During Exodus, when Israelites came to the border of the Promised Land i.e. Kadesh Barnea, they refused to enter, because of their stubborn unbelief, they had to wander in the wilderness for thirty-nine years (Num.13-14). That whole generation, starting with the twenty-year-olds, died in the wilderness, except for Caleb and Joshua, the only two spies who believed God. The secret that Caleb and Joshua were able to “get the victory” during those forty difficult years in the wilderness was their minds and hearts were in Canaan! They knew that they had an inheritance coming, and they lived in the hope of that inheritance.
Put to death the things that are against God: (3:5-7):
Therefore points back to our identification with the risen and enthroned Lord Jesus. It is because we understand this fact that we can put to death the things in our life that are contrary to our identity with Jesus. Further we are not simply to suppress or control evil acts and attitudes but we are to wipe them out and completely exterminate the old way of life. We must consider them dead to us. Paul names such sins viz. sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which are idolatry. It is far easier to drift into a sin which one does not know by name than consciously to choose one whose very title should be repugnant to a Christian.
Fornication, uncleanness, passion and evil desire: Each of these terms refers to sexual sins. Covetousness is simple, but insidious greed, and nothing less than idolatry.
- Sexual immorality: refers to any intercourse outside marriage.
- Uncleanness: A wider range of meaning than fornication. It includes the misuse of sex, but is applicable to various forms of moral evil.
- Passion and evil desires: Lust and evil desires and greed are diseased limbs of tree.
The wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. These sins invite the wrath of God. Because the world loves this kind of sinful lifestyle. As they continue live in these sins, it adds to their condemnation. One sin is enough to send anyone to hell (Deut.3:10), but there are greater levels of condemnation.
Remove the other traces of worldliness: (3:8-9)
“You must now put off anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy and filthy language out of our mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds” Paul lists again some more sins: viz. anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language. These are regarded by many as “little” sins that Christians may overlook with little danger. Paul challenges us to put off the old man in every area of our lives. We must put off this just as we would discard an outworn suit of clothes which no longer fits us. When Paul calls the believers to a deeper obedience, he tells us to bridle our tongue (Jam.1:26; 3:1-9). Sometimes it is easy to distort the truth; an alteration in the tone of voice or an eloquent look will do it; and there are silences which can be as false and misleading as any words. Since you have put off the old man with his deeds: the sins mentioned in (3:5) as well as in (3:8-9) are equally incompatible, so we must put off these sins also.
Put on the new man. (3:10-11):
Put on the new man: The phrase Paul used was commonly used for changing a set of clothes. We can almost picture a person taking off the old life and putting on the new man in Jesus.
- The new man: is renewed in knowledge, he is hungry to know what God says in His Word. The first Adam is seen as the old man who should be put off and discarded, now that we are created after the image of the second Adam, Jesus Christ.
- No discrimination and barriers: Here is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free: The new man is part of a family, which favours no race, nationality, class, culture or ethnicity. It only favours Jesus, because in this new family, Christ is all and in all. This breaks down the barriers that separate people in society. In the new created society, it doesn’t matter if one is Greek or Jew or circumcised or uncircumcised or a Scythian or a slave or a free All those barriers are broken down. The example of barbarian and the Scythian are extremes. All of these barriers existed in the ancient Roman world; and the power of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ broke them all down. Especially powerful was the barrier between slave and free, but Christianity changed that.
Some Examples of ancient world: The slave-girl Blandina and her mistress both suffered in the persecution which broke out against the churches of the Rhone valley in A.D. 177, but it was the slave-girl who was the heroin of the persecution, impressing friend and foe alike as a ‘noble athlete’ in the contest of martyrdom.” (Bruce)·
“In the arena of Carthage in A.D. 202 a profound impression was made on the spectators when the Roman matron Perpetua stood hand-in-hand with her slave Felicitas, as both women faced a common death for a common faith.” (Bruce)