Colossians: Jesus Over EverythingShembull

Sin will destroy or be destroyed

Devotional: 

Paul begins here by reminding us that since we have been raised with Christ, we pursue Him not to attain the status of being risen in Christ, but because he has given us this status. Salvation is received, not achieved. We work from our salvation, not for it. So we honor God and love people, and if that is our goal it will impact how we live.

In other words, what we live for determines how we live. If we live with the desire to love Christ, that will impact the decisions we make. If we live for climbing the corporate ladder or gaining a large social media following, that will impact how we live. In this passage, Paul reminds us what is most worth living for: Jesus.

Paul then gives a list of sins that followers of Christ should seek to put to death because they cause pain and destruction. What does it mean to put sin to death? Practically speaking, think of it as proactively planning what you will do to avoid sin rather than reactively thinking “I’ll try not to do that again,” when you sin.

Self-determination won’t work, we need boundaries and guardrails to help us. Here’s the reality of sin; it’s destructive by nature, not discovery.

Sin is a problem whether or not people know about it. It hurts our relationship with God and in some form or fashion hinders us from loving others well. Paul encourages us to put away the sins mentioned in verses 5-9 because sin kills us. It impacts us emotionally, spiritually, and even physically. And it hurts us whether or not other people even know about it.

This means in the end that sin will either destroy us or be destroyed. Our sin left unchecked can lead to devastating consequences, but at the same time will be completely wiped out from God’s future Kingdom.

God invites us to repent and turn to Him. In his love he always grants us grace and forgiveness. Through Christ, God has and will defeat sin and there is no distinction between who can and cannot receive his grace.

Today’s reflection:

Is there a hidden sin in your life that no one knows about? What would it look like today to have the courage to share your struggle with a trusted friend?