“Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.”
Because of these things the wrath of God is coming
“These things” — the sins listed in verse 5. It is due to these things that the wrath of God “is coming.” God does not condone sin. We excuse the sins of verse 5 as “vices,” but God calls them sins.
The verb “is coming” indicates that God’s wrath has already begun (John 3:36). The climax of this wrath is a final judgment on evil (2 Th. 1:7-9). God also makes it a habit to discipline believers who go astray (Hebrews 12).
These five sins make God angry (Rom. 1:18). This is no divine temper tantrum that seeks to vindictively strike down anyone who disagrees with God. God’s wrath is not lightning bolts from heaven, but His justice executed upon those who violate His person. God’s character is the basis for the moral order of the universe.
upon the sons of disobedience
“Sons of disobedience” is not found in some manuscripts. “Disobedience” is literally the condition of being unpersuadable. This word denotes obstinacy. These people obstinately reject God’s will (Rom. 11:30,32; Eph. 2:2; 5:6; Eph. 2:2; 5:6; Heb. 4:6, 11). The New Testament always used this word as disobedience toward God. Those who oppose God, He calls “sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2; 5:6). It is used for the disobedience of the Jews in Romans 11:30; He 4:6,11 and of all men in Rom 11:32.
The disobedient person refuses to believe the truth no matter what evidence God sets before him (Ac 14.2). Therefore God’s wrath will come upon him (Jn 3:36; Eph. 5:6).
“In which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.” (Co 3:7)
In which you yourselves once walked
The Colossians characteristically committed the five sins of verse 5 before becoming Christians. That is why it is crucial to put them to death. Christians must kill, not wound, immorality and covetousness in their lives.
when you lived in them
Those were the days Christians walked in the “will of the Gentiles” (1 Pet. 4:3). Living in sin was our thought and behavior pattern.
PRINCIPLE:
It is difficult to walk in the presence of evil and not fellowship with it.
APPLICATION:
We have reached a place in society where almost anything goes, so we face a tide of evil. Restraints, either by law or by public opinion, erode away. Moral absolutes are no longer in vogue.
If God is God, then He must act consistently with His being. If we violate God, we must pay the price. If a non-Christian rejects God’s offer of salvation free in Christ, he must pay for his sins personally. A Christian will suffer chastening if he digs his heels against God (Heb. 12:6).
If a Christian becomes obstinate over time, God will step in and discipline him as he did David. After David committed adultery and stayed out of fellowship with God for three years, God brought him up short (2 Sam. 12:1-12). It is as difficult to walk across the Red River Valley’s gumbo mud in Manitoba without it sticking to our feet as walking in the presence of evil and not sin. The course of life we choose will determine the pattern of life we live. If we walk with those who practice the sins of verse 5, there is a great chance we will revert to those sins again. We are no longer what we once were. We have come to fellowship with Jesus, the Lord. That is why sin does not dominate us anymore (Rom. 6:14). We have a new life and, therefore, new power.
Christians sin, but it is like the difference between falling on a ship’s deck and falling overboard. There is a big difference between falling into sin and living in sin. That is the difference between sheep and swine. Sheep may fall into the mud, but they get out as quickly as possible. Mud is adverse to his character.
