Put to Death What Is Earthly
Hey my friends,
Pull up a chair for a minute. Grab an ice-cold lemonade or Southern sweet tea and open your Bible to Colossians 3. Paul’s been talking about how we’ve been raised with Christ and how our real life is hidden with Him in God. Now he gets practical—really practical.
Here’s what he says:
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.” (Colossians 3:5-7)
That “therefore” is important. He’s not suddenly switching gears into a list of rules so we can try harder. He’s saying, “Because you’ve already died and been raised with Jesus, live like it.”
“Put to death” is strong language. It’s not “try to do better” or “feel guilty about it.” It’s more like cutting something off because you know it’s hurting you. Think of it like finally unplugging a device that’s been draining the battery all night, or deciding you’re done feeding a habit that’s been quietly taking over. Paul isn’t asking us to manage these things. He’s calling us to stop giving them room to breathe.
I feel like we need to look at the list a little more closely, because these words can feel abstract until we see what they look like in real life. I believe it will do us good to know exactly what Paul is telling us to put to death in out lives.
Sexual immorality is any sexual activity outside of God’s design for marriage between a husband and wife. It includes adultery, premarital sex, pornography, and any other expression of sexuality that steps outside the covenant of marriage. It might look like secretly watching things you know you shouldn’t, justifying an emotional or physical affair because “it doesn’t feel wrong,” or treating sex as something casual rather than sacred.
Impurity is the broader category of uncleanness—anything that dirties the heart and mind. It can be the lingering effects of sexual sin, crude jokes that degrade others, or a thought life that stays stuck in places it doesn’t belong. Sometimes it’s the way we replay certain memories or images because part of us still wants them.
Passion refers to uncontrolled, burning desires that drive us. It’s the kind of craving that feels bigger than we are—whether sexual, emotional, or otherwise. It might show up as an almost compulsive need for attention, approval, or physical pleasure, where the desire itself starts calling the shots.
Evil desire is simply wanting what is wrong. It’s the quiet (or not-so-quiet) longing for something God has said no to. It can be the fantasy you keep returning to, the resentment you nurse because it feels justified, or the desire to get even, to escape, or to take what isn’t yours.
Covetousness, which Paul says is idolatry, is wanting what someone else has so badly that it becomes a rival god. It isn’t just wishing you had a nicer car. It’s the restless “if only” that steals your peace—comparing your marriage, your bank account, your looks, your ministry, or your life to someone else’s and believing that what they have would finally make you okay. It can hide in constant upgrading, in envy dressed up as ambition, or in the quiet bitterness that says, “God has been better to them than to me.”
Paul says these things are idolatry because they treat created things as if they were the Creator. They promise life, satisfaction, and identity, but they can’t deliver. My friends, these things aren’t just prevalent in the world, they are prevalent inside the family of God as well.
The Apostle also reminds us that God’s wrath is coming because of these things. That’s not God being mean. It’s God being unwilling to let His kids stay stuck in what destroys them. And then the good news: “In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.” Past tense. That used to be your story. You’re not living there anymore. You’ve been moved into a new place—with Christ. You can no longer use the excuse that you are merely human. Now that God has placed His Holy Spirit inside of you, you have access to His supernatural power to overcome these things.
Most of the time the Spirit doesn’t yell about these things. He just quietly puts His finger on something we’ve been feeding and says, “This doesn’t belong in your new life.” Putting it to death usually isn’t one big dramatic moment. It’s a bunch of small choices—closing the laptop, redirecting the thought, choosing not to rehearse the resentment, deciding you’re done chasing what only Jesus can give. And we can do that not because we’re strong, but because we’re already alive in Him.
A few questions to sit with
- As you look at that list, is there one thing the Spirit seems to be highlighting in your life right now? What would it look like to stop feeding it this week?
- Where have you been treating these things like minor issues instead of rival loves? How does remembering that you’ve already been raised with Christ change the way you look at them?
- Is there any part of your life where you’re still living like you belong to the old neighborhood? What would it look like to live more from your real address—hidden with Christ?
Prayer
Father, thank You that my life is already hidden with Christ in You. Show me the earthly things I’m still feeding. Help me starve them, not in my own strength, but because I’m already alive in Jesus. Teach me to live like someone who’s been raised. Amen.
Remember that warnings come because God deeply loves you and wants you to live in a close relationship with Him. He desires to give you a life that will become joyfully abundant by walking as His Son walked.
Your fellow sheep,
