Every religion in history says do this, become that. Paul says you’ve got it backwards.
Most people read Colossians 3:5, “Put to death what is earthly in you,” as a call to try harder. But back up two verses and everything changes. “You have died.” That’s not a command. That’s a declaration.
Paul completely reverses the logic of every moral and religious framework you’ve ever encountered. The indicative/imperative structure in his letters is one of the most liberating distinctions in the New Testament. You are not putting sin to death in order to become dead to it. You are enacting what is already true of you in Christ. The imperative always flows from the indicative. That changes everything.
See the complete episode transcript below.
A few episode highlights
✅ Colossians 3:3 and 3:5 belong together. “You have died” is the indicative — a declared fact about every believer in Christ. “Put to death your earthly members” is the imperative — the command that flows from it. The order is everything.
✅ Most moral and religious frameworks run the same direction: obey the commands and you will attain the desired state. Paul consistently reverses that logic. You already are this in Christ. Therefore live it out. The indicative always comes first.
✅ You are not putting sin to death in order to become dead to it. You are enacting in your daily experience what is already true of you positionally before God. The imperative is the lived expression of the indicative. Not the path to achieving it.
Scripture
Colossians 3:3 NASB — “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.“
Colossians 3:5 ESV — “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
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Transcript: You’ve Already Died. Now Live Like It.
Hello, welcome back. I’m Brian Del Turco, and this is Jesus Smart 180, our short-form episodes on the Jesus Smart X podcast.
I have something for you today from the Apostle Paul that I think can be genuinely liberating. It’s a distinction that can rewire how we think about what it means to follow Christ and obey him.
Two verses. Colossians 3:3: “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Then verse 5: “Put to death what is earthly in you.”
If we’ve already died, how is it that we still need to put something to death? That’s not a contradiction. It’s actually the key to everything.
Indicative and Imperative Makes the Difference
In New Testament Greek, verbs carry what’s called a mood. In verse 3, the verb is indicative, a declaration of what is already true. You have died in Christ. It’s not a goal or an aspiration. It’s a declared fact about every believer living in union with him.
In verse 5, the mood shifts to imperative, a command that addresses the will. Put to death the evil cravings in your earthly members. Action is required.
Here’s what makes Paul’s framework so different from every other moral system in human history. Most religion runs like this: obey the commands, then you will attain the desired state. Do this, become that.
Paul inverts it entirely. You are already this in Christ. Therefore live it out.
The indicative, the fact and the reality, always comes first. The imperative, the obedient action, flows from it. The logic in Colossians 3 runs like this: you have died, therefore put to death what is earthly in you.
You’re not doing this to become dead to sin. You’re enacting what is already true of you in Christ.
The imperative is the lived expression of the indicative — not the path to achieving it. That’s no small distinction. It’s the difference between the religious systems of man and the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
We may need to go a little nerdy to live a little deeper. Worth it.
If this opened something up for you, there’s more to explore. A possible mini-series on this theme may be coming in the short-form format. I’m Brian Del Turco. You’ve died in Christ. Now let’s go live like it.
Thanks for listening to Jesus Smart 180. Your move. Visit jesussmart.com for show notes and more.