Putting Sin to Death, Part 1

(5) Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. (6) For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, (7) and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. (8) But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. (Col 3:5-8)

In these next verses of chapter 3, we see the inescapable result of what it means to live the risen life we just read about in verses 1 through 4. It is the need to put to death the sin that permeates our being. As we see in Rom 6:6-7,

knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. (Rom 6:6-7)

As we see in Romans 6, we have already been rendered dead to sin, positionally, but there is still more that needs to be accomplished, practically. John MacArthur put it this way, “There can be no holiness or maturity in a life where sin runs unchecked. We have died to sin’s penalty, but sin’s power still can be strong and our flesh is weak. That is why we must continually put sin to death by yielding to the Holy Spirit. (Rom 8:13)” [1]

(5) Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

Definition: ‘consider … as dead’ (‘mortify’ - KJV, ‘put to death’ - NIV) - The Greek word, nekroō, { nek-ro'-o } means “to make dead, to put to death, slay” and “to deprive of power, destroy the strength of, i.e., the evil desire lurking in the members (of the body).” Louw and Nida define it as “to cease completely from activity, with the implication of extreme measures taken to guarantee such a cessation—‘to stop completely, to cease completely.’ ” [2]
In this case, the NASB does a terrible job of translation. The true meaning is much deeper than ‘consider.’ John MacArthur said, “Believers are to make a decisive resolution to put sin to death, bringing the flesh under subjection to the Spirit-filled new deposition.” [3] That means that putting sin to death in the believer’s life is not optional; it is mandatory. We must not give any place for it to exist in us.
To be a Christian is to die to self, which is the hardest thing for us to do. Why? Because we love ourselves far too much. The world created an entire cottage industry called ‘self-esteem’ and then allowed it to be infiltrated into the Church. It was all the rage in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Christians today think they need professional help from a licensed psychologist for any perceived phobia, thus taking the place of believers in true community with each other.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary adds this,

In principle the Colossians had, in becoming Christians, died with Christ (cf. 2:20; 3:3). Now they are charged to make this death to the old life real in everyday practice. As Caird puts it, “The old life is dead; they must let it die. The indicative of faith must be matched by the imperative of ethics” (p. 203). The verb nekrōsate, meaning literally “to make dead,” is very strong. It suggests that we are not simply to suppress or control evil acts and attitudes. We are to wipe them out, completely exterminate the old way of life. “Slay utterly” may express its force. The form of the verb (aorist imperative) makes clear that the action is to be undertaken decisively, with a sense of urgency. Both the meaning of the verb and the force of the tense suggest a vigorous, painful act of personal determination. Maclaren likens it to a man who while working at a machine gets his fingers drawn between rollers or caught in the belting. “Another minute and he will be flattened to a shapeless bloody mass. He catches up an axe lying by and with his own arm hacks off his own hand at the wrist.… It is not easy nor pleasant, but it is the only alternative to a horrible death” (p. 275). [4]

From Evil Acts to Motives

‘immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.’

MacArthur makes an astute observation about this portion of the verse, “These are personal sins related to our feelings. Paul progresses backward from the evil act to the underlying motive. Immorality, the evil act, takes place because of impurity. Impurity comes from perverted passion and evil desires, which in turn come from the root sin of greed.” [5]
Definition: ‘immorality’ (‘fornication’ - KJV, ‘sexual immorality’ - NIV) - The Greek word, porneia { por-ni'-ah } means ‘illicit sexual intercourse, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals etc.’ Louw and Nida define as “to engage in sexual immorality of any kind, often with the implication of prostitution—‘to engage in illicit sex, to commit fornication, sexual immorality, fornication, prostitution.’” [6] The Bible has a number of warnings against sexual immorality – 1 Cor 6:18; Heb 13:4; Eph 5:3; Prov 6:32; Rev 21:8; 1 Cor 10:8; Gal 5:19; Jude 1:7; 1 Th 4)
Paul is reminding the Colossian believers and us today that, “God created sex to be enjoyed by one woman and one man in the confines of marriage. Any sexual activity that does not fit that definition is not to be part of a believer’s life.” [7]
Definition: ‘impurity’ (‘uncleanness’ - KJV) - The Greek word, akatharsia { ak-ath-ar-see'-ah } means ‘ in a moral sense, the impurity of lustful, extravagant living:’ Louw and Nida define as “the state of moral impurity, especially in relationship to sexual sin—‘impurity, immorality, filthiness.’” [8] The meaning of this word has a moral implication, an uncleanness in how one thinks, what one says and how one acts. But the term is more general, going beyond the act of immorality “to the evil thoughts and intentions of the mind. … Evil behavior begins with evil thoughts. Therefore the battle against all sin, especially sexual sin, begins in the mind. Evil thoughts produce sinful behavior, and pure thoughts produce righteous behavior.” (Php 4:8; Col 3:16) [9]
Definition: ‘passion’ (‘inordinate affection’ - KJV, ‘lust’ - NIV) - The Greek word, pathos { path'-os } which means ‘a feeling which the mind suffers, an affection of the mind, emotion, passion; passionate desire; depraved passion.’ Louw and Nida define it as “to experience strong physical desires, particularly of a sexual nature—‘passion, lust, lustful desire, to have lust.’” [10] It denotes someone with uncontrolled desires.
Definition: ‘evil desire’ (‘evil concupiscence’ - KJV) - The Greek words, for ‘evil’: kakos { kak-os' } and for ‘desire’: epithymia { ep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah }. For ‘evil’ the meaning is ‘troublesome, wicked, injurious, harmful effect, destructive.’ Adding ‘desire’ the meaning is ‘craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden.’ Louw and Nida define as “to strongly desire to have what belongs to someone else and/or to engage in an activity which is morally wrong—‘to covet, to lust, evil desires, lust, desire.’” [11]
Concerning ‘passion’ and ‘evil desire,’ ‘passion’ would seem to be physical and ‘evil desire’ would seem to be mental, and thus they are two sides of the same coin. We see these same terms in 1 Th 4:5.
Definition: ‘greed’ (‘covetousness’ - KJV) - The Greek word, pleonexia { pleh-on-ex-ee'-ah } which means ‘selfish desire to have more, covetousness, avarice.’ Louw and Nida define this as “a strong desire to acquire more and more material possessions or to possess more things than other people have, all irrespective of need—‘greed, avarice, covetousness.’” [12] It’s interesting that greed is identified with “idolatry” because it puts one’s self-interest and things in the place of God.
Barnes points out that Paul seems to always rank greed or covetousness with these other ‘base and detestable passions. … Of all base passions, this is the one that most dethrones God from the soul.’ [13] It places our selfish desires above obedience to God, which is why it ‘amounts to idolatry.’
William Barclay described greed or covetousness as, “The Greeks themselves defined it as insatiate desire and said that you might as easily satisfy it as you might fill with water a bowl with a hole in it. They defined it as the sinful desire for what belongs to others. It has been described as ruthless self-seeking. Its basic idea is the desire for that which a man has no right to have. It is, therefore, a sin with a very wide range. If it is the desire for money, it leads to theft. If it is the desire for prestige, it leads to evil ambition. If it is the desire for power, it leads to sadistic tyranny. If it is the desire for a person, it leads to sexual sin.” [14]
The antidote, as John MacArthur wrote, to greed or covetousness is contentment. A content person does not lust to sexually abuse another or covet what someone else has or owns. A content person would say as Paul said in Php 4:11, “for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” Contentment comes from trusting God and his purposes for that person. [15]

Why We Put Sin to Death

For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, (Col 3:6)

‘because of these things’

This is a reference to the sins that Paul just mentioned in Col 3:5. As we saw above, believers are not to have anything to do with them. In this verse, Paul makes sure that we understand the sin brings God’s wrath. Sin never brings true happiness and the previous verse makes this clear. But this is also not directed at the believers because we have been delivered from the wrath to come (see: 1 Th 1:10; 1 Th 5:9). That is reserved for the ‘sons of disobedience.’ Believers have been made one with Christ. MacArthur wrote, “he is saying that those who are Christ’s, who have been made one in Him, who love Him and serve His glory, would certainly not wish to participate in those kinds of behaviors and thoughts that are characteristic of those who will feel His eternal wrath. The children of God would certainly not want to act like the children of wrath.” [16]
Continuing, MacArthur turns the attention to the believer. We may have been delivered from the wrath of God (Rom 5:9), but we will still be chastised. Heb 12:5-6 says, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (ESV)

‘the wrath of God’

Definition: ‘wrath’ - The Greek word, orgē { or-gay' } means “divine punishment based on God’s angry judgment against someone—‘to punish, punishment.’” [17]
A.W. Pink defined God’s wrath as, “‘His eternal detestation of all unrighteousness. It is the displeasure and indignation of Divine equity against evil. It is the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin.’ Wrath is God’s constant invariable reaction to sin.” [18]

‘will come upon the sons of disobedience’

Paul makes it clear that God’s wrath will come to the disobedient. But as we know from above, the reference is to unbelievers because wrath is promised not to be meted out to believers. Chastening - yes; wrath - no. Therefore, obedience is still required for the believer. But woe to the unbeliever. God’s wrath is what mankind deserves for his sin.
Believers should never forget and always remember how much God hates sin. Sin is nothing for us to toy with. If God reserves His wrath for those that commit wanton sin as described in verse 5, that should shake the believer to their very core. The unbeliever’s fate could have been the believer’s fate.

So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God]. Because of these [sinful] things the [divine] wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience [those who fail to listen and who routinely and obstinately disregard God’s precepts], (Col 3:5-6)

Footnotes

The Greek Lexicon, p/o Blue Letter Bible, and Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 660, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Curtis Vaughan, “Colossians,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), p. 211, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
The Greek Lexicon, p/o Blue Letter Bible, and Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 770, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), p. 328, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
The Greek Lexicon, p/o Blue Letter Bible, and Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 769, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
The Greek Lexicon, p/o Blue Letter Bible, and Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 291, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.
Ibid, p. 290.
Ibid, pp. 290–291.
Colossians 3:5-9 - William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Bible Study & Commentary
The Greek Lexicon, p/o Blue Letter Bible, and Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 489, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2026.

All Scriptures quotes are from the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Revision, unless otherwise noted. Verse links from Blue Letter Bible.

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