroneite, “The things above set [your] minds on,” Seek and set, focus and think. phroneo means to have understanding. It is used in the form of “I think,” “I judge,” “I observe,” or “I direct my mind to seek.” The idea is that whatever is your inner perspective will regulate/guide your outward behavior. Another way to look at it is your personal opinion fleshes itself out in action. Some people set their minds on education and end up teaching in a university. Others set their minds on a sport and end up at the Olympics. It is sort of like the focus of a laser. It is powerful and intense. The apostle James opened his letter by telling his readers they would face trials and the trials would test their faith and make it strongers. The he wrote, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” The wisdom of God comes to us when we put him first (seek/focus on) and learn to think (set our minds) about what is important to him. Here is what Paul said about setting our minds. . .”For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:5-6). When the Spirit of God guides our minds/thinking, the result is peace even in the midst of a storm.

July 6

Chapter 3, Verse 2, con’t, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

That sounds pretty straight forward, right? Seek and think about heavenly pursuits instead of stuff here on earth. But what about hamburgers and fries, ice cream and puppies? This is where we sometimes get mixed up about Paul’s instruction. He is not so much addressing the things we can handle but, rather, the intangibles of morality and ethics–the difference between right and wrong. Think about it like this: what is right to me may not seem right to someone else, but what does God have to say about it in his word? In 1 John 2:15-16, the apostle John wrote, (I prefer the King James Version here for clarity), “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” ἐπιθυμία, epithumia, “lust,” is talking about an inordinate desire or passionate longing that robs our minds. Our mouths water for whatever it is that takes our focus off God and puts it on something else. It is what we feel and see that captures our attention. ἀλαζονεία τοῦ βίου, alazoneia tou biou, “pride of life,” is talking about boasting in self and being arrogant thinking we know more about life than God. That is exactly what got Adam and Eve in trouble in Eden and nothing has change. The considerations of this life are all temporary, save one–will we accept Jesus and follow him or not. That decision has eternal consequences.

July 7

Chapter 3, Verse 3, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

ἀπεθάνετε γάρ, apethanete gar, “You have died for.” When Paul wrote, “you have died,” what does that really mean to us? It cannot be referring to physical death because we, like his original readers, are still alive and breathing. But it is not figurative either because a death actually occurred. In Romans 6: 1-11, Paul wrote, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Every believer, at the moment they repent and trust Christ, goes through an instantaneous spiritual transformation whereby their dead spirit is brought to life–that is the baptism Paul speaks about in these verses. When that which was dead is made alive we “walk in the newness of life.” Sin no longer has dominion over us–it is not gone from our physical life, but in our spirit we have been “set free from sin.” The beauty of this transaction is found in Romans 6:12-14, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” The grace of God sets us on a new path where we are free to walk with Christ and tell the world about his amazing love.

July 8

Chapter 3, Verse 3, con’t, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

ἡ ζωὴ ὑμῶν κέκρυπται σὺν τῷ Χριστῷ, hē zōē hymōn kekryptai syn tō Christō, “the life of you has been hidden with Christ.” zoe, “life,” has a general and universal meaning; that is, the state of one who is alive and breathing, animate. It also has a particular meaning when it is describing real and genuine life; that is, one who is living for God. It is the life of all believers who have put their faith and trust in Christ both for the present and eternity. In this verse the use is, of course, the latter. kekryptai, from krupto, “to hide,” used to mean “I hide, conceal, lay up,” here, “has been hidden,” is a perfect verb indicating an action in the past (the moment you were saved) with eternal effect because it remains hidden permanently. For the believer, death is over (aorist) and the hidden life (perfect) is forever. Walking with God need not be fearful and filled with doubt because as Fanny Crosby penned in her great hymn, I am safe in the arms of Jesus.

July 9

Chapter 3, Verse 3, con’t, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

σὺν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, syn tō Christō ἐν tō Theō, “with Christ in God.” Here, Paul is addressing our position of complete and eternal peace, safety, and security. In Romans 5:1, he wrote, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus made our peace with God by his sacrifice at Calvary. His shed blood covers our sin. In Romans 8, Paul wrote about believers being joint-heirs with Christ (vs. 17), meaning everything that is his is also ours. When I realize the immensity of that idea, for me, it is a wow moment. And then, in Romans 8:38-39, he wrote, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” But when I think about being captured and held by God’s grace, my mind is always drawn to John 10 where Jesus twice said, “I am the good shepherd.” He refers to us, believers, as his sheep. In verses 22-29, Jesus, walking through the temple, is confronted by non-believers. He said to them, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” Here is our absolute safety and security, plainly explained. We who are saved have eternal life, we will never perish, and we are covered by the grip of God and his Son who never lose us for let us go.

July 10

Chapter 3, Verse 4, “When Christ who is your life appears, then you will also appear with him in glory.”

ὅταν ὁ Χριστὸς φανερωθῇ ἡ ζωὴ ὑμῶν, hotan ho Christos phanerōthē hē zōē hymōn, “When Christ may be revealed, the life of you.” For every true believer, it can and should be said, “Christ is my life.” This is reflected in Paul’s words back in Colossians 1:24-27, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed (revealed = phaneros) to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Right now, today, Jesus is our hope, and he is our future hope, as well. Additionally, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:7-11, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested (manifested = phaneros) in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” Here again, we see Jesus manifested–revealed in and through our lives of faith. He is shown to the world in our victories and in our afflictions. We know this because “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1John 4:4). The Lord Jesus is in us and we are in him–in Colossians alone, being “in him” is stated outright or reflected 49 times. Because I am saved and walking in the light of his word, there is no way the word cannot see him in me. And they should.

July 11

Chapter 3, Verse 4, con’t, “When Christ who is your life appears, then you will also appear with him in glory.“

Then, tote, is a powerful little word in this verse. Why? Because it is time-sensitive. When is this then? This is at the Second Coming of Jesus. Some believe it is at the rapture of the church–it could be–while others believe it is when Jesus arrives from heaven with his army to do battle against the forces of evil. Revelation 19:11-16, says, Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” I believe it is this latter event just before the Great White Throne judgment of those who reject Jesus. Who is involved in this then? Every believer is included. 1 John 3:1-2, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears (phaneroo) we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” How is this then possible? Paul wrote in Romans 5:1-5, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Our faith in Jesus is the connecting link to his glory and our daily walk is preparing us to share it. What happens that brings us to this then? To the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (3:17-22). So, how should I live my life to be an example others so that they, too, (if the are not saved) will want to be included in this glorious event? Philippians 3:12-16, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.” Believers, keep on keeping on for Jesus so that whenever we are revealed with him, our friends and families will be with us.

July 12

Chapter 3, Verse 5, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

Νεκρώσατε οὖν, Nekrōsate oun, “Put to death therefore.” oun is a conjunction that can be translated “now then” or “accordingly,” but most of the 526 times it is used in the New Testament, it is rendered “therefore.” In the vernacular, it is used to mean “what follows connects back to what I just said.” Remembering the “if then” concerning salvation, seeking heavenly pursuits and thinking about those callings (vss. 1-2), we who are redeemed by the blood of the lamb are to. . .therefore. . .nekrosate, “put to death” certain things in our lives. νεκρόω, nekroo, the verb root come from nekros = corpse-like, meaning to view something as without life, and so deprives that thing of life or energizing power. In a nutshell, Paul is writing about sin. In Hebrew 12:1, he put it like this, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” We must lighten our load of the world and take on the things of Jesus which are easy to carry. In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

July 13

Chapter 3, Verse 5, con’t, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ta melē ta epi tēs gēs, “the members which [are] upon the earth.” mele, a form of μέλος, melos, refers to a part belonging to a whole; in this case, a limb. Figuratively, it generally refers to any function of the human personality. And, according to Ephesians 5:30, it is used specifically to describe believers as part of the body of Christ. Generally speaking, we do not get much done without our limbs. Our hands touch things and the subsequent feeling helps identify objects. Our hands can be used to help someone, but they can also be used to inflict injury. Our legs and feet carry us either to do good in the light of day or evil in the darkness of night. And it is not just our appendages that can cause trouble. In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus said, ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” What we choose to see and hear can be just as destructive as our hands and feet. The desires of the flesh, advertised in every way possible by evil in the world, can draw us away from God–unless we work hard to overcome them.

July 14

Chapter 3, Verse 5, con’t, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

πορνείαν, porneian, in its simplest form is merely “immorality,” but as almost all New Testament usage is related to illicit sexual intercourse, it is usually translated “sexual immorality.” In the case of illicit sex, it is used in the Bible to describe adultery, fornication (generally meaning sex between two people who are not married), homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, and sex with a close relative. Metaphorically, pornea is used to describe idol worship including eating the sacrifices offered to idols. In the Greco-Roman context, porneia, from pornao = to sell, became porneuo = to play the harlot, and pornos = a male prostitute and originally referred to any excessive behavior or lack of restraint, but eventually (as in the present context) became associated with sexual excess and indulgence. In 1 Corinthians 6:18, Paul wrote, “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” The really sad part of this for a believer is what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Immoral acts draw us away from God and everyone around us can see it at work in our lives. Flee from it.

July 15

Chapter 3, Verse 5, con’t, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

ἀκαθαρσίαν, akatharsian, “impurity.” In the majority of translations, this word is translated “impurity” about half the time, and “uncleanness” the other half. ἀκαθαρσία, akatharsia, from A = not, and katharos = clean, because whatever is being discussed it not mixed with anything else, hence, pure, was commonly used to describe ritual impurity as in leprosy, an open infection, the fluids of childbirth, touching a corpse, etc.. In a moral sense, it was used to describe impure motives–and more often than not to describe the excesses of lustful, luxurious, profligate living. In Luke 15:13, where Jesus was sharing the parable of the prodigal son, he said the son “squandered his property in reckless living.” One of the greatest spiritual dangers believers face in an open, free market society is having much and being wasteful and greedy instead of being thrifty and helpful. Being wealthy does not mean you are “OK,” it just means you are rich in the things of the world. Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” If you are well-to-do, be sure you know Jesus, too.

July 16

Chapter 3, Verse 5, con’t, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

πάθος, pathos, “passion,” is from pasxo, “having strong feelings,” and is properly “raw emotions that are not guided by God. KJV “inordinate affection”, and NIV “lust,” pathos describes an inward emotion (a self-determined working of the mind) that is aroused frequently and regularly by an external stimulant (something seen, heard, or touched) that does not ease until it is satisfied. And as soon as it receives gratification, the cycle of strong desire moving toward continued pleasure and supposed satisfaction begins all over again–and again. Paul’s most telling treatise of pathos is found in Romans 1:18-27, where he wrote, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.” It is bad enough that this sort of passion produces unholy unions. But worse it what follows. In their rejection of God and his moral standard, their general conduct in life becomes totally chaotic and plain for all to see. Continuing in Romans 1, Paul wrote, “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” When you observe this sort of behavior, run away from it. Share Jesus if you can, but do not get caught up in the debauchery.

July 17

Chapter 3, Verse 5, con’t, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν, epithymian kakēn, “desire evil.” It should be obvious that all of the “attributes” of earthliness are very similar and interconnected. Desire, in this verse, is a form of epithymeo that combine epi = focused on, and thymos = passionate desire. It describes what a person truly yearns for in their gut. While not explicit, the implication is a want for something you cannot quite get, maybe because of cost of social status. Because of the context, the yearning would likely be something sexual. When you add kaken, “evil,” from kakos/kakia, meaning “inner malice,” the idea is something inwardly foul or rotten. Figuaratively, it refers to the inner malice that flows from a morally rotten character; hence, evil. Putting to death these earthly pursuits at least partly means staying away from them. In 1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul wrote, Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” And in Romans 7, as he discussed the inner war between what is spiritual and what is of the flesh, he wrote, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin (vss. 19-25). The battle is real, it is ongoing, but the victory is already ours in Jesus.

July 18

Chapter 3, Verse 5, con’t, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, kai tēn pleonexian, “and covetousness.” The root πλεονεξία, pleonexia, a feminine noun from pleion = “numerically more,” and exo = “have,” together meaning “the desire for more things,” is also translated “greed” and can be defined as such here. The idea is avarice with a strong desire to take and have advantage over another by having more of something; i.e., wealth. It is always used in a negative sense and represents an insatiable selfishness. Wanting more than you need (greed), especially when it becomes a strong desire to horde any sort of earthly wealth, can easily cause things to become your “god” and you end up serving that “god.” In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said, ““No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” We must remember contentment is the exact opposite of covetousness. And when we are content with God’s provision, we are actively fighting against all the other sins in this verse. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus went on to say, ““Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” We do not need to add to our troubles by being greedy; there is more than enough trouble to go around.

July 19

Chapter 3, Verse 5, con’t, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολατρία, hētis estin eidōlolatria, “which is idolatry.” The subject of idols and idolatry is more apparent in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. “Idol,” εἴδωλον, eidolon, (OT פֶּ֥סֶל, pesel, “a carved image”, and מִפְלֶצֶת, miphletseth, “a horrid thing) and “idolatry” eidololatria, (OT תְּרָפִים, teraphim) are only used 16 times in the New Testament of the total 122 times in the Bible. Also referred to as a graven image, it is something made by man or recognized from the natural world that supposedly deserves worship as if truly a god or representative of a god. By the time God gave the Hebrews the 10 Commandments through Moses, idolatry and images were common among the people (perhaps because they had spent many years in Egypt). The first two commandments speak directly to the subject. In Paul’s milieu, the practice was still in vogue as even the Roman Emperors were considered to be gods. Figuratively, though, the whole list of sins in Colossians 3:5, and especially covetousness, are considered idolatry. The reason is clear. Every one of these things take our eyes off of God and easily become obsessions in our lives. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:1-5Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” We cannot see and experience the will of God for our lives so long as we allow anything (idols) to steal our focus away from Jesus.

July 20

Chapter 3, Verse 6, “On account of these the wrath of God is coming.”

δι’ ἃ, di ha, “because of which things” or “on account of these” is essentially the same as οὖν, oun, “therefore.” It is the general principle of reaction following action. Here, we are not talking about a possible reaction. In fact, if human were making the decision, depending on their reasoning at the time, the response may seem like no reaction at all. But when God is involved (and essentially, he is always involved whether or not we are aware), we can always expect a response/reaction to sinful conduct. Our sovereign God is keenly aware of everything, both the good and the bad. Paul wrote in Galatians 6:6-9, “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” There is a clear reason people without Jesus in their lives conduct themselves according to worldly standards. Paul told the Corinthians, “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). In that, we who know Jesus have a great responsibility. We must continue to share the gospel in the hope they will turn from sin and the world–to Jesus.

Chapter 3, Verse 6, con’t, “On account of these the wrath of God is coming.”

ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ, hē orgē tou Theou, “the wrath of God.” The words generally used to describe the idea of wrath are anger, passion, punishment, and vengeance. But is much more than all those together. Orge, from the verb orago, meaning “to teem, swelling up to constitutionally oppose,” is sometimes referred to as settled anger which flows from the disposition that steadfastly opposes someone or something based on repeated exposure to what the beholder deems wrong (unjust, evil). In regard to God, wrath is not a sudden reactionary outburst but, rather, a fixed, controlled, passionate feeling against sin. Because God is perfectly holy, he is required by his own nature to hate sin and in dealing with it, his wrath must be poured out against it. In Romans 2:1-5, Paul wrote, “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” This followed his treatise in Romans 1:18-32 regarding the sinful practices of man that dishonor God. The culmination of this is found in Revelation where the word wrath is used 11 times regarding the righteous anger of God being poured out on the nations for their willful disregard of his righteousness.

July 22

Chapter 3, Verse 6, con’t, “On account of these the wrath of God is coming.”

Mankind deserves the wrath of God because of their willful disregard of God and their reckless abandonment of his principles. So, Paul wrote it “is coming.” ἔρχεται, erchetai, is coming, is in the present tense instead of the expected future, and so it may be rendered “will come.” In most English translations (but not ESV, NLT, NIV), added to this verse is “on the sons of disobedience.” Some would argue the phrase is not original; I disagree because Paul used it in Ephesians 2:1-2, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” Clearly, the intent is to point out that those who flagrantly reject Jesus as well as those in the church who claim Christ but who, through their actions, display their actual disbelief, will suffer the wrath of God upon their eternal soul. Paul expressed it this way in Ephesians 5:6, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” John wrote, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” And in 1 John 5:12, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” While God is certainly long-suffering, and he does forgive all who come to him in faith, his divine righteousness demands judgement upon those who reject his Son who gave his life for their sin.

July 23

Chapter 3, Verse 7, “In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.”

Here, Paul spoke to the two main issues of life: walking, which has to do with visible, measurable conduct and, living, which speaks to the immaterial, spiritual essence and guiding principles of life. ἐν οἷς καὶ ὑμεῖς περιεπατήσατέ, en hois kai hymeis periepatēsate, “in which you also walked,” focuses on the verb περιπατέω, peripateó, built on perí, = “comprehensively around” and, patéō, = “walk,” properly walk around as in “going full circle.” The same verb is used in Ephesians 5:15 where Paul wrote, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise” (KJV). The Amplified Bible renders it, “Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people.” A good example of walking right is found in Luke 10:30-37. Jesus said, ““A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” The conduct of the religious people was selfishness, turning their eyes away from someone in need. The Samaritan, hated by Jews, stopped, ministered to the injured’s immediate needs, and continue to help later. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul wrote, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” In our everyday, walking around life, we who are believers are supposed to be an example for Christ as an act of worship–serving others for the sake of the Kingdom.

July 24

Chapter 3, Verse 7, “In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.”

If walking is what you do, living is who you are and that is what is in view here. All our actions, both good and bad, emanate from what we believe about life. The verb ζάω, zao, means “I live” or “I am alive.” For those in Christ, our living is based on the reality guided by the Spirit of God. For those outside the reality and truth of God, life is much different. Generally, people who ignore or outright deny God, live under a rationalist view of life, appealing to human reason to determine all that may be know. Like it or not, they are empiricists, drive by what they can see, touch, and feel. At the time of the Enlightenment (17th & 18th century Europe), rationalism became the abstract for atheism. Hence, if there is no deity, I can live my life as I like without fear of consequences. Effectively fatalists, they do not believe in an afterlife. In Psalm 14:1, we read, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.” The abominable deeds in this verse are what Paul spoke to in verse 5. In 1 Corinthians 6:18, 10:14, 1 Timothy 6:11, and 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul said to flee, run from such a style of life and seek after God.

July 25

Chapter 3, Verse 8, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from you mouth.”

νυνὶ δὲ , ἀπόθεσθε καὶ ὑμεῖς τὰ πάντα: nyni de, apothesthe kai hymeis ta panta:, “Now however, put off also all [these] things:” In chapter 3, the progression begins with If therefore you have been raised. . .seek and set your minds. . .Put to death therefore. . . because wrath is coming. . .and now in verse 8, nyni de, now however. Because you are saved, seek the things of heaven, put to death things of the flesh because God’s wrath is coming, and looking forward, you have a continuing job to do–apothesthe, put off, lay aside, get rid of, remove from you life. In Hebrews 12:1-2, Paul wrote, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” People are watching our lives and listening to our words because we claim Christ. Worldly stuff and ideas that offer no real value to us put a burden on our shoulders that weighs us down. That heavy load, that shouldn’t be there to begin with, leads us away from God, and blurs our walk before the lost. The confusion that weight brings into our lives limits our effective service Christ and his kingdom. So, put it all away for the glory of God.

July 26

Chapter 3, Verse 8, con’t,”But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from you mouth.”

ὀργήν, orgēn, “anger” Anger is a state of mind that hides deep in the heart and becomes the general attitude of a person who is controlled by it. Inducement does not create it, it merely shows that a person is angry in their heart and gives them a target to turn it loose upon. It is like when you have an inflamed sore that is causing constant pain and then something presses against it. Your response is indignant as you push away and possibly even curse. Anger works like that. Believers must learn to control their temper. Proverbs 14:17 says, “A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.” Proverbs 14: 29 adds, “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” And Paul gave this admonition, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27). If anger is in the heart of man (the mind, which is the seat of all emotion), then the remedy for it begins with flooding the mind with the Word of God. You have heard it said that the mind is the devil’s playground. Kick him out and put up a no trespassing sign by being in the Word every day.

July 27

Chapter 3, Verse 8, con’t, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from you mouth.”

θυμόν, thymon, “rage,” can be translated wrath but should not be confused with orge, “wrath” in regard to God. This word is from θυώ, thyo = “to rush along,” or “getting heated up” as in breathing violently and indicates passion-driven behavior or actions coming from strong, uncontrollable impulses. Where orge suggests a general state of mind that overshadows a persons view of all that is around them, thymos refers to a burning, sudden outburst of anger. The Greeks compared it to a fire in dry wood that flares up suddenly and just as suddenly is gone. It is not just an angry temperment. It is a violent temper. Rage of this sort happens when a person’s anger causes them to briefly “lost their mind” and sometimes causes real harm. In Galatians 5:16-21, Paul wrote, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger [thymos], rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Notice at the beginning of verse 19, Paul said the works of the flesh (as opposed to the work of the Spirit) are evident, Φανερὰ, phanera, in plain view and apparent. It is hard to hide rage–but it can be replaced by “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:22-24), through the love of God in Jesus.

July 28

Chapter 3, Verse 8, con’t, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from you mouth.”

κακίαν, kakian, “malice,” a noun meaning “wickedness,” is like its adjective, kakos, meaning “wretched evil,” both coming from kakopoieo, “a wicked disposition.” This is a frightening word describing the inherent evil that is present in the heart, even if it is not expressed outwardly. It is a mean-spirited and vicious attitude that becomes a habit of the mind. When expressed outwardly, malice seeks to do harm to others without caring about the consequences. In 1 Peter 2:13-16, Peter wrote in contrast, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil [kakias], but living as servants of God.” Hiding behind what might be considered good actions, the evil of malice becomes a cover for vicious intent. When people fail to recognize God in their lives, hatred easily becomes a natural part of their existence. Paul wrote in Romans 1:28-29, “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.” If this sort of behavior rises in the life of a person who claims to be a Christ follower, the must quickly examine themselves to determine if they are actually in the faith.

July 29

Chapter 3, Verse 8, con’t, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from you mouth.”

βλασφημίαν, blasphēmian, “slander;” primarily abusive, injurious language intended to tarnish a person’s reputation, the word combines blax = sluggish or slow and, pheme = reputation or fame–so literally slow to call something good and slow to identify somethig that is truly bad. In regard to God, blasphemy/slander is irreverent and profane speech intended to denigrate the majesty of God. Defamation, the actual loss of or injury to a person’s good name is it intention as it implies an an attack prompted by anger and hatred. Thus, slander is an erroneous expression of charges or misrepresentations which belittle another person’s reputation often causing them to fall into disrepute. It is trying to “tear them down” with lies. James described it like this, “the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God” (James 3:5-9). He went on to say, “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (vs. 10). I have been quoted many times as having said, “If you can’t say something good about someone, keep your dirty mouth shut.” I stand by those words.

July 30

Chapter 3, Verse 8, con’t, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from you mouth.”

αἰσχρολογίαν, aischrologian, “foul language;” defined as abusive language, it is used to mean filthy or foul speaking. Only used here in Colossians 3:8, it come from aischos = shameful or disgraceful, and lego = to say, denoting a speech in progress. In the vernacular, it could mean, “don’t use nasty words while your are talking.” In Ephesians 4:17-24, Paul wrote, “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” We are to move from the futility of the old (unsaved) self to the renewal of the new (saved) self. He further stated in verses 25-32, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” The crux of the matter is in verse 29, “let not corrupt talk — come out of your mouths.” The verb translated come out [“proceed” KJV, NASB, others] is a present imperative, a command to stop using “4-letter words” in our conversations. The world barely notices how common it is to use nasty language. Believers are to be different, especially knowing their children are listening. Sooner or later, they will repeat all the things you say. Be careful.

July 31

Chapter 3, Verse 8, con’t, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from you mouth.”

ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν, ek tou stomatos hymōn, “out of the mouth of you.” The anger and wrath that swells up in the mind (heart) produces malice, slander, and obscene talk. these three ought not to come out of the mouth of a believer. Instead of being hateful in thoughts and words, we should be kind. Solomon wrote, “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor” (Proverbs 21:21), and in Proverbs 31:26, writing about a woman who fears the Lord, he wrote, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” Regarding the fruit of the Spirit (that which emanates from a life in Christ), Paul wrote, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). The contrast to this is found in the previous verses, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). The case is clear. When our minds are guided by the Holy Spirit, the passions of the flesh can be controlled. When the god of the world has influence over us, control is simply not possible. And why do people act with rudeness and impunity? In Matthew 15:18-19, Jesus said, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” It is a selfish heart that lead to such conduct. That is why Paul ended Galatians 5 with, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (verse 26). Being in the Word because we are in Christ is the only remedy we have for overcoming the passions of the flesh.