Which other scriptures emphasize turning away from sinful behaviors? Setting the Stage: Colossians 3:7 in Context “When you lived among them, you also used to walk in these ways.” Paul has just listed sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed (vv. 5–6). Verse 7 reminds believers that these practices belonged to their old life. The rest of Scripture echoes that same call: once we belong to Christ, we leave the old ways behind. Echoes in Paul’s Letters • Romans 6:12–13 — “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires. Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God…” • Romans 13:12–14 — “So let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light…clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” • 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 — “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?…And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified…” • 2 Corinthians 7:1 — “Let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” • Galatians 5:19–21, 24 — “The acts of the flesh are obvious…Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God…Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” • Ephesians 4:22–24 — “Put off your former way of life, your old self…be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self…” • Ephesians 5:8–11 — “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness.” • Philippians 2:15 — “So that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation.” • 1 Thessalonians 4:3–7 — “For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality…For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.” • Titus 2:11–12 — “The grace of God…instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives.” Reinforcement from Other New-Testament Voices • James 1:21 — “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly receive the word planted in you.” • James 4:7–8 — “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil…and purify your hearts.” • 1 Peter 1:14–16 — “As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance…‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” • 1 Peter 4:3–4 — “For you have spent enough time…living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness…They are surprised that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of reckless indiscretion.” • 1 John 2:3–6 — “Whoever says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not keep His commandments is a liar…Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.” • 1 John 3:6, 9 — “No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning…No one who is born of God practices sin, because God’s seed remains in him.” Rooted in the Old Testament: The Same Heartbeat • Proverbs 28:13 — “He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” • Isaiah 1:16–17 — “Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil; learn to do right.” • Isaiah 55:7 — “Let the wicked man forsake his own way…let him return to the LORD, and He will freely pardon.” • Ezekiel 18:30–32 — “Repent and turn from all your transgressions…Get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” • Psalm 34:14 — “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” • Psalm 119:9 — “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word.” Living It Out Today Scripture speaks with one voice: believers are called to break with their former sins and to walk in the new life Christ provides. The same power that raised Jesus enables us to “discard the deeds of darkness” and “put on the armor of light.” As these passages show, turning from sin is not a suggestion—it is the normal, expected pathway for everyone who has been “washed…sanctified…justified” in Him. |
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