Colossians 3:6,7
by Dr. Grant C. Richison
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Colossians 3:6
"Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons
of disobedience."
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"Because of these things the wrath of God is coming"
"These things" -- the sins of verse 5. It is due to these things
that the wrath of God "is coming." God does not condone sin.
We excuse the sins of verse 5 as "vices." God calls them sin.
The verb "is coming" indicates that God's wrath has already begun
(John 3:36). The climax of this wrath is final judgment on evil (II Thes.
1:7-9). God also makes it a habit to discipline believers who go astray
(Hebrews 12).
These five sins make God angry (Rom. 1:18). This is no divine temper tantrum
that seeks to vindictively strike down anyone who disagrees with God. God's
wrath is not lightening bolts from heaven but his justice executed upon
those who violate his person. God's being is the basis for the moral order
of the universe.
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"upon the sons of disobedience"
"Sons of disobedience" is not found in some manuscripts.
"Disobedience" is literally the condition of being unpersuadable.
This word denotes obstinacy. These are people who obstinately reject the
will of God (Rom. 11:30,32; Eph. 2:2; 5:6; Eph. 2:2; 5:6; Heb. 4:6, 11).
This word is always used of disobedience toward God. Those who oppose God,
he calls "sons of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2; 5:6). It is used of
the disobedience of the Jews in Romans 11:30; Heb 4:6,11 and of all men
Rom 11:32.
The disobedient person refuses to believe the truth no matter what evidence
God sets before him (Ac 14.2). Therefore God's wrath will come upon them
(Jn 3:36; Eph. 5:6).
PRINCIPLE: We reap what we sow; no one escapes the consequences of his
sin.
APPLICATION: We have reached a place in society where almost anything goes.
We face a tide of evil. Restraints either by law or by public opinion
erode away. Moral absolutes are no longer in vogue.
If God is God then he must act consistently with his being. If we violate
God we must pay the price. If a non-Christian rejects God's offer of salvation
free in Christ, then we must pay for his sins personally.
If a Christian digs his heels against God, then he will suffer chastening
(Heb. 12:6). If a Christian becomes obstinate over a period of time, God
will step in and discipline him as he did David. After David committed
adultery and stayed out of fellowship with God for three years, God brought
him up short (II Sam. 12:1-12).
Colossians 3:7
"In which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them."
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"In which you yourselves once walked"
The Colossians characteristically committed the five sins of verse 5 before
they became Christians. That is why it is crucial to "put them to
death." It is imperative that Christians kill, not wound, immorality
and covetousness in their lives.
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"when you lived in them "
Those were the days Christians walked in the "will of the Gentiles"
(I Pet. 4:3). Living in sin was our thought pattern and behavior pattern.
PRINCIPLE: It is difficult to walk in the presence of evil and not fellowship
with it.
APPLICATION: It is as difficult to walk across the gumbo mud of the Red
River Valley without it sticking to our feet as it is to walk in the presence
of evil and not sin. The course of life we chose will determine the patter
of life we live. If we walk with those who practice the sins of verse 5
there is a great chance we will revert to those sins again.
We are no longer what we once were. We have come to fellowship with Jesus
the Lord. That is why sin does not dominate us anymore (Rom. 6:14). We
have a new life and therefore new power.
Christians sin but it is like the difference between falling down on the
deck of a ship and falling overboard. There is a big difference between
falling into sin and living in sin. That is the difference between sheep
and swine. Sheep may fall into the mud but they get out as fast as they
can. Mud is adverse to his character.
Copyright © 1995, Dr. Grant Richison. All rights reserved.
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