Thursday, September 26, 2024
Clean your Closet – Colossians 3:5-15 Submitted by Kay Crumley
As I studied Colossians 3 over the last two weeks it occurred to me that these verses are a bit like cleaning out our closet, getting rid of those things we no longer need and replacing them with what is needed. Paul told his readers, in verses 1-4, that those who are in Christ have died to the old, sinful, nature and are now a new person in Christ. So, then, if the old person/nature has died we must ‘put to death’ the old behaviors. Sometimes when we clean out the closet, we put the discards in a pile but maybe let it set there for a time. That allows us to go back and pull out discarded garments. It was the most comfortable item we own even if it no longer ‘fits’ our new life we hate to give it away.
Paul tells us to not just move it to another place in the house but put those old lifestyles to death. Put those ‘garments’ in the burn pile and burn them immediately. Some are sexual sins that need to be removed. Others center around greed. Our world is full of enticements for having the newest, the best, and the most popular. I must pause and ask myself if that is a need or a want. Greed leads to idolatry. We may argue that we aren’t guilty of idolatry since we don’t have physical figures that we worship sitting in our homes. But we must ask if there is something so important to us that I put it first, before God, if so, that is our idol.
5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient 7 and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. 8 But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. 11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.
Secondly, in verse 8, Paul lists our attitude and speech as sinful characteristics of which must rid ourselves. We are to be truthful with one another as well as having a good attitude. Why? We have put on a new self, one that is like Christ. He doesn’t play favorites, so this applies to ALL those what are Christ followers.
Now that we have emptied our closets of those sinful ways, we may feel there is nothing that identifies us. However, we are not left without a closet full NEW characteristics we are to put on, a whole new wardrobe.
We are chosen by Him, His dearly loved children! We clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, long suffering, forgiving spirit (don’t hold grudges). The reason is simple, we have been forgiven by our Lord and we must forgive others just as He did. Finally, we are to put on the most beautiful cape or overcoat over all that. Put on love. His kind of love produces unity and peace.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful.
We read in 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. It’s easier to forgive the one we love. As a body of believers, we are called to love deeply those who follow Christ. We are one family, adopted as sons and daughters. Only with love that creates unity will we live in the peace of Christ with all who are the body of Christ. Then we can genuinely be thankful for all His many blessings, His great mercy, and His unending love.
Let’s give the closets of our character a good cleaning and completely destroy the sinful behaviors and attitudes so they can be replaced with His character as we grow in the image of Christ.
