Colossians 3:5-11

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Colossians 3:5-11

So, ones raised with Christ are to seek heavenly things and set their minds on heavenly things.  These people have died and their life is hidden with Christ in God.  So, being focused on heaven, they are now told to put to death what is earthly within themselves.  If they are to be seeking the things of heaven and setting their minds on the things of heaven, it would make sense to do away with earthly things.  A list is given of earthly things that are to be put to death: "sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry".  These things are earthly and are to be done away with.

What's interesting about these things is that it brings the wrath of God.  These earthly, sinful things are what causes the wrath of God to be upon us.  Fortunately, those raised with Christ have been saved from this wrath Jesus' substitutionary atonement.  Paul points out that these earthly things are what a believer once walked in, living in them.  Ephesians 2 also describes this "walking in" that believers once did.  However, having once done or previously walked in is different from the "now" and moving forward.  Paul tells his readers that they must now "put them all away".  Another list is given: "anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth".  Having another different list seems to suggest that both lists are not all encompassing.  It's not as if Paul's list described every single thing that is earthly and needs to be put to death.  His lists are probably each just a handful of items to take note of.

Moving on, the reader is told not to lie to one another.  I don't know why lying is singled out here, especially as it seems to be connected to the old self.  Perhaps Paul is just moving along in his thought to the different things one is to put away and there isn't a particular significance with lying above the others.  In any case, one is not to lie (and I'd think this applies to all sins) because the old self has been put off.  You are no longer that old person who does those earthly things.  Instead, you have put on the new self.

There is an interesting thing mentioned about the new self.  Paul describes the new self as "being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator", or "be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him" (NLT).  The new self has to do with learning about God and becoming more like him.

Most importantly, what matters is Christ.  Race or status doesn't matter, but only Christ.  It's not as if only men are saved or only Australians are saved or only wealthy are saved.  It is by Him that we are saved, so he is the one who matters.  So, let us put off the old self and put on the new self.