In Colossians 3:5-9, Paul wrote, Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; 淫亂, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, 憤怒, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. And have put on the new man, 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 (son of God)
If you are risen with Christ and are seated in Him, you shall seek those things which are above, where Christ is seated, 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 (spiritually) 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 (另請閱讀: Let sin no longer reign as king!).
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 (a.o. 以弗所書 2:2; 4:18-19, 1 Peter 1:14).
The old man (son of the devil) is crucified with Christ
If you say that you are born again in Christ, you shall live as a regenerated person, who belongs to God, 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, which reigns in the flesh, 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 (羅馬書 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 (a.o. 以弗所書 2:1-3, 1 Peter 1:13-16).
You belonged to the world and therefore you walked according to the course (lifestyle) 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 (the ruler of this world), 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 (carnal) mind, and is by nature a child of wrath (以弗所書 2:1-3).
The new man is raised from the death in Christ
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: 就像基督藉著天父的榮耀從死裡復活一樣, 即使如此我們也應該走在新的生活中.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. 因為他死了, 他一次向罪死了: 但他活著, he liveth unto God. 同樣，你們也算自己確實在罪上是死的, 而是藉著我們的主耶穌基督向神活
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (羅馬書 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, 慾望, 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 聖靈的果子.
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?
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; 淫亂, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them (歌羅西書 3:5-7)
Your members, which are on the earth, are fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
If a Christian keeps walking in fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, 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.
In 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, sin, 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 (另請閱讀: 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 (這適用於男性和女性), 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, what you listen to, what you read, 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
But now ye also put off all these; anger, 憤怒, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. And have put on the new man, 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 (歌羅西書 3:8-11).
Besides mortifying the members, which are upon the earth (淫亂, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness), you shall also put off anger, 憤怒, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth, because they don’t fit in the life of the new man (另請閱讀: What does the Bible say about the old man? 和 怎樣才能趕走老人?).
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 (另請閱讀: The throne of satan)
But the truth is, that every culture disappears in Christ. Both the old nature of fallen man as the culture disappears in Christ (另請閱讀: Every culture disappears in 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 (加拉太書 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 Peter 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, who is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him, 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.
‘成為地球之鹽’
