“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
(Colossians 3:5)
Paul’s epistle to the Colossians is brief, yet it holds a wealth of both doctrinal truth and practical counsel. The first two chapters are heavy with the theological realities of redemption in Christ, while the last two chapters instruct believers on how those truths must be lived out in daily holiness.
In the doctrinal section, Paul assures the saints of God’s complete forgiveness. “You who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross,” (Col. 2:13-14). That act was sealed with Christ’s own final declaration from the cross, “It is finished.” From the perspective of the Judge of all the earth, those who believe in Christ are clothed in His righteousness and are forever forgiven.
And yet, in the practical section of Colossians, Paul issues the command, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.” Here lies the mystery—Christians are justified and complete in Christ, yet they are still called to daily put to death the remnants of sin that cling to them. While the “old man” has been crucified with Christ, there remains a daily warfare against sin’s lingering influence.
Paul lists “inordinate affection” among the sins to be mortified. The term refers to unclean passions, particularly those that inflame the heart toward unlawful desires. In other places, it is translated as “passion” or “lust.” God’s people are not merely to restrain these affections but to actively put them to death.
Mortification is the fruit of inward sanctification. By the Spirit’s power and through the Word of God, the believer learns to hate what God hates and love what God loves. This is done moment by moment if necessary, for sin is cunning and persistent. The daily refusal of sin is as necessary as the daily putting on of Christ.
William Perkins comments, “This [sanctification] has two parts. The first is mortification, when the power of sin is continually weakened, consumed, and diminished. The second is vivification, by which inherent righteousness is really put into them, and afterward is continually increased.”[1] This balance guards against the error of only avoiding evil without pursuing good, or striving for virtue without dealing with the roots of sin.
Mortification requires both diligence and dependence. Diligence, because the Christian must be alert and active in resisting sin’s temptations; dependence, because apart from the Spirit’s work, no effort will succeed. But the believer rests in the promise, “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Christ, who has nailed every sinful affection to the cross, also empowers His people to walk in newness of life.
Thus, the Christian life is one of continual putting off and putting on—putting off the corruptions of the old man, and putting on the graces of the new man in Christ. Mortification is not an end in itself; it is part of the greater purpose of being conformed to the image of the Savior. It is the way of life for those who have been raised with Him, and it is a mark of the true disciple that this work continues until the day of glory.
Contemplations:
- Clothed in Your righteousness. Lord, clothe my soul with Your wedding garment of supernatural faith and love that I may believe all Your holy promises and revelations without wavering, and love You with great devotion and holy affection.
- Choosing virtue over vice. Lord, let neither life nor death, prosperity nor adversity, temptations within or without ever separate me from Your love. Rather, instill in me a burning desire to pursue and cling to Your glories and perfections to the degree that I am capable in this world. Help me choose virtue over unrighteousness and serve it with the same fervor as I have my vices and pleasures of the world in times past.
- Complete in Christ. Lord, grant that all inordinate affection to the things of this life may daily diminish in me, that I may grow in spirit and kingdom strength until I come to a perfect man in Christ Jesus.
- Guard my heart. Lord, reward Your servant with true humility, great contrition, a tender conscience, an obedient heart, an understanding focused in honest and holy thoughts, a will prone to do good, affections turned toward You, and a watchful guard over my senses so that through those windows sin may never enter in.
Prayer (Supplication):
O Lord, who sees into the deepest places of my heart, I come before You acknowledging the constant battle within me against the remnants of my sinful nature. Though You have justified me through the blood of Your Son, though my sins are nailed to the cross and remembered no more, I still feel the pull of those old desires that seek to regain their hold. I confess that without Your Spirit’s power, I would fall into the snares that so easily entangle.
Grant me grace, Lord, to daily mortify my sinful affections. Help me to hate what You hate with a holy hatred, and to turn my heart toward that which is pure, lovely, and acceptable in Your sight. Let my mind not be dominated by earthly desires, but fix my thoughts on things above, where Christ sits at Your right hand.
You have called me to be holy as You are holy. Yet I know that in my flesh dwells no good thing, and that I cannot wage this war in my own strength. Fill me with Your Spirit, that I may resist temptation and overcome sin’s deceitfulness. Give me a watchful heart, alert to the first stirrings of inordinate affection, that I might cut it off before it takes root.
Let the truths of Your Word be my sword and shield, my guide and my guard. Teach me to wield the promises of Scripture as weapons against the assaults of the enemy. May I always remember that greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world, and that Christ has already triumphed over sin, death, and the devil.
O Lord, sanctify my affections, purify my will, and cleanse my thoughts. Let my love for You grow so strong that it drowns out every competing desire. Replace lust with love, greed with generosity, pride with humility, and selfishness with service. Help me run with endurance the race set before me, laying aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely.
Keep my eyes fixed upon Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now seated at Your right hand. May His example stir me to steadfastness in mortification, knowing that the glory to come far outweighs the present struggle.
Lord, I long for the day when mortification will no longer be necessary, when sin will be no more, and I will be like Christ, for I shall see Him as He is. Until then, sustain me by Your grace, strengthen me for the fight, and keep me faithful to the end. Let my life be a continual putting off of the old and putting on of the new, until I am fully conformed to the image of Your Son.
All this I ask, in Jesus’ name I pray.
Further Scripture References:
Ephesians 5:5; Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:24; 1 Thessalonians 4:5.
[1] William Perkins, A Golden Chain (Cambridge: John Legat, 1600), 598.
