In Colossians 3:5 the Apostle Paul uses striking language to address how followers of Christ should deal with certain sins. He says, “Put to death the members (things) which are upon the earth: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.” The Lord undoubtedly has Paul employ such strident language because these sins are insidious.

As we see in I Kings 16 with the progressive moral deterioration of Israel under the kings, sin does not remain static. Left unchecked it will grow like a cancer, multiplying in intensity, pervasiveness and perverseness.

This is why Paul says “put it to DEATH.” Do not dally with sin. Do not consider any sin a “little” thing. Like a deadly, poisonous baby snake, you need to realize what it will grow up to be, and put it to death. Stamp out these sins NOW, before they manifest themselves in increasingly in worse and worse forms.

The old Puritan John Owen had it right in his book, The Mortification of Sin: “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.”