Colossians 3 - Things to Get Rid Of

Here we go.

Colossians 3:7-10 - ^"7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."

^"7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived." - This used to be you. In your former life (before Christ) you were everything Paul talked about in verses 5-6 (see yesterday's post). That was your life - the sum of your existence.

^"8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." - Notice the word "rid." The official Webster definition of rid means you free yourself from something that is not needed. Here's what you need to get rid of:

• Anger - Being really displeased with something or someone. (This does not refer to righteous anger which is anger against someone who goes against what God has set for us in Scripture.)
• Rage - Being violent in your anger.
• Malice - A desire to harm or tease others.
• Slander - Talking against someone in a manner that damages their reputation.
• Filthy Language from your lips - There's a lot that this particular one could mean, but the main thing to remember here is that we need to use our mouth to praise God and teach the Word to others. This could refer to anything from coarse language to gossiping.

^"9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices" - Paul adds one more thing to the list, and that is lying. God does not want us to speak anything but the truth. Notice Paul refers to our "old self" like a set of old clothes. We went shopping and found the only set of clothes will we ever need because they'll last forever - but in order to wear them, we have to take our old ones off first.

You might have a favorite shirt and it has seen its day. You all know what I'm talking about - it's the one with the holes in it and the stains all over it, but you still wear it to work around the house because you can't bear to throw it out.

Christ is the only thing that we ever need to clothe ourselves with. Check out verse 10.

"¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." - Imagine owning a shirt that never wore out - no matter how much you wore it. It constantly renews itself. Would you get rid of your old favorite shirt for the new one?

Our "new selves" are renewed in knowledge, meaning if we are actively reading God's Word, we will grow and learn constantly. We are also renewed in the image of our Creator, meaning if we are growing, we look more like Christ everyday.

So, in light of this passage, what shirt do you need to get rid of this week?