So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth.
Into the Text
As Christians, we have to learn to live with the difficult tension of the “already but not yet.” All of the spiritual blessings the Bible speaks about are ours already, but we are still waiting for the full enjoyment of them.
So, while it is true that our old man, our sinful nature, has died, Paul realizes that sin is still very much inside each of us. When we became Christians, we had a new birth. God has made us into new creatures. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!”
Our old nature has been killed, but we are still tempted to put on the old clothes we used to wear. God has given us a brand new nature and brand new clothes to go along with it. Growing in sanctification means putting away more and more of those old, dirty rags, throwing them out, and putting on the beautiful new clothes which Jesus has bought for us. Paul is saying to the Colossians, “Since you are a new creation, dress like one.”
Because our sinful nature has been given the decisive death blow, we are confident that it’s only a matter of time until we are perfected in heaven. But until then, we are called to a life of constant battle to put sin to death.
The difference to our lives before we became Christians is that now we can actually engage in the battle. Before, we neither had the will nor the power to resist sin’s temptations. It’s only because God’s Spirit lives in us that we have any hope of battling sin successfully. Because of Jesus, we can fight with confidence, believing that He will give us the victory.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for making victory over sin possible. I need your power today as I engage in this spiritual battle. Amen.