Putting to Death Our Lustful Members 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses (RcV) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Col. 3:5 Put to death therefore your members which are on 
the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, 
and unbridled greedy lust, which is idolatry. 
Romans 8:13  For if you live according to the flesh, you 
must die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the 
practices of the body, you will live.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
In verse 5 Paul charges us to put to death our members which 
are on the earth. This charge is based upon the fact that we 
have been crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20a) and that we 
have been baptized into His death (Rom. 6:3). We execute 
Christ's death upon our sinful members by crucifying them, 
by faith, through the power of the Spirit. This is 
absolutely different from asceticism.

According to Romans 8:11 and 13, the putting to death of the 
practices of the body is an action carried out in the power 
of the Spirit. It is not accomplished by self-effort. Our 
attempts to put to death the practices of the body are 
nothing more than asceticism. Although we are not to 
practice asceticism, we are to put to death the negative 
things in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. In order to do 
this, we need to open to the Spirit and allow the Spirit to 
flow within us. Through the Spirit's flowing, we shall 
experience the effectiveness of Christ's death. This is not 
asceticism; it is the operation of the Spirit within us.

We need to be warned concerning asceticism. We should not 
impose anything on ourselves in an attempt to deal with the 
lust of the flesh. On the contrary, our practice should be 
to open ourselves in fellowship with the Lord and allow the 
Spirit to have a free way to flow within us, and to apply 
the effectiveness of Christ's all-inclusive death to the 
negative things in our being. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Prayer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lord Jesus, I admit that through my own effort I cannot put 
to death my fleshly practices. Remind me that this is 
carried out only by the power of the Spirit. Lord, keep me 
open to You as the Spirit works within me. Amen. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the 
Bible (RcV) and Words of Ministry, from Witness Lee, Life-
study of Colossians, pp. 230-231.  Both are published by 
Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. 

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