sin – La Vista Church of Christ https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:04:33 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-LaVistaBanner-Copy-1-32x32.png sin – La Vista Church of Christ https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms 32 32 157465916 Failure Doesn’t Disqualify https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/failure-doesnt-disqualify/ Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:04:33 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=98409

by Zeke Flores

"Do not fear or be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you ..." (Joshua 8:1).

After the failure at Ai, Yahweh tells Joshua not to fear. This isn’t empty reassurance; it’s a reset. Yahweh is giving Israel another chance, but this time with clear instructions and full participation from the people.

The contrast with Joshua 7 is important. The first attempt at Ai was marked by overconfidence and hidden sin. The second attempt is marked by obedience and unity. God directs the strategy, and Israel follows it precisely.

This shows that failure doesn’t disqualify God’s people when they respond correctly. He restores, redirects, and leads them forward. The key is humility, learning from what went wrong instead of repeating it.

Practically, Joshua 8 reminds us that God’s correction isn’t the end of the story. When we deal honestly with sin and return to obedience, He re-engages. He doesn’t leave His people stuck in defeat.

The victory at Ai wasn’t about making up for the past; it was about moving forward under God’s direction.

]]> 98409 It Just Happened! https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/it-just-happened/ Thu, 17 Sep 2026 21:22:05 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=98068

by Glen Young
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 4, December 1996

The elders met with the two couples to resolve the problem, if possible.

One of the women sat and sobbed quietly. The other sat staring at a wall with red, swollen eyes. The first husband stood, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, while his counterpart sat off to himself, anger and hurt on his face.

What problem needed to be resolved? Adultery!! Two Christian couples, the best of friends, now find themselves having to deal with the heart-rending sin of adultery.

The husband who was standing spoke, "I didn’t mean to do it; it just happened!" It just happened!

How is it that sin happens? James tells us, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beared sin: and the sin, when it is full-grown, bringeth forth death. Be not deceived, my beloved brethren" (James 1:13-16). The temptations of man come from his own lust. When we sin, it is because we first had a desire to commit the act. The only exception is when one sins in ignorance; I doubt very seriously if anyone thinks that the sin of adultery can be committed in ignorance.

The age-old problem of sin is man’s unwillingness to admit he has committed a sinful act and then take full responsibility for it. We want to blame others for what we do.

Adam and Eve fell prey to this weakness: ״And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And Jehovah God said unto the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat" (Genesis 3:12-13). Adam first blamed the woman for his sin. Then he even went so far as to blame God by pointing out that it was God who had given him the woman. Eve tried to lessen her guilt by blaming the serpent for her sin. If we study the incident of Adam’s and Eve’s sin, we will discover that Eve succumbed to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the vain glory of life (I John 2:16). With these forces against her, I guess she could say, ״It just happened.״

Paul adds to this discussion by saying, ״For Adam was first formed, then Eve; and Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled hath fallen into transgression: but she shall be saved through her childbearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety" (I Timothy 2:13-15). Adam not being beguiled reveals the power Eve had over him and that he knew full well what he was doing. Surely, he could not say, ״It just happened.״

We need to be like King David and be willing to admit our sin without blaming others (II Samuel 12:7-13). The simple words, ״I have sinned, are most refreshing.

What happened to the incident we spoke of in the beginning? Two homes were destroyed, unscriptural marriages resulted after the divorces, and a congregation was thrown into turmoil and anguish. And all this because it just happened.

Beware, "lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13).

]]> 98068 Is there a difference between living in sin and falling into sin? https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/is-there-a-difference-between-living-in-sin-and-falling-into-sin/ Tue, 08 Sep 2026 20:11:02 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=97820

Question:

Hello brother,

I have a question for you. There is a teaching about living in sin and falling into sin.

  • Living in sin is basically sin in which one continues sinning in that sin or sins.
  • Falling is more like you are walking and you trip, you fall down, but you get back up and continue forward.

Can you explain this more, and where in the Bible this teaching comes from?

Also, where does a person who is trying to quit an addiction come in? If he is trying, but in the process of trying, he clearly quits less and less, is he still sinning? Is he still being condemned, or is his effort being recognized?

Would that be falling or living is sin?

Thank you for your time.

Please take care, and hope to hear from you soon.

Answer:

Scripture distinguishes between those who continue in sin ("go on sinning") and those who stumble and sin.

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" (Romans 6:1-2).

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:12-14).

"Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?" (Romans 6:16).

"Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries" (I Peter 4:1-3).

"For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well" (James 3:2).

People may continue in sin because they are ignorant of it.

"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance" (I Peter 1:14).

Others know what they are doing is wrong but willfully choose to keep sinning anyway.

"For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:26-29).

"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame" (Hebrews 6:4-6).

In other words, they have given up fighting sin and instead wish to justify themselves despite their sins. The key difference is a person's attitude toward sin. "Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (I John 3:7-9). This does not mean a righteous person will never sin. Sin is always a problem (I John 1:8-2:1). However, the righteous person cannot accept staying in sin. He battles it. The wicked person gives up and stays in his sins.

When people repeatedly fall back into sin, it is often labeled as an addiction. However, this implies that the person has little control over his choices. See "I have a hard time stopping something I'm addicted to doing."

Response:

Thank you.

]]> 97820 Four Lessons the Cross Teaches Us https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/four-lessons-the-cross-teaches-us/ Fri, 21 Aug 2026 17:52:16 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=97453

by David Gibson

  1. The cross demonstrates how much God loves us (John 3:16; 15:13). Could more powerful proof be given?
  2. The cross shows us how sinful sin is. The horribly degrading nature of crucifixion shows what a high price tag sin carries. Jesus “bore our sins in His body on the cross ... by whose wounds you were healed” (I Peter 2:24).
  3. The cross displays Christ’s utter selflessness and complete obedience. Jesus prayed earnestly to be spared the cross, yet yielded to His Father’s will (Matthew 26:36-46). “For even Christ did not please Himself...” (Romans 15:3). “... He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).
  4. The cross proves God keeps His promises—even those most painful to keep. The prophecies of Jesus’ death (Psalms 22, Isaiah 53) were fulfilled in every detail.

The cross has much to teach—if we will learn.

]]> 97453 God Loves the Broken https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/god-loves-the-broken/ Sun, 12 Jul 2026 23:18:42 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=96650

by Raymond Warfel

Download Audio
]]> 96650 Officers, But Not Gentlemen https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/officers-but-not-gentlemen/ Sun, 14 Jun 2026 19:55:58 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=96118

by Floyd Chappelear
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 3, September 1995

When God had finished his creative work with the fashioning of man, he declared that it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). This was because Satan had not entered the earthly scene to confound man and confuse him. Afterward, when the Devil did appear, man was convinced that he could be as wise as God by merely consuming the forbidden tree (Genesis 3:5). Thus began the age-long battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil for the minds of men.

While the Tempter’s tools are many and varied (II Corinthians 2:11), the Lord has but one -- His word (Hebrews 4:11-12; Romans 1:16). Additionally, the hosts of the heavens are aligned with Satan in efforts to tempt, to deceive, and to entrap (Ephesians 6:12; II Corinthians 11:15), whereas the Lord is depending on us, earthen vessels, to carry his life-saving message to the world (II Corinthians 4:7).

Put on the Whole Armor of God

Recognizing that we are at war leads us to arm ourselves appropriately (Ephesians 6:11-18). Not all of the protective covering is defensive, as the cuirass, but some (the sword) is offensive in nature. Thus, as soldiers enrolled in the Lord’s regiment, we should be actively involved in the work of conquering Satan’s realm and freeing the enslaved minions taken captive there (II Timothy 2:3-4).

But we are not the “hosts on high” that characterize Satan’s legions. On the contrary, we are but footsoldiers enlisted to follow the orders of Him who is on high. Lowliness of mind, freedom from personal ambition, and willingness to spend and be spent ought to characterize our attitude (Philippians 2:1-4). Ours should be as the attitude of the sons of Korah, who were admonished to be merely doorkeepers in the house of God rather than to seek the prestigious seats among the wicked (Psalms 84:10).

This mindset is reflected in the fact that we are enjoined to sit in the lower seats at feasts so that we might be moved up, rather than to aspire to a ranking seat in the first place (Luke 14:7-10). Actually, insofar as the kingdom is concerned, there is no rank (or ranking seats) anyway (Matt. 20:20-28). Everyone is on the same level regardless of what work each may do.
Some, however, seem unwilling to be “nobodies” in the realm of God but aspire to a position above others. These want to be “officers” in the Lord’s army and not mere grunts.

A biblical example of such is Diotrephes, who sought the preeminence. Those who might have been “somewhat” among the disciples (the apostles, for instance, Galatians 2:6) were denied because they refused to give recognition to this presumptuous fellow. It is interesting to note that, as men would regard luminaries in the church as “somewhat,” the Lord did not!
Men who seek rank or standing in the brotherhood are dangerous to the cause of Christ. We do not need, nor want, “officers” - but footmen are needed everywhere.

Officers, But Not Gentlemen

When men are motivated badly, their techniques will lack something as well. For this reason, those who would be officers in the kingdom do not deign to be gentlemen as well. The more prominence one seeks, the less likely he will have humbled himself like the Lord (Philippians 2:1-5).

The servant of the Lord does not strive but works gently among those in error (II Timothy 2:24). Increasingly, however, we see men who are abusive of those with whom they disagree and argumentative to the point of being pugilistic. We do not need boxers or brawlers seeking to correct others, but men of gentle spirit who are interested in saving the lost, not vanquishing them.

We must remember that human beings are not our principal enemy, but the Prince of Darkness who has deceived them. Some men and women may give themselves to his service and may thus show themselves to be opposed to what is right. Nevertheless, the Devil is the adversary, and we must remember that.

In conclusion, if one must be an officer in the army, at least be a gentleman. Some good will come from that, in spite of your ambitions to the contrary.

]]> 96118 The Disease of Sin and Its Cures https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/the-disease-of-sin-and-its-cures/ Sun, 14 Jun 2026 17:26:45 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=62217

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Text: Ezra 9:5-15

 

I.         Ever since Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, sin has been a big problem for mankind.

            A.        We just can’t seem to get away from it. You could almost look at it as a disease — a spiritual disease of the heart.

            B.        Like any disease, it has characteristics which allow us to recognize the problem. Let us consider five of them.

II.        Some Characteristics of Sin

            A.        A Love to Sin

                        1.         Most people do not like being sick. As soon as they start having serious symptoms, it is off to the doctor to find a cure.

                        2.         Sin is not like that. Many people who have sin don’t see it as a problem; in fact, they enjoy their wickedness. - II Thessalonians 2:9-12

                                    a.         Notice the source of the enjoyment: their choice to believe lies; they do not love the truth.

                                    b.         The love of sin is rooted in a problem of unbelief.

                        3.         Some people love sin so much, they are not satisfied with leaving it alone. They have to drag it behind them. - Isaiah 5:18

                        4.         The Israelites loved to wander from God. - Jeremiah 14:10

                                    a.         They did not control themselves; not that they couldn’t help themselves, but they didn’t want to resist sin.

                                    b.         Even the leaders of Israel loved evil and hated good - Micah 3:1-2

                        5.         However, God provided a remedy for the love of sin. Remember the source of the problem is choosing to believe the wrong things.

                                    a.         Psalms 52:1-4 - Some love evil more than good. They prefer lying. They enjoy causing harm with their words.

                                                (1)       Psalms 52:7 - Why? They trust their own selves and their riches. There is that idea of a misplaced belief again.

                                                (2)       Psalms 52:8 - The cure for a love of sin is a love of God.

                                    b.         Proverbs 2:12-15 - The wicked enjoy evil. They delight in the perverse deeds of others.

                                                (1)       The cure? Proverbs 2:10-11 - The wisdom, knowledge, and understanding from the Lord

                        6.         When people put their trust in God., when they believe He exists, when they believe they must answer to Him for the deeds they do, then there is no longer a delight in mischief.

                                    a.         People love evil because they think they can get away with it.

            B.        Which brings us to the next symptom. Sin is practiced by the wicked.

                        1.         Matthew 7:15-20 - You know them by their fruits, by the things they practice and the results of their deeds.

                        2.         There is a cure for this disease as well. We call it repentance.

                                    a.         As the early Christians were taught - Acts 26:20

                                    b.         Through repentance, our sins are removed - Acts 3:19

                                    c.         Isaiah 1:16-17 - Purify self. Put away evil. Cease to do evil.

                                    d.         Romans 6:12-13 - Do not let sin reign in your bodies

                                    e.         I Corinthians 15:34 - Awake to righteousness and do not sin.

                                    f.         Only if the wicked will forsake his way will he live - Ezekiel 18:21

            C.        You see, God views sin as a state of being. It is where you choose to live.

                        1.         There is a way out of this state — baptism.

                        2.         Acts 2:38 - Baptized for the forgiveness of sin

                        3.         Acts 22:16 - Baptism washes away (removes) sin

                        4.         Romans 6:4 - Baptism takes us out of our life of sin and puts us into a new life.

                        5.         In fact, Paul goes on to say that baptism frees us from the bondage of sin - Romans 6:5-7

            D.        This leads us to another characteristic of sin. When people see the sin in their lives, it brings to them a heavy burden of guilt.

                        1.         Psalms 40:11-12 - David found his sins too heavy to bear, so he begged mercy from God.

                        2.         Therein is the cure for the guilt of sin — God’s merciful pardon.

                        3.         Ezra 9:5-15 - Ezra saw that Israel’s sins caused their bondage (Ezra 9:9, 13). Not just a physical bondage, but also a spiritual one, which could only be release by God’s mercy (Ezra 9:9)

                        4.         Have you ever heard someone say, “I can’t be a Christian. I could never be as good as them.” That is the chains of guilt speaking! They see their sins, but it has them bound.

                        5.         But God promised in the new covenant to give mercy - Hebrews 8:12

                        6.         Ephesians 2:1-8 - God’s grace has saved us from our sins.

                        7.         Isaiah 43:25 - God can remove our sins.

                        8.         Micah 7:18-20 - Who is like our God, who willingly pardons our iniquities?

            E.        Sin, uncured, leads surely to death - James 1:14-15

                        1.         Romans 6:23 - The wages of sin is death, but God has provided a cure — his gift of eternal life.

                        2.         Romans 5:12-21 - All sin and so all die, but through Christ all may have life.

                        3.         I Corinthians 15:21-26 - Christ will destroy death that we may rise and live with him.

                        4.         II Timothy 1:8-10 - It is so sure, it is spoken of in the past tense. Christ has abolished death, and has brought life and immorality to light through the gospel.

III.       Sin is a subtle and fatal disease. It kills and those who have it don’t even realize they are dying!

            A.        But God has provided a cure. Like any medicine, it will not help you if you don’t partake of it.

]]> 62217 What Should We Preach? https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/what-should-we-preach/ Tue, 02 Jun 2026 23:14:46 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=95877

by Mike Schmidt
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 2, June 1995

Much has been said and written lately about preaching and teaching. Some see a “new apostasy” underway, with this departure being fueled by a change in what is being preached. Some have taken lists of topics from meeting announcements and complained that there was too much preaching on the family, drugs, alcohol, self-esteem, sex, etc., and not enough preaching of “the gospel.” What should we preach? Are we on the verge of a new apostasy?

Perhaps, but another explanation and evaluation can be placed upon the supposed shift in preaching. Perhaps some of those who complain that we ought to “go back to the Bible” should take a closer look at what God’s servants did in similar situations, rather than appealing to the homiletics of the 1940s.

Nehemiah restored the place and type of worship

It is probably unnecessary to recount the whole background of Nehemiah 8. The Jews had recently returned to the land after the captivity and began rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. They hadn’t been keeping the Law before the captivity, much less during and since. Many of them had never even lived in the land.

In the seventh month, the people gathered before Ezra the scribe, and he stood on a pulpit high above them, reading all morning from the book of the Law. When he began, the people all stood up and answered "Amen, Amen, with the lifting up of their hands; and they bowed their head, and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground” (Nehemiah 8·: 1-6). (Try that in most assemblies today!) Then we have a Bible definition of good preaching or teaching. "And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly [with an interpretation]; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading” (Nehemiah 8:8). These people heard the Word. These people who did not know the commandments of the Lord, but who loved Him and wanted to do right, heard it and wept, vowing to keep it.

Malachi restored personal holiness and purity of motive

The sin of Nehemiah’s day was in forsaking the law of God with respect to worship. They were willing to do right; they needed to start doing it. By the time we reach the days of Malachi, the walls and the Temple had been restored, and the people were back to “business as usual.” On first glance, many preachers today would have left them alone - after all, they were “worshipping” correctly. God, though, gave Malachi a “burden” concerning them: "A son honors his father, and a servant his master: if then lama father where is my honor?” They were doing the right things, but actually cheating God because their hearts did not cleave to Him. They viewed His law as a “weariness.” God called for someone to shut the doors of the very sanctuary He had commanded them to rebuild (Malachi 1:6-13; .2:13; 4:3-6). They, too, needed restoration, but restoration of a very different kind than Ezra’s day: restoration of personal holiness and purity of motive.

While this distinction between Nehemiah’s (Ezra’s) and Malachi’s preaching may not be total, it is still there; and rather than arguing about it, we need to be willing to preach “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). While denominational false teachers may be guilty of preaching only their pet doctrines and traditions, we also may be guilty that of neglecting what the people need. We blame them and say it is only what they “want,” and keep teaching what we prefer or are familiar with.

What do people need?

From 100 years ago until about 20 years ago, American society was basically religious, and a command standard of morality was accepted, if not lived by. This being the case, what needed to be preached was doctrinal purity - a return to proper doctrine and worship. Today, the issues have changed. Society is secular and immoral. People’s lives, both Christian and non-Christian, are in a chaotic shambles. Being correct about the worship of the corporate church and certain doctrinal matters is far from people’s minds, and frankly, rightly so. What they need is teaching on personal holiness and “social” sins. People today sin in the areas of home and family, sins of the heart and personal morality, and need the most help from the gospel in these areas. It is producing a harvest of immorality and depression, and people need to repent. But how can they repent of these sins if we are preaching on issues that don’t concern them or touch their weakness?

Preachers are upset when another preacher goes to a denominational church and doesn’t specifically preach about the sins of that denomination. What about the sins of the people where they preach? Will he focus on those sinners and their sins, or preach on things that are of no immediate concern to anyone there except other preachers or editors?

Some of us need to learn the lesson of Acts 2 and 17: Peter and Paul preached totally different kinds of sermons to groups with different sins and needs. To the religious Jews, Paul preached from the Old Testament; to the Gentiles, no Scripture was quoted, but Paul appealed to natural theology. Some today would chastise Paul for not preaching the “Old Jerusalem Gospel.”

It is true, of course, that true and proper worship of God will help produce orderly lives and morality; and it is also true that teaching about personal character is “doctrine,” but we can’t overlook the fact that many people need to be taught the “basics” in this area before they can worship properly.

Is it the “social gospel” to preach on matters such as the home and personal godliness? Not if that is what the people need; not if that is where the sin lies. It isn’t the social gospel unless the thrust of the teaching stops on the earth, and doesn’t point to repentance and heaven.

More people today will be lost for divorce and envy than for not understanding the autonomy of the local church, and those who don’t teach so that they can turn from sin will be held responsible.

What should we preach? Following the examples of Nehemiah (Ezra) and Malachi, Peter and Paul, we need to preach according to the sins of the day, not what others have preached in the past, or even what we may want to preach.

]]> 95877 Separated from Uncleanness https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/separated-from-uncleanness/ Fri, 29 May 2026 18:28:26 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=95822

by Zeke Flores

"Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them" (Leviticus 15:31).

Leviticus 15 deals with bodily discharges, which is uncomfortable reading for most of us. But the point is clear: God was teaching Israel that uncleanness wasn’t about shame, it was about awareness. Certain conditions made a person temporarily unfit for worship, and God wanted His people to approach Him thoughtfully.

The bigger picture is this: God cares about the condition of our hearts when we come to Him. Not perfection. Not performance. Just honesty and awareness. When something in our lives is off, He wants us to acknowledge it and let Him address it.

We don’t have to hide our mess; we just bring it to Him. He’s not surprised by anything in us. He simply wants us to come with sincerity.

If something has been cluttering your heart—stress, sin, distraction, resentment—bring it to God. Let Him clean what needs cleaning so you can enjoy His presence freely.

]]> 95822 Put to Death What is Earthly In You https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/put-to-death-what-is-earthly-in-you/ Wed, 20 May 2026 21:08:50 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=95709

by Edwin Crozier

Having explained his own work in ministering the gospel (Colossians 1:24-2:5) and then expounded the need to maintain a stable and steadfast faith (Colossians 2:6-3:4), Paul moves to the third leg of this letter laid out back in Colossians 1:21-23. He describes the need to move from hostility to holiness (Colossians 3:5-4:6).

We don’t want to be taken captive by seemingly plausible arguments of worldly philosophies. We don’t need to be concerned about those who judge us regarding Sabbaths, new moons, festivals, and kosher laws. We don’t need to submit to multiplied rules that have no purpose but to simply restrict us with asceticism and severity to the body. However, we are to eliminate some behaviors and attitudes. And not just “kind of” get rid of, not merely diminish, “put to death.” We are to kill them (Colossians 3:5).

As we learned yesterday, this killing of earthly members is not merely about multiplying restrictive rules to simply deny the desires of our flesh. Rather, it is part of the process of shifting our desires. Because we are transforming from worldly-minded to heavenly-minded, some weights and burdens simply have to be dropped. Not merely because they are “against the rules,” but because they hinder and destroy seeking the things above and setting our mind on things above. They weigh us down and lead us away from Christ (which is why God has made many of these things “against the rules”). As we become increasingly delighted with Christ, we will naturally drop these earthly attitudes and actions. And if we refuse to drop them, we will simply not learn to delight more and more in Christ.

If we want to be renewed in knowledge after the image of our creator, we will abandon sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, idolatry, anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, and dishonesty. No doubt, when we were outside of Christ, we walked in these things because they seemed to lead to what we delighted in. But as our delight changes, these actions and attitudes must change as well. At the same time, our delight won’t change if we continue to court these behaviors and attitudes.

The struggle for us is how the personal choice and the natural growth intermix and overlap. For instance, alcoholics are told they won’t quit being alcoholics if they keep drinking. It seems to go without saying, but it has to be said, they won’t stop drinking unless they stop drinking. At the same time, as long as they are an alcoholic, they will struggle to quit drinking. The recovering alcoholic, however, doesn’t just wait around until the desire to drink goes away. He or she decides to quit. Develops plans to quit. Pours out their stash of booze. Tells others they are quitting. Then, when the desire arises, they have to decide not to drink. Yet, at the same time, this recovering alcoholic does work that transforms his or her attitude toward drink, making the decision to avoid drink easier as long as he or she continues to do that work. They don’t quit drinking merely because it is against the rules; they quit because they know drinking leads them away from what they most desire. As they continue in that work, they seek sobriety and set their mind on sobriety in a way that changes them to be sober. The personal decision and the natural growth intermix and overlap, feeding each other in an upward spiral of growing sobriety.

Further, those involved in overcoming alcoholism learn that half measures avail nothing. They need to put drink to death, or it will kill them. This is a great illustration of discipleship living in general. Half measures avail nothing. We want to be with Christ and like Christ. We must choose to quit behaviors and attitudes that lead us away from Christ. Further, as we continue to grow, our transforming delight will make transformation easier.

But where does it all begin? By putting to death what is earthly. We don’t wait around for the transformation to happen on its own. We take up arms against sin and start cutting off what leads us to sin and away from Christ.

Is there anything you need to put to death today? If we can help you, let us know.

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