Thursday, 11 May 2017
Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, Colossians 3:9
These words here are also close to Paul’s thoughts from Ephesians 4:22-25 –
“…that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another.”
Paul is consistent in his words to his readers. Though the law is annulled in Christ, there are precepts which are repeated from the law which we are asked to comply with. This is because committing such offenses is contrary to our new life in Christ. One of God’s attributes is that of truthfulness. As we are to emulate Him, we are to be truthful in all we say; the old man has been put off. In the Greek it is an aorist verb. There is a set time when this occurred. As the old man is gone, and we are in Christ, it logically follows that we are saved one-time-for-all-time. This will continue to be seen in the next verses.
Therefore, going back and doing things which are past cannot result in a lack of salvation, but they can affect us negatively nonetheless. We can lose friendships, we can lose fellowship, and we can be imprisoned or even killed for doing wrong. And further, we will certainly lose eternal rewards for such things. Therefore, let us strive to emulate the Lord in all ways, and to be pleasing to God as we live out this life in Christ.
Life application: If we think lying will somehow get us ahead in life, or get us out of some type of fix we are in, we are making a wrong judgment about the action. Instead, we should consider what we say from the heavenly, not the earthly, perspective. In doing so, we will benefit from that which is truly of value.
Lord God, help us to realize that no matter what we gain in this life, if it was obtained apart from compliance with Your word, it is actually a point of loss. What good is gain now if we will lose rewards in what is true and eternal life? Help us to emulate the Lord Jesus, be desirous of pleasing You, and to live in Christ as pleasing instruments of Your grace and mercy. Help us in this, O God. Amen.