Colossians 3:5

Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Put to death ... Here is a paradox. As Hendriksen noted:

"You died" (Colossians 3:3) ... "Put to death therefore your members" (Colossians 3:5) ... On the one hand Paul is saying that the Colossians have already died; yet, on the other hand, he is telling them that they must put themselves to death. How can both be true?[18]

Hendriksen answered by pointing out that the state and the condition of Christians do not wholly coincide; but the answer presented here is to the effect that it is not "themselves" which the Christians are to "put to death," but that they are to put to death those evil propensities within themselves, belonging to their carnal nature.

A number of very interesting comments on this place are:

Members is perhaps suggested by our Lord's command to "cut off" right hand or "pluck out" right eye, if they cause offense (Matthew 5:29,30).[19]

These members are indeed those of the actual body.[20]

Different from the views above is that of Ashby who said: "This is internal, not external, and means renunciation of propensities that belong to the old life."[21] Of course, it is believed that this accurately interprets, not only what Paul said here, but that it is also, in light of the apostle's inspiration, a divine comment upon what Jesus meant in Matthew 5:29,30, regarding "the right hand" and "the right eye."

Macknight elaborated this interpretation thus:

The apostle having represented the vicious appetites and passions of the human heart, under the idea of a body (Colossians 2:17), because they have their seat in the body, he, in this passage, calls the sinful actions to which these bad affections prompt men, the members of that body or the old man.[22]

A little different statement of what is meant here is that of Barclay, who said, "What Paul is saying is, `Put to death every part of yourself which is against God and keeps you from fulfilling his will'."[23]

Mortify ... as used here in the KJV has been used by ascetics and others as justification for self-torture; but we may be certain that nothing like that is intended.

Fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry ... In this series, Paul's various lists of sins have been repeatedly examined. Here, all five of these things are sexually oriented, and "covetousness" would seem to apply to all of them, covetousness being "the desire for more."

Which is idolatry ... The pagan temples throughout the world of that era were a constant temptation to Christians to indulge in the impure and unmentionable rites suggested by this word-list. Frequently an idol's temple was a short-cut to indulgence in all of the things mentioned here.

Covetousness ... "One is a little surprised to find this word included along with others in this list, thus identifying the love of money and the inordinate desire for it as being on a parity with the grossest of sins. The Christian should especially heed this in the question of determining how much money or income he should devote to the purpose of advancing Christianity in the world.

[18] William Hendriksen, Colossians and Philemon (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1964), p. 143.

[19] Alfred Barry, op. cit., p. 113.

[20] G. G. Findlay, op. cit., p. 149.

[21] Ernest G. Ashby, op. cit., p. 488.

[22] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 549.

[23] William Barclay, op. cit., p. 150.