Im Kolosserbrief 3:5-9, Paul schrieb, Demütigt daher eure Mitglieder, die auf der Erde sind; Unzucht, Unreinheit, übermäßige Zuneigung, böse Begierde, und Habgier, Das ist Götzendienst: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In dem seid ihr auch einige Zeit spazieren gegangen, als ihr darin lebtet. But now ye also put off all these; Wut, Zorn, Bosheit, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lüge nicht einander an, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. Und habe den neuen Mann angezogen, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. What does mortify your members which are upon the earth mean? How do you mortify your members which are upon the earth?
The responsibility of the new man (Gottes Sohn)
If you are risen with Christ and are seated in Him, you shall seek those things which are above, wo Christus sitzt, 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 (geistig) 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 (Lesen Sie auch: Lass die Sünde nicht länger als König regieren!).
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.
No one, 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 (Oh. Epheser 2:2; 4:18-19, 1 Peter 1:14).
The old 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, die im Fleisch herrscht, 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 (Römer 6:14; 8:1).
When you were the old man, you were alive to the world, aber tot für Gott, due to your trespasses and sins (Oh. Epheser 2:1-3, 1 Peter 1:13-16).
You belonged to the world and therefore you walked according to the course (lifestyle) of this world, nach dem Fürsten der Macht der Luft, der Geist, der jetzt in den Kindern des Ungehorsams wirkt.
The old man doesn’t do the will of God, but the will of the devil (der Herrscher dieser Welt), 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 (fleischlich) Geist, and is by nature a child of wrath (Epheser 2:1-3).
The new man is raised from the death in Christ
Was sollen wir dann sagen? Sollen wir in der Sünde weitermachen?, dass die Gnade im Überfluss vorhanden sei? Gott bewahre es. Wie sollen wir, die der Sünde gestorben sind, lebe nicht mehr darin? Wisst ihr es nicht, dass so viele von uns, die auf Jesus Christus getauft wurden, auch auf seinen Tod getauft wurden? Deshalb sind wir durch die Taufe in den Tod mit ihm begraben: so, als ob Christus durch die Herrlichkeit des Vaters von den Toten auferweckt wurde, Dennoch sollten auch wir in einem neuen Leben wandeln.
Denn wenn wir im Gleichnis seines Todes zusammengepflanzt worden wären, auch wir werden Seiner Auferstehung ähnlich sein: Das wissend, dass unser alter Mann mit ihm gekreuzigt wird, damit der Leib der Sünde vernichtet werde, dass wir von nun an nicht mehr der Sünde dienen sollten. Denn wer tot ist, ist von der Sünde befreit. Wenn wir nun mit Christus tot sind,, we believe that we shall also live with Him: In dem Wissen, dass Christus, der von den Toten auferweckt wurde, nicht mehr stirbt; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, er lebt für Gott. Desgleichen haltet ihr auch euch selbst für tot zur Sünde, sondern lebendig für Gott durch Jesus Christus, unseren Herrn
Laß daher nicht die Sünde in deinem sterblichen Leib herrschen, dass ihr ihm gehorcht in den Begierden. Gebt auch eure Glieder nicht als Werkzeuge der Ungerechtigkeit der Sünde hin: sondern gebt euch Gott hin, als diejenigen, die von den Toten lebendig sind, und eure Mitglieder als Werkzeuge der Gerechtigkeit vor Gott. Denn die Sünde wird nicht über dich herrschen: denn ihr seid nicht unter dem Gesetz, aber unter Gnade.
Was dann? Sollen wir sündigen?, weil wir nicht unter dem Gesetz stehen, aber unter Gnade? Gott bewahre es. Wisst ihr es nicht, Dem, dem ihr euch als Diener hingebt, um ihm zu gehorchen, Seine Diener seid ihr, denen ihr gehorcht; ob von der Sünde bis zum Tod, oder des Gehorsams gegenüber der Gerechtigkeit? (Römer 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, Begierden, 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 fruit of the Spirit.
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?
Demütigt daher eure Mitglieder, die auf der Erde sind; Unzucht, Unreinheit, übermäßige Zuneigung, böse Begierde, und Habgier, Das ist Götzendienst: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In dem seid ihr auch einige Zeit spazieren gegangen, als ihr darin lebtet (Kolosser 3:5-7)
Your members, which are on the earth, are fornication, Unreinheit, übermäßige Zuneigung, böse Begierde, und Habgier, Das ist Götzendienst.
If a Christian keeps walking in fornication, Unreinheit, übermäßige Zuneigung, böse Begierde, und Habgier, 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 Christ, 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, Sünde, 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 (Lesen Sie auch: 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 (Dies gilt sowohl für Männer als auch für Frauen), 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, was du hörst, Was liest du, usw.
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; Wut, Zorn, Bosheit, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lüge nicht einander an, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. Und habe den neuen Mann angezogen, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all (Kolosser 3:8-11).
Besides mortifying the members, which are upon the earth (Unzucht, Unreinheit, übermäßige Zuneigung, böse Begierde, und Habgier), you shall also put off anger, Zorn, Bosheit, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth, because they don’t fit in the life of the new man (Lesen Sie auch: Was sagt die Bibel über den alten Mann?? Und Wie man den alten Mann abschreckt?).
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 (Lesen Sie auch: Der Thron Satans)
Aber die Wahrheit ist, that every culture disappears in Christ. Both the old nature of fallen man as the culture disappears in Christ (Lesen Sie auch: Jede Kultur verschwindet in Christus)
There is no distinction in Christ
Denn ihr seid alle Kinder Gottes durch den Glauben an Christus Jesus. Denn so viele von euch, die auf Christus getauft wurden, haben Christus angezogen. Es gibt weder Juden noch Griechen, es gibt weder Bindung noch Freiheit, es gibt weder Mann noch Frau: denn ihr seid alle eins in Christus Jesus (Galater 3:26-28)
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; Als gehorsame Kinder, ihr gestaltet euch nicht nach den früheren Lüsten in eurer Unwissenheit: But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Peter 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, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
„Sei das Salz der Erde.“’
