Putting to Death the Old Nature: A Daily Devotional on Colossians 3:5

When Paul wrote to the believers in Colossae around 60–61 C.E., he urged them to reflect Christ in every part of their lives. These Christians were living in a city influenced by Greco-Roman paganism, mystery religions, and a culture saturated with immorality. Against this background, Paul gave a straightforward exhortation in Colossians 3:5: “Therefore put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” This command reaches far beyond the first century—it speaks directly to every Christian today who desires to live faithfully in a world equally filled with corruption, temptation, and moral compromise.

Understanding Paul’s Command to “Put to Death”

The Greek verb Paul used, nekroō, literally means “to kill, to deprive of power, to render ineffective.” Paul is not suggesting moderation or casual resistance; he is commanding a decisive break with the sinful impulses of the old nature. This is not a call to mere external reform but a demand for complete removal of sin’s dominion in the believer’s life.

Paul lists five specific sins: sexual immorality (porneia), impurity (akatharsia), passion (pathos), evil desire (epithymia kakē), and covetousness (pleonexia). Each of these reflects the dominant idols of both the ancient world and our modern culture. To “put to death” these things means cutting them off, starving them of fuel, and refusing to entertain their allure in thought or deed.

Sexual Immorality: Guarding the Mind and Body

The first sin Paul names is porneia, a broad term encompassing all forms of sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and a woman as God instituted in Genesis 2:24. In Colossae, pagan worship often included sexual rituals. In our own time, immorality saturates entertainment, media, and social life.

Christians cannot excuse sexual sin as cultural or harmless. Jesus said in Matthew 5:28, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Guarding against porneia requires vigilance over the eyes, mind, and desires. The believer must recognize that holiness begins in the inner life before it is manifested outwardly.

Impurity and Passion: Removing Contamination of the Heart

Impurity (akatharsia) refers to moral uncleanness that contaminates the heart and mind. It includes thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors that defile our conscience. When unchecked, impurity breeds passion (pathos), a word denoting uncontrolled, inflamed lust. Passion here is not the healthy affection God designed within marriage but desires that enslave and dominate a person.

The believer must not allow impurity to remain in the heart. Paul warned in Ephesians 4:19 that those who indulge in impurity “have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.” The only way to prevent this slide is to confront sinful thoughts immediately with God’s Word and to fill the mind with what is pure, honorable, and commendable (Philippians 4:8).

Evil Desire: Redirecting the Will

Paul next names “evil desire.” Desires are not inherently sinful; hunger, thirst, and affection are all part of God’s design. But when desires are twisted, misdirected, or elevated above obedience to God, they become evil. James 1:14-15 explains the process clearly: “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

To “put to death” evil desires means resisting the lure before it grows. This requires training the will to choose obedience even when sinful desires feel strong. Romans 13:14 provides the strategy: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” The believer must proactively starve evil desires by avoiding situations, images, or influences that feed them.

Covetousness as Idolatry

The final sin Paul mentions—covetousness—is particularly striking because he calls it “idolatry.” Covetousness (pleonexia) is the insatiable craving for more—whether money, possessions, power, or status. This sin dethrones God by placing self-gratification as the object of worship. Jesus warned in Luke 12:15, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

When Paul equates covetousness with idolatry, he shows that sin is not only about external behavior but about worship. Whatever rules our heart—whether lust, greed, or desire for recognition—becomes our functional god. To destroy covetousness, one must cultivate gratitude, contentment, and reliance on God’s provision.

Practical Steps for Daily Application

Putting sin to death requires daily intentionality. This is not a one-time act but an ongoing struggle against the sinful nature. The believer must actively identify areas of weakness, confess them to God, and take practical measures to avoid temptation.

Daily prayer rooted in Scripture equips the mind with truth. Memorizing passages such as Colossians 3:2—“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”—directs the heart upward. Fellowship with faithful believers provides accountability and encouragement. Paul’s command assumes that believers do not fight alone but as members of Christ’s body.

Discipline also plays a vital role. Just as one would remove a poisonous substance from the home, so must the Christian remove influences that inflame sinful desires. Jesus spoke radically in Matthew 5:29-30, saying that if one’s eye or hand causes sin, it is better to remove it than to be cast into Gehenna. This is not a literal command to mutilation but a clear call to take drastic action in cutting off sources of temptation.

The Motivation: Our Identity in Christ

Paul’s exhortation in Colossians 3:5 does not stand alone. It follows his reminder in verse 1: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” The motivation for putting sin to death is rooted in our identity as those united with Christ. We have been transferred from death to life, from darkness to light.

Romans 6:11 reinforces this truth: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” The believer’s union with Christ provides both the reason and the power to put away the old nature. Sin no longer holds mastery because the believer’s life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

A Daily Devotional Mindset

A devotional life shaped by Colossians 3:5 requires vigilance, self-examination, and dependence on Scripture. Each morning, the Christian must ask, “What earthly desires must I put to death today? What areas of my life am I allowing sin to linger?” By answering honestly and acting decisively, the believer experiences the freedom of obedience and the joy of walking in holiness.

Paul’s words are not intended to discourage but to direct. The same God who commands us to put sin to death also empowers us to live victoriously through His Word. The Christian life is a daily putting off of the old self and a putting on of the new self, “which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:10).

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