In Kolossense 3:5-9, Paulus het geskryf, Dood dan julle lede wat op die aarde is; hoerery, onreinheid, buitensporige liefde, bose begeerte, en hebsug, wat afgodery is: Vir watter dinge’ ter wille van die toorn van God kom oor die kinders van ongehoorsaamheid: waarin julle ook 'n geruime tyd gewandel het, toe julle in hulle gewoon het. But now ye also put off all these; woede, toorn, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. En het die nuwe man aangetrek, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: Waar daar nie Griek of Jood is nie, besnydenis of onbesnedenheid, Barbaar, Skithies, Band of vry: maar Christus is alles, en in die geheel. Wat beteken dit om julle lede wat op die aarde is, dood te maak?? How do you mortify your members which are upon the earth?
The responsibility of the new man (seun van God)
If you are risen with Christ and are seated in Him, you shall seek those things which are above, waar Christus sit, and not the things on this earth. The spiritual transformation (the new birth in Christ) shall become visible in your life on earth by putting off the old man and putting on the new man.
God has not only given you the authority in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, but God has also given you the responsibility to (Geestelik) mortify your members on earth and to put off the works of the flesh, so that the flesh shall no longer reign as king in your life and dictates you what to do, and make you walk after the flesh in disobedience to God and His Word, but that Christ reigns as King in your life and you walk after the Spirit in obedience to God and His Word (Lees ook: Laat sonde nie meer as koning heers nie!).
That responsibility has been given to the new man, and no single excuse can be cited, to relieve the new man from this responsibility and duty.
Niemand, who says to be a Christian and claims to be born again has an exceptional position and is excluded.
No one has the right to keep walking in ignorance and be carnally minded, which is enmity against God and is death, and live as children of disobedience as enemies of God and His righteousness (O. Efesiërs 2:2; 4:18-19, 1 Petrus 1:14).
Die ou man (son of the devil) is crucified with Christ
If you say that you are born again in Christ, you shall live as a regenerated person, who belongs to God, since your nature has changed.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made you free from the law of sin and death. Therefore you no longer live under the law of sin and death, wat in die vlees heers, because your flesh has been crucified with Christ. You have been made free in Christ and live under grace and the law of the Spirit of life (Romeine 6:14; 8:1).
When you were the old man, you were alive to the world, maar dood vir God, due to your trespasses and sins (O. Efesiërs 2:1-3, 1 Petrus 1:13-16).
You belonged to the world and therefore you walked according to the course (lewensstyl) of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.
The old man doesn’t do the will of God, but the will of the devil (die heerser van hierdie wêreld), and lives in obedience to the devil in disobedience to God in unbelief.
The old man walks in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the (carnal) verstand, and is by nature a child of wrath (Efesiërs 2:1-3).
The new man is raised from the death in Christ
Wat sal ons dan sê? Sal ons voortgaan in sonde, sodat genade oorvloedig kan wees? die Here behoed. Hoe sal ons, wat dood is vir die sonde, leef nie meer daarin nie? Weet julle nie, dat so baie van ons wat in Jesus Christus gedoop is, in Sy dood gedoop is? Daarom word ons saam met Hom begrawe deur die doop in die dood: net soos Christus uit die dode opgewek is deur die heerlikheid van die Vader, so moet ons ook wandel in 'n nuwe lewe.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: Om dit te weet, dat ons ou mens saam met Hom gekruisig is, sodat die liggaam van sonde vernietig kan word, dat ons voortaan nie die sonde moet dien nie. Want hy wat dood is, is van sonde bevry. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, maar onder genade.
Wat dan? sal ons sondig, omdat ons nie onder die wet is nie, maar onder genade? die Here behoed. Weet julle nie, dit aan wie julle julleself diensknegte oorgee om gehoorsaam te wees, sy dienaars is aan wie julle gehoorsaam is; hetsy van die sonde tot die dood toe, of van gehoorsaamheid aan geregtigheid? (Romeine 6:1-16)
By faith in Jesus Christ and regeneration in Him, the old man has died in Christ and the new man is raised from the death in Christ and made alive unto God.
The spirit of man has been made alive and the Spirit shall reign in the life of the new man. Through submission to God and obedience to His Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the new man shall mortify the members which are upon the earth and lay down the works of the flesh and deprave sin from its power, by not giving in to the will, begeertes, and desires of the flesh and not act upon the thoughts, which oppose the words of God.
If you have become the new man, you shall no longer seek the things which are on the earth and sow in the flesh and reap corruption, but you shall seek those things, which are above and sow in the spirit and bear the vrug van die Gees.
You are no longer a servant of sin and death, but you have been made free in Christ and have become a servant of righteousness.
Therefore you shall no longer yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. You shall no longer let your members on earth dictate to you what to do, but from your new position in Christ, you shall take authority over your members and mortify your members which are on the earth and yield yourself unto God and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
What are your members, which are upon the earth?
Dood dan julle lede wat op die aarde is; hoerery, onreinheid, buitensporige liefde, bose begeerte, en hebsug, wat afgodery is: Vir watter dinge’ ter wille van die toorn van God kom oor die kinders van ongehoorsaamheid: waarin julle ook 'n geruime tyd gewandel het, toe julle in hulle gewoon het (Kolossense 3:5-7)
Your members, which are on the earth, are fornication, onreinheid, buitensporige liefde, bose begeerte, en hebsug, wat afgodery is.
If a Christian keeps walking in fornication, onreinheid, buitensporige liefde, bose begeerte, en hebsug, the person is still the old man and not the new man, since the person still bears the fruit of the old carnal man.
It’s important that the person repents and becomes born again in Christ, and from the Spirit mortifies his or her members which are upon the earth.
In Christus, you have been given all authority and power to mortify your members on the earth and put off the works of the flesh by resisting the devil, sonde, and death so that they shall not have dominion over you anymore.
But it’s up to you, if you want to do it or not. It all depends on whether your love for Jesus and the Father is stronger than your love for your flesh (Lees ook: Do you love God above all?).
Mortifying your members which are upon the earth and putting off the works of the flesh is something you have to do yourself. Nobody else can do that for you. It’s your responsibility, you will be held accountable for it.
But if you don’t take your authority in Christ and you don’t mortify your members which are upon the earth, then your members will eventually mortify you.
How do you mortify your members, which are upon the earth?
If you have become a son of God (dit geld vir beide mans en wyfies), you shall no longer feed yourself with the things of this world that will arouse and strengthen the will, and the lusts and desires of your flesh.
You know the truth and the will of God and you will be careful with whom you associate with and the things you get involved with and what you do. You will be cautious about what you watch, waarna jy luister, Wat jy lees, ens.
When you stop feeding your flesh and subdue the flesh, then the lusts and desires of the flesh shall not be aroused and strengthened but shall die.
You mortify your members, which are upon the earth by reigning over your members and resisting them. You’re not giving in to what your will and the lusts and desires of your flesh want.
The new man is an obedient son of God
But now ye also put off all these; woede, toorn, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. En het die nuwe man aangetrek, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: Waar daar nie Griek of Jood is nie, besnydenis of onbesnedenheid, Barbaar, Skithies, Band of vry: maar Christus is alles, en in die geheel (Kolossense 3:8-11).
Besides mortifying the members, which are upon the earth (hoerery, onreinheid, buitensporige liefde, bose begeerte, en hebsug), you shall also put off anger, toorn, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth, because they don’t fit in the life of the new man (Lees ook: Wat sê die Bybel oor die ou man? en Hoe om die ou man af te stel?).
The old man is a liar, just like his father the devil, but the new man is not a liar, but speaks the truth just like his Father. Therefore the new man shall not lie, despite the fact that in some countries lying is considered normal and is part of a culture.
The devil uses cultures to execute his destructive work and to keep the people in bondage to the beggarly elements of this world and sin and death and control the people so that they will do what the devil wants and the devil can build his throne (Lees ook: Die troon van satan)
Maar die waarheid is, that every culture disappears in Christ. Both the old nature of fallen man as the culture disappears in Christ (Lees ook: Elke kultuur verdwyn in Christus)
There is no distinction in Christ
Want julle is almal kinders van God deur die geloof in Christus Jesus. Want almal van julle wat in Christus gedoop is, het hulle met Christus beklede. Daar is nie Jood of Griek nie, daar is nie band of vry nie, daar is nie manlik nóg vroulik nie: want julle is almal een in Christus Jesus (Galasiërs 3:26-28)
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, wees nugter, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Omdat dit geskryf is, Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Petrus 1:13-16)
Through the process of sanctification, you shall renew your mind with the Word, put off the old man and put on the new man, who is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him, whereby there is neither Greek nor Jew, male nor female, besnydenis of onbesnedenheid, Barbaar, Skithies, Band of vry, but Christ is all and in all.
‘Wees die sout van die aarde’
