In Colossians 3:5-9, Paul a écrit, Mortifiez donc vos membres qui sont sur la terre; fornication, impureté, affection démesurée, evil concupiscence, et la convoitise, ce qui est de l'idolâtrie: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: Dans lequel vous avez aussi marché quelque temps, quand tu y vivais. Mais maintenant, vous aussi, vous repoussez tout cela; colère, colère, malice, blasphème, une communication sale sort de ta bouche. Ne mentez pas les uns aux autres, puisque vous avez rebuté le vieil homme avec ses actes. Et j'ai revêtu le nouvel homme, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. What does mortify your members which are upon the earth mean? How do you mortify your members which are upon the earth?
The responsibility of the new man (fils de Dieu)
If you are risen with Christ and are seated in Him, you shall seek those things which are above, où le Christ est assis, and not the things on this earth. The spiritual transformation (the new birth in Christ) shall become visible in your life on earth by putting off the old man and putting on the new man.
God has not only given you the authority in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, but God has also given you the responsibility to (spirituellement) mortify your members on earth and to put off the works of the flesh, so that the flesh shall no longer reign as king in your life and dictates you what to do, and make you walk after the flesh in disobedience to God and His Word, but that Christ reigns as King in your life and you walk after the Spirit in obedience to God and His Word (Lire aussi: Que le péché ne règne plus en roi!).
That responsibility has been given to the new man, and no single excuse can be cited, to relieve the new man from this responsibility and duty.
No one, who says to be a Christian and claims to be born again has an exceptional position and is excluded.
No one has the right to keep walking in ignorance and be carnally minded, which is enmity against God and is death, and live as children of disobedience as enemies of God and His righteousness (Oh. Éphésiens 2:2; 4:18-19, 1 Pierre 1:14).
The old man (fils du diable) is crucified with Christ
If you say that you are born again in Christ, you shall live as a regenerated person, qui appartient à Dieu, since your nature has changed.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made you free from the law of sin and death. Therefore you no longer live under the law of sin and death, qui règne dans la chair, because your flesh has been crucified with Christ. You have been made free in Christ and live under grace and the law of the Spirit of life (Romains 6:14; 8:1).
When you were the old man, you were alive to the world, but dead to God, due to your trespasses and sins (Oh. Éphésiens 2:1-3, 1 Pierre 1:13-16).
You belonged to the world and therefore you walked according to the course (mode de vie) of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.
The old man doesn’t do the will of God, but the will of the devil (le dirigeant de ce monde), and lives in obedience to the devil in disobedience to God in unbelief.
The old man walks in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the (charnel) esprit, and is by nature a child of wrath (Éphésiens 2:1-3).
The new man is raised from the death in Christ
Que dirons-nous alors? Devons-nous continuer dans le péché, que la grâce puisse abonder? Dieu pardonne. Comment allons-nous, qui sont morts au péché, y vivre plus longtemps? Tu ne sais pas, que beaucoup d'entre nous qui ont été baptisés en Jésus-Christ ont été baptisés dans sa mort? C'est pourquoi nous sommes enterrés avec Lui par le baptême dans la mort: que comme Christ a été ressuscité des morts par la gloire du Père, même ainsi, nous devrions aussi marcher en nouveauté de vie.
Car si nous avons été plantés ensemble à l'image de sa mort, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: Sachant cela, que notre vieil homme est crucifié avec Lui, afin que le corps du péché soit détruit, que désormais nous ne devons plus servir le péché. Car celui qui est mort est libéré du péché. Maintenant, si nous sommes morts avec Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: Sachant que Christ ressuscité des morts ne meurt plus; death hath no more dominion over Him. Car c'est en cela qu'il est mort, Il est mort au péché une fois: mais c'est en cela qu'il vit, il vit pour Dieu. De même, vous considérez vous-mêmes comme morts au péché., mais vivant pour Dieu par Jésus-Christ notre Seigneur
Ne laissez donc pas le péché régner dans votre corps mortel, afin que vous lui obéissiez dans ses convoitises. Ne livrez pas non plus vos membres au péché comme instruments d’injustice.: mais abandonnez-vous à Dieu, comme ceux qui sont vivants d'entre les morts, et vos membres comme instruments de justice pour Dieu. Car le péché ne dominera pas sur toi: car vous n'êtes pas sous la loi, mais sous la grâce.
Quoi alors? allons-nous pécher, parce que nous ne sommes pas sous la loi, mais sous la grâce? Dieu pardonne. Tu ne sais pas, celui à qui vous vous livrez comme serviteurs pour obéir, vous êtes ses serviteurs à qui vous obéissez; que ce soit du péché jusqu'à la mort, ou d'obéissance à la justice? (Romains 6:1-16)
By faith in Jesus Christ and regeneration in Him, the old man has died in Christ and the new man is raised from the death in Christ and made alive unto God.
The spirit of man has been made alive and the Spirit shall reign in the life of the new man. Through submission to God and obedience to His Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the new man shall mortify the members which are upon the earth and lay down the works of the flesh and deprave sin from its power, by not giving in to the will, convoitises, and desires of the flesh and not act upon the thoughts, which oppose the words of God.
If you have become the new man, you shall no longer seek the things which are on the earth and sow in the flesh and reap corruption, but you shall seek those things, which are above and sow in the spirit and bear the fruit de l'Esprit.
You are no longer a servant of sin and death, but you have been made free in Christ and have become a servant of righteousness.
Therefore you shall no longer yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. You shall no longer let your members on earth dictate to you what to do, but from your new position in Christ, you shall take authority over your members and mortify your members which are on the earth and yield yourself unto God and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
What are your members, which are upon the earth?
Mortifiez donc vos membres qui sont sur la terre; fornication, impureté, affection démesurée, evil concupiscence, et la convoitise, ce qui est de l'idolâtrie: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: Dans lequel vous avez aussi marché quelque temps, quand tu y vivais (Colossiens 3:5-7)
Your members, which are on the earth, are fornication, impureté, affection démesurée, evil concupiscence, et la convoitise, ce qui est de l'idolâtrie.
If a Christian keeps walking in fornication, impureté, affection démesurée, evil concupiscence, et la convoitise, the person is still the old man and not the new man, since the person still bears the fruit of the old carnal man.
It’s important that the person repents and becomes born again in Christ, and from the Spirit mortifies his or her members which are upon the earth.
Dans le Christ, you have been given all authority and power to mortify your members on the earth and put off the works of the flesh by resisting the devil, péché, and death so that they shall not have dominion over you anymore.
But it’s up to you, if you want to do it or not. It all depends on whether your love for Jesus and the Father is stronger than your love for your flesh (Lire aussi: Do you love God above all?).
Mortifying your members which are upon the earth and putting off the works of the flesh is something you have to do yourself. Nobody else can do that for you. It’s your responsibility, you will be held accountable for it.
But if you don’t take your authority in Christ and you don’t mortify your members which are upon the earth, then your members will eventually mortify you.
How do you mortify your members, which are upon the earth?
If you have become a son of God (cela s'applique aussi bien aux hommes qu'aux femmes), you shall no longer feed yourself with the things of this world that will arouse and strengthen the will, and the lusts and desires of your flesh.
You know the truth and the will of God and you will be careful with whom you associate with and the things you get involved with and what you do. You will be cautious about what you watch, ce que tu écoutes, ce que vous lisez, etc..
When you stop feeding your flesh and subdue the flesh, then the lusts and desires of the flesh shall not be aroused and strengthened but shall die.
You mortify your members, which are upon the earth by reigning over your members and resisting them. You’re not giving in to what your will and the lusts and desires of your flesh want.
The new man is an obedient son of God
Mais maintenant, vous aussi, vous repoussez tout cela; colère, colère, malice, blasphème, une communication sale sort de ta bouche. Ne mentez pas les uns aux autres, puisque vous avez rebuté le vieil homme avec ses actes. Et j'ai revêtu le nouvel homme, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all (Colossiens 3:8-11).
Besides mortifying the members, which are upon the earth (fornication, impureté, affection démesurée, evil concupiscence, et la convoitise), you shall also put off anger, colère, malice, blasphème, une communication sale sort de ta bouche, because they don’t fit in the life of the new man (Lire aussi: Que dit la Bible à propos du vieil homme? et Comment repousser le vieil homme?).
The old man is a liar, just like his father the devil, but the new man is not a liar, but speaks the truth just like his Father. Therefore the new man shall not lie, despite the fact that in some countries lying is considered normal and is part of a culture.
The devil uses cultures to execute his destructive work and to keep the people in bondage to the beggarly elements of this world and sin and death and control the people so that they will do what the devil wants and the devil can build his throne (Lire aussi: Le trône de satan)
Mais la vérité est, that every culture disappears in Christ. Both the old nature of fallen man as the culture disappears in Christ (Lire aussi: Toute culture disparaît en Christ)
There is no distinction in Christ
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Galates 3:26-28)
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Pierre 1:13-16)
Through the process of sanctification, you shall renew your mind with the Word, put off the old man and put on the new man, qui est renouvelé dans la connaissance à l'image de Celui qui l'a créé, whereby there is neither Greek nor Jew, male nor female, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
'Soyez le sel de la terre’
