When Paul wrote in Col. 3:5, admonishing us to “put to death that which belongs to your earthly nature”...do you suppose he put that in there for us to quote, analyze, and debate; or did he put that in there for us to ‘do’?

I can pretty well assure you that he was not using figurative language there either when he instructed us to ‘put it to death’. And if you are a bit uncertain to what he is referring to when he mentions those members or deeds of our ‘earthly nature’, he is nice enough to include just a few of them as examples, things like sexual immorality (lust), covetousness, greed, unholy desires, anger and even 'filthy language', of all things. (8)

And the reason he advises we put these things to death?....”because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.” (6) Eph. 5:3-6 is worth highlighting as well.

This is not just a ‘good suggestion’ that Paul is advising us to follow through with either.

If you have ever gone into national or state parks to camp, you usually see signs all over the place warning you to not leave food out but to secure it and to discard trash in designated bins or containers made available throughout the camp areas. Do you know why this is advised? It usually comes with a warning that bears or other potentially dangerous wildlife will smell and come for it. People have died for ignoring such advice.  

Satan, who goes about like a roaring lion seeking to devour, can 'smell flesh' as well. (1 Pet. 5:8; Gen. 3:14,19).  The 'flesh nature' is 'serpent food'!

So when Paul said ‘put it to death’, he was not implying we ‘dial it down, put it on a leash or in a cage’. You can look that phrase up in the Greek and it means...’make it as dead (both metaphorically and literally), as in subdue it, make it impotent, so it is ‘no more’. Oh, and if you would like a more exhaustive list as to those attributes that he is referring to, you might also include Gal. 5:19-21. If you are a ‘visual learner', take a look at the graphic I posted in yesterday’s post as well. ;-)

Have you ever been tormented by a few pesky flies in your house that just seem to elude capture and they just buzz circles around you, landing on you before quickly darting away. And when you finally do put an end to their lives, is there not a wave of relief that sweeps over you?

Imagine sitting there in your recliner swatting at them continuously as your irritation grows and then your spouse just simply reminds you that we will always have to contend with flies in the house so just learn to deal with it. I don’t know about you, but I am going to get out of that chair and get whatever I need to end the constant harassment and torment of those stupid pests once...and for all. I can choose...to end their lives right then and there. Oh, and for what it’s worth, did you know that one of the names Jesus used to refer to Satan was ‘Beelzebub’? It means ‘lord of the flies’. Moving right along here...

Another verse I want to bring to your attention is one I share often here. It is in that 5th chapter of Galatians as well...and it comes after Paul gave an exhaustive list (19-21) of what all makes up this ‘earthly or carnal nature’ that we are instructed to ‘put to death’. He also mentions that they are ‘evident’. You might even call them ‘fruit’ (bad fruit) that can be clearly seen by others. It’s a pretty extensive range of carnal attributes which includes selfish ambitions, jealousy and outburst of anger to sorcery, murder, and adultery, to name a few. Rom. 1:29-32 would be a good reference to include as well.

But it is Galatians 5:24 that we need to camp out on for a moment here. I will never forget the night this passage was brought to my attention. It ranks up there, for me at least, with ‘where were you on the day this event occurred’ questions. Care to look it up or read along with me? ...

“Those who belong to Christ...have... crucified (put to death-past tense) the flesh (carnal nature) with... its passions and desires.”  Not...'will', but...'have'. 

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but just because you ‘belong to a church’ is no assurance that you ‘belong to Christ’. And please don’t fall for the ‘head fake’ if someone wants to make this about whether you are ‘saved’ or not ...if your ‘old man’ is still alive.

So is that verse as troublesome for you to hear/read as it was for me when I first came across it? I was sitting in a meeting at church and when my eyes locked in on that passage, I did not want to look up...at anyone. I felt like a sword went through my heart and I had just been ‘found guilty’. It was like an indictment of sorts and I was without words. Funny thing about coming across such verses...if you are not paying attention, the enemy will ‘come immediately’ to snatch that word from our hearts (Luke 8:12). And he usually does it with a bunch...of other words; sort of like what he did when Eve relayed to him what God had said about eating from a particular tree in the garden. (Gen. 2:17). He began to offer up quite a plate-full of...words... (Gen. 3:1-5). In fact, there were so many words that the next thing you know, he is saying just the opposite of what God said and she believed his words, over God’s words. The rest...they say...is history.

I bet you have encountered a similar experience as well when you come across certain passages that just don’t seem to ‘fit’ with what you have been taught in the past, even by ‘well meaning’ preachers and teachers. Oh, what was Paul’s other voice of concern he expressed for us in 2 Cor. 11:3-4 ...something about how we too, might be deceived in the same manner that Eve was by the serpent...and somehow end up buying in to another gospel and following another Jesus and even ‘receiving another spirit’? Yeah...that should give us all pause. 1 John 3:6 is another one of ‘those verses’ where when you read it, or ask someone else about it...you usually get a bunch of words, almost like a ‘flood’ where it just dilutes or washes away what is clearly written down in God’s word for us all to see clearly.

But those who indeed, ‘belong to Christ’ have this in common: They have ‘put to death’ this carnal nature. And it’s a good thing...given what we learn from Romans 8. If we continue to let this carnal nature live, and don’t follow the Spirit’s leading to ‘put it to death’, then we will ‘die’. (13). We will continue to be at enmity or hostile towards God. (7). We will be unable to ‘please God’. (8). And we certainly will not be able to subject ourselves to God’s law, (7), a ‘law’, I should remind you that was never done away with and still stands today. (Matt. 5:17). You see...those who ‘belong to Christ’ are abiding in Him...and as long as they continue to abide in Him, and follow the leading of His Spirit, they will no longer fulfill the ‘lusts of this carnal nature’ (Gal. 5:16) and by doing so, “all the righteous requirements of the law will be fully met in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:4)

But if you continue to live according to, (or in) this carnal, flesh nature...you will ‘surely die’. (Rom. 8:13; Gen. 2:17). Has God really said that? (Gen. 3:1). Yes...yes He did. I believe I just pointed out a few verses where He made that rather clear.

So just ‘how’...do we put this carnal nature to ‘death’? I promised yesterday I would begin to expound upon this and it’s taking me longer to get there with an answer, but I sense a need by the Holy Spirit to lay more groundwork in preparation for this.  I have no hesitation in saying though, that if you hang with me here, and you study out what I am sharing...that your life will be forever changed in ways you never thought possible...as I am learning myself. :- )

So is it ‘flesh’ or is it ‘spirit’ that we are having to contend with? And when I say ‘flesh’, I’m referring to those carnal appetites we have that encompass more than just ‘food and sex’, both of which God designed the human body to desire and partake of within boundaries.

We read where Paul was rebuking a group of believers in Corinth who should have ‘matured’ by this point in time, but were still acting like ‘babes in Christ’ based on their ‘carnal behavior’. (1 Cor. 3:1-3). He gives some examples where he had been made aware of the ‘envy, strife, and contentions’ among them; again accusing them of being ‘carnal’. He was not cooing over them like babies or commending them. He was rebuking them for this childish, carnal behavior. You begin to see a pattern in Paul’s writings where he implies strongly that true ‘believers’ no longer act in that manner. (Col. 3:7; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Cor. 6:9-11)

And let me tell you here as plain as I can...if you still want to revert back to your default setting and try to make this a case as to “But are we are still ‘saved’ if we are carnal?”, then you are missing the point all together. How about if I say this again...IF...you are abiding in Jesus, you are ‘saved’ and in the best place you can be. And IF...you are abiding in Him, you are no longer giving in to those ‘carnal traits’ and continuing to ‘sin’. (Gal. 5:16; 1 John 3:6) His words, not mine.

Many folks like to point to that passage in 1 Cor. 3 to ‘explain carnal Christians’, which really, is an oxymoron. What they fail to connect with in that passage, is where Paul addressed them, once again in his second letter warning them if they had not got their act together by the time he came to see them, that it would not be a pretty scene. He even calls out other carnal sins they are practicing that had not been ‘repented’ of. (2 Cor. 12: 20-21)

He was dead serious about this and for good reason. He reminds us all that those who continue to practice these ‘sins of the flesh’ will NOT...inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:21). 

 So...is it ‘flesh’ or ‘spirits’ we are contending with? Come join me tomorrow and we shall see. ;- )