Part 6. The Mortification of Sin

Paul grounds the fight against sin in a settled reality: those who are in Christ have been raised with Christ. The new identity comes before the new activity. Christ has brought real spiritual death to the old self and real spiritual resurrection to a new life, so repentance is not an attempt to earn salvation. Repentance is the Christian living like God has actually changed them.

The commands in Colossians 3 are serious. Paul says to seek things above, set the mind above, put earthly sin to death, put away corrupt practices, and stop lying. Mortification simply means putting sin to death. Sin cannot be coddled, fed, or given room to grow. John Owen’s warning lands hard: “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.”

The old self may be put off, but it still acts like a zombie that keeps raising its ugly head. The old self and the new self are like really bad roommates. That conflict does not mean Christ has abandoned the believer. That conflict means there is a real war going on. Christ calls His people to keep fighting, even when battles are lost, because the war has already been won through union with Him.

Christ’s future return gives this fight real hope and real urgency. Christ will appear, and believers will appear with Him in glory. Christ will make His people like Himself, permanently and completely free from sin. Heaven will not contain the sins that presently pull at the heart, which exposes whether sin is still being treated like a friend or whether holiness is becoming a true longing.

Paul also warns that the wrath of God is coming because of unrepentant sin. Sexual immorality, impure desires, covetousness, anger, slander, obscene talk, and lying all belong to the old way of life. Sin reaches beyond outward behavior into thoughts, motives, desires, and speech. Christ calls believers to flee from sin, make war on it, and refuse to make peace with it.

The Spirit’s present renewal means nobody fights alone. The new self is being renewed day by day into the image of its Creator. Christ is all and in all, placing every believer on level ground at the cross. The Spirit, the Word, prayer, accountability, and the people of God are not optional extras for this war. Christ remains present even in the darkest days, continuing to chip away, refine, purify, and make His people new.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Identity comes before spiritual activity Christ’s work creates the foundation for repentance. The believer does not fight in order to become a new creation, but because Christ has already joined that person to Himself. The old identity no longer gets the final word, even when old patterns feel stubborn and familiar. [31:07]
• 2. Kill sin; do not negotiate Sin grows when it is fed, excused, hidden, or treated like a harmless habit. Paul’s language leaves no room for a truce with what destroys fellowship with God and damages others. The call is not to manage sin carefully, but to put it to death seriously. [50:40]
• 3. The struggle proves a real war The conflict between the old self and the new self can feel exhausting, but it is not meaningless. A believer who grieves sin and keeps fighting is not fighting for victory, but from Christ’s victory. Christ’s finished work gives courage for the next act of repentance after failure. [38:24]
• 4. Christ’s return makes holiness hopeful Christ will appear, and His people will appear with Him in glory. The future includes more than escape from judgment; it includes complete transformation into Christlike purity and joy. That promise teaches the heart to long for a world where sin is finally gone. [42:18]
• 5. The Spirit renews through Christ’s people The Spirit does not leave believers to battle alone. Christ provides the Word, prayer, accountability, worship, and fellow Christians as real resources for a real war. Humble dependence on God’s people rejects the pride that tries to overcome sin in isolation.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [16:52] - The Mortification of Sin
• [17:24] - Kitchen Nightmares and New Identity
• [20:13] - Put Off the Old Self
• [21:57] - What Mortification Means
• [23:40] - A Lifestyle of Repentance
• [24:52] - Be Killing Sin
• [30:14] - Reason One: Past Resurrection
• [37:31] - The War Within
• [41:25] - Reason Two: Christ’s Future Return
• [45:17] - The Wrath of God and Unrepentant Sin
• [46:34] - Sexual Immorality and God’s Design
• [49:20] - Speech, Anger, and Lying
• [51:12] - Fighting Sin with God’s People
• [53:27] - Reason Three: The Spirit’s Renewal
• [56:27] - Depending on Jesus

Bible Reading

Colossians 3:1-11
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” [27:27]

1 John 3:2
“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” [42:18]

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” [33:21]

Observation questions

1. In Colossians 3:1–11, what commands does Paul give believers, and what truths about their identity in Christ does he place alongside those commands? [22:24]
2. What kinds of sins does Paul name in verses 5–9? What do these lists show about the difference between outward actions, inward desires, and words?
3. What does Paul say has happened to the old self and the new self, and how is the new self described in verse 10? [28:25]
4. What future events and promises are connected to Christ’s appearing in Colossians 3:4 and 1 John 3:2? [42:18]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul says believers have died and been raised with Christ before he commands them to put sin to death. How does this order protect a believer from treating repentance as a way to earn God’s acceptance? [31:07]
2. Paul calls covetousness “idolatry.” Why might wanting something too much become worshiping it, and how can that shape a person’s decisions, relationships, and use of money?
3. Paul speaks of believers having put off the old self while still needing to put sinful practices away. How does this help explain why a Christian may experience real conflict with sin without concluding that Christ has left them? [38:24]
4. Paul says Christ is “all and in all” and removes the old dividing lines between people. How should this truth shape the way believers help one another with sin rather than acting superior or hiding in shame? [55:15]

Application questions

1. Where are you most tempted to base your standing with God on how well you have been doing spiritually? How would remembering that you are raised with Christ change the way you respond after failure? [39:26]
2. Is there a sin pattern that you have been managing, excusing, hiding, or making room for instead of putting to death? What might it look like to remove its “life support” this week? [24:56]
3. Paul includes not only sexual sin but also anger, slander, obscene talk, and lying. Which area of speech is most likely to show up when you are tired, frustrated, hurt, or trying to protect yourself? What would repentance look like in a recent example? [49:20]
4. When the struggle against sin feels repetitive or discouraging, do you tend to fight harder in your own strength, give up, or turn again to Christ? What would it mean to fight from Christ’s victory rather than from guilt, shame, or fear? [53:12]
5. Christ’s return means believers will one day be fully free from sin. Does that promise create relief and longing in you, or does it reveal sins that you are still treating as friends? Why? [44:04]
6. Who are one or two trustworthy believers who could help you fight faithfully through prayer, honest conversation, and accountability? What makes it difficult to ask for that kind of help? [51:42]
7. Where have you seen even small signs that God is renewing you into the image of Christ? How can the group encourage you to keep depending on the Spirit in the area where growth still feels slow? [54:14]