Colossians · New Testament · Colossians 3:1–10
Put Off the Old Self
The Story
Paul begins by anchoring his practical instruction in a theological reality — since believers have been raised with Christ, their minds and hearts should be set on the things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. He urges them to think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth, because their old life is dead and their true life is now hidden with Christ in God. Paul then looks forward to the day when Christ appears and believers will share in his glory. From that foundation he turns to direct and urgent application, commanding his readers to put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within them — sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which he bluntly identifies as a form of idolatry. He reminds them that it is because of these very sins that God's anger is coming, and that they themselves once walked in these ways when their lives were still defined by them. He then widens the list to include anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language, calling them to rid themselves of all such things. Paul closes by pointing to the heart of the matter — they have stripped off the old sinful nature with its wicked deeds and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge as they grow into the image of their Creator.
The Message
Paul's call to holiness is grounded not in moral effort alone, but in the reality of who believers already are in Christ — raised with him, hidden in him, and being remade into his image. Putting off the old self is not optional spiritual maintenance but a decisive response to a transformation that has already taken place. The Christian life moves from identity to action — who we are in Christ shapes what we must leave behind.