Put Off the Old Self – Colossians 3:5-11 Bible Study
Scripture: Colossians 3:5-11 (ESV)
"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."
Laying the Foundation: Living Like You Are Made New
In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul reminded us that since we have been raised with Christ, our focus must be on things above—on Christ Himself. Now, he tells us what that practically looks like.
If we belong to Christ, we cannot live the way we used to live. Our old sinful nature must be put to death, and we must put on the new self that reflects Christ.
Paul gives two commands in this passage:
Put to death sinful desires and actions (v.5-7).
Put away sinful attitudes and habits (v.8-11).
This passage challenges us to actively participate in our transformation, not by our own strength, but by surrendering to Christ’s power.
Let’s break it down.
1. Kill Sin, Don’t Manage It (v.5-7)
"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."
"Put to death" (νεκρόω, nekroō) – This is a strong command meaning to completely destroy, to kill off. Paul isn’t telling us to manage sin. He tells us to eliminate it completely.
"What is earthly in you" – Our old sinful nature still tries to pull us away from God.
Paul lists five destructive sins that must be put to death:
Sexual immorality (πορνεία, porneia) – Any form of sexual sin outside of God’s design.
Impurity (ἀκαθαρσία, akatharsia) – Moral corruption, unclean thoughts and actions.
Passion (πάθος, pathos) – Uncontrolled sinful lust.
Evil desire (ἐπιθυμία κακή, epithymia kakē) – A craving for what is wicked.
Covetousness (πλεονεξία, pleonexia) – Greed and a constant desire for more, which Paul says is idolatry—worshiping something other than God.
"On account of these the wrath of God is coming."
God’s judgment is real. Sin is not something we can take lightly.
If we belong to Christ, we must take sin seriously because God does.
"In these you too once walked, when you were living in them."
Paul reminds us that this is who we used to be.
But now, in Christ, we have been changed.
Reflection:
Do you view sin as something to kill, or just something to manage?
Are there sinful desires or habits that you have allowed to remain in your life?
2. Put Away Sinful Attitudes and Habits (v.8-9)
"But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth."
"Put them all away" (ἀποτίθημι, apotithēmi) – This phrase means to take off, like removing dirty clothes. We must remove sinful behaviors from our lives.
Paul lists five sinful attitudes and habits:
Anger (ὀργή, orgē) – A deep, smoldering resentment.
Wrath (θυμός, thymos) – Explosive rage and outbursts.
Malice (κακία, kakia) – A desire to hurt or harm others.
Slander (βλασφημία, blasphēmia) – Speaking evil about someone, attacking their character.
Obscene talk (αἰσχρολογία, aischrologia) – Filthy language, crude speech.
"Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices."
Lying is part of the old self. The Christian life is about truth: honesty, integrity, and transparency.
We cannot claim to follow Christ while living in deception.
Reflection:
Are there attitudes of anger, resentment, gossip, dishonesty, etc., that you need to remove from your life?
Do your words reflect Christ, or do they reflect your old self?
3. Put On the New Self (v.10-11)
"And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."
"Put on the new self" (ἐνδύω, endyō) – Just like we take off sinful habits, we must put on Christ-like character.
"Being renewed" (ἀνακαινόω, anakainoō) – This is a continual process. We are being transformed daily into the image of Christ.
Our new self reflects Christ. We no longer live by the world’s standard. We live according to Him.
"Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all."
Paul reminds us that in Christ, our old labels no longer define us.
No racial, social, or religious identity is more important than being in Christ.
Reflection:
Are you actively allowing God to renew and transform you daily?
Do you live as though Christ is your ultimate identity?
Final Thoughts: Get Rid of the Old and Live in the New
Paul challenges us to actively remove sin and walk in our new identity.
⚠️ Kill sin, don’t just manage it.
🛑 Put away attitudes that don’t reflect Christ.
✨ Put on the new self and let Christ transform you.
🙌 Your identity is now in Christ, not in anything else.
Ask yourself:
✔️ Am I still allowing sinful desires or habits to linger in my life?
✔️ Are there attitudes or words that I need to remove?
✔️ Am I truly living as a new creation in Christ?
In the next study, Paul will teach us what we need to put on—the characteristics of a life that reflects Christ.
