Colossians 3:5-6
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Paul calls us to "put to death" our earthly members, not meaning suicide, but the decisive, relentless disabling of sinful impulses. This means viewing even seemingly private desires like "passion" and "evil desire" not as mere feelings, but as active forces that need to be ethically killed, just like outward sins.
Paul is urging believers to live out their new identity in Christ by actively putting off sinful behaviors. Having just established that they have died with Christ and their true life is hidden with Him, he now insists that these "earthly" desires, which belong to their old selves, must be actively killed and subdued. This is the immediate prelude to listing specific sins like sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness that are contrary to their heavenly calling.
The Bible doesn't shy away from intense language. When it says 'put to death,' it means exactly that – a complete and decisive end.
The Greek word used here, 'nekrosate,' literally means 'to make dead.' It's a strong, active command to bring something to a complete stop, to render it lifeless.
More Than Just Restraint
This isn't about simply managing or restraining sinful desires. It’s about actively working to kill them, to remove their power and influence from your life. Think of it like a gardener ruthlessly pulling out weeds before they can spread and choke out the good plants.
A Response to New Life
This command makes sense because of who believers are in Christ. Since you have 'died with Christ' to sin (as Paul taught earlier in Colossians), you are now called to apply that reality to your earthly desires. It's about aligning your actions with your new identity.
Paul lists specific sins, but what connects them? They are the 'members' of our 'earthly' selves, serving as conduits for desire.
Paul identifies specific vices that need to be put to death. He calls them 'members which are upon the earth.'
Members as Instruments
These 'members' refer to our physical bodies and faculties, but specifically as they are used as instruments for sin. They are the hands, eyes, ears, and desires that, when aligned with our fallen nature, can lead to destructive actions.
Earthly vs. Heavenly
The phrase 'upon the earth' contrasts with the heavenly life believers now have in Christ. These desires and their expression are rooted in our old, earth-bound existence, not our new, Christ-centered reality.
The List: A Progression of Desire
The list itself moves from outward actions to inward desires:
Understand the original words
nekrōsate · Greek Verb
A decisive, active rejection and mortification of sinful impulses; it requires the ongoing empowerment of the Holy Spirit to kill the influence of the flesh and sinful nature.
porneian · Greek Noun
Any form of illicit sexual activity or unchastity that falls outside the boundaries of the marriage covenant as defined by God.
akatharsian · Greek Noun
Moral uncleanness, defilement, or corruption in a person's behavior, speech, or inner character, standing in direct contrast to divine holiness.
pathos · Greek Noun
An intense, uncontrolled, or sinful desire; often refers to strong, destructive cravings that overwhelm a person’s moral judgment and draw them away from obedience to God.
This letter was written during a time of significant growth and theological development in the early church, amidst both internal challenges and external pressures. The specific vices Paul addresses were common issues in the Greco-Roman world, and the 'false teachings' at Colossae likely involved a mix of asceticism, mysticism, and Jewish legalism, making Paul's call to 'put to death' earthly desires particularly relevant.
c. AD 57-59— this verse
Paul Writes Letter to Colossae
The Apostle Paul, likely while imprisoned in Rome, writes his letter to the church in Colossae. He addresses prevalent false teachings and encourages believers to live a transformed life in Christ.
c. AD 49
Council of Jerusalem
A significant council in Jerusalem addresses the issue of Gentile inclusion in the early church, establishing guidelines that implicitly paved the way for a more unified Gentile and Jewish Christian community.
c. AD 50-60
Paul's Ministry in Ephesus
Paul spends a significant amount of time ministering in Ephesus, a major commercial and religious center in Asia Minor. This ministry likely influenced the churches in the surrounding region, including Colossae.
c. AD 64
Great Fire of Rome
This passage directly links 'mortifying' the flesh's desires with living, reinforcing the call in Colossians to put earthly desires to death. It emphasizes that failure to do so leads to spiritual death.
Galatians 5:19-21This passage lists many of the same 'works of the flesh' as Colossians 3:5, like sexual immorality and impurity, and warns that those who practice them will not inherit the kingdom of God. It highlights the severity of these sins and their incompatibility with a life in Christ.
Ephesians 5:3-5This passage shares a strong thematic and verbal connection, also warning against sexual immorality, impurity, and greed, and explicitly calling greed 'idolatry.' It underscores Paul's consistent teaching on these vices across his letters.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11This passage functions as a powerful parallel, explicitly stating that 'sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers...' will not inherit God's kingdom, but then reminds the believers that they *have been washed, sanctified, and justified* in the name of the Lord Jesus. It reinforces the transformative power of Christ and the ongoing need to live out that transformation by putting sin to death.
Luke 12:15henryColossians 3:5-11: "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:"
3:5-11 It is our duty to mortify our members which incline to the things of the world. Mortify them, kill them, suppress them, as weeds or vermin which spread and destroy all about them. Continual opposition must be made to all corrupt workings, and no provision made for carnal indulgences. Occasions of sin must be…
vincentColossians 3:5: "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:"
Mortify (νεκρώσατε)Only here, Romans 4:19; Hebrews 11:12. Mortify is used in its literal sense of put to death. So Erasmus: "Christ was mortified and killed." And Shakespeare:" - his wildness mortified in him,Seemed to die too.""1 Henry V., 1, 26"Members (μέλη)See on Romans 6:13. The physical members, so far as they…
Paul calls us to "put to death" our earthly members, not meaning suicide, but the decisive, relentless disabling of sinful impulses. This means viewing even seemingly private desires like "passion" and "evil desire" not as mere feelings, but as active forces that need to be ethically killed, just like outward sins.
Paul is urging believers to live out their new identity in Christ by actively putting off sinful behaviors. Having just established that they have died with Christ and their true life is hidden with Him, he now insists that these "earthly" desires, which belong to their old selves, must be actively killed and subdued. This is the immediate prelude to listing specific sins like sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness that are contrary to their heavenly calling.
Paul is urging believers to live out their new identity in Christ by actively putting off sinful behaviors. Having just established that they have died with Christ and their true life is hidden with Him, he now insists that these "earthly" desires, which belong to their old selves, must be actively killed and subdued. This is the immediate prelude to listing specific sins like sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness that are contrary to their heavenly calling.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Colossians 3:5-6 is available in the Sola app.
Paul makes a striking connection: covetousness isn't just another sin; it's a form of idolatry, the ultimate worship of the earthly.
The verse ends with a powerful declaration: 'covetousness, which is idolatry.' This isn't just a throwaway line; it's the theological climax of the list.
Making Things God
Idolatry is essentially worshipping and serving something other than the true God. When we covet – when we intensely desire what belongs to others or crave more possessions and status – we are elevating those desires and the objects of those desires to the place that only God should occupy.
The Earthly Idol
Covetousness, in its deepest sense, is the worship of the 'earthly.' It's placing our ultimate trust, security, and happiness in material things, possessions, or circumstances rather than in God. This is why Paul equates it with idolatry – it’s a misplaced devotion.
Root of Other Sins?
Many commentators note that covetousness is often seen as the root from which many other sins spring. By placing ultimate value on earthly things, we create a fertile ground for dishonesty, envy, lust, and other vices.
epithymian kakēn · Greek Noun and Adjective
The root movement of the heart toward what is sinful, forbidden, or against God’s will; it represents the corrupt inclination of the human nature before it is acted upon.
pleonexian · Greek Noun
The insatiable, sinful greed or intense desire for more, especially for what belongs to others; it is condemned as a form of worshiping created things rather than the Creator.
eidōlolatria · Greek Noun
The sin of elevating any created thing, person, or self-interest above God, making it an object of worship, devotion, or ultimate trust.
orgē · Greek Noun
The righteous indignation and settled judicial response of God against sin, rebellion, and ungodliness. It signifies God's holiness reacting against that which is contrary to His nature.
The Great Fire of Rome leads to widespread destruction and subsequent persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero, highlighting the precarious and often dangerous context of early Christian communities.
Jesus himself warns against greed, stating, 'Beware! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.' This aligns directly with Paul's identification of covetousness as a form of idolatry, showing that this warning against placing value on earthly possessions over God is a core teaching.
"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming." — Paul calls us to "put to death" our earthly members, not meaning suicide, but the decisive, relentless disabling of sinful impulses. This means viewing even seemingly private desires like "passion" a…
