For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
God's wrath falls because of specific earthly evils upon those who persist in disobedience and keep living in the sinful practices of the former life. Those evils are sexual immorality, impurity, disordered passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry, together with anger, malice, blasphemy, filthy speech and lying. Those raised with Christ have died to the old self-indulgent character and love of the world, with their life hidden with Christ in God, so they are to seek what is above where Christ sits at God's right hand and set their affection there and not on earthly things. They are therefore to put to death those earthly members and put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator, where Christ is all and in all. A past conversion is not enough, for conversion must be a present experience transforming the whole being and keeping the heart pure through constant union with Christ by faith, prayer and watchfulness against the strong pull back toward sin. That warning belongs to the present, for wrath is already beginning to fall upon the disobedient as seen in widespread crimes and corrupt practices, calling parents to guard their children against depraving influences and associates.
Sins That Bring Wrath
The wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience, meaning those who persist in disobedience and continue in the sinful practices of the former life that believers themselves once lived in. The things for whose sake that wrath comes are the earthly members named just before the verse: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence or evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. With those are also joined anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication or filthy speech out of the mouth, and lying, which are the deeds of the old man to be put off. Believers once walked in these sins, but are to mortify them and put them away as part of leaving the former life behind and living the renewed life.
The children of disobedience follow the rebellious spirit first shown by Satan, resisting God's law while promising liberty through breaking it. That spirit misrepresents God's character, blames His restrictions for sin, and refuses to correct sin when reproved. Instead, when warned or corrected, wrongdoers justify themselves, seek sympathy, and turn indignation against the one who warns them. So Satan in heaven misrepresented God, refused opportunity to repent and submit, and persisted in rebellion until he and his sympathizers were cast out, and that same spirit has continued on earth from righteous Abel onward.
That disobedient course is seen in unregenerate hearts that resist God's law and continue the hatred that persecuted Christ's followers through imprisonment, exile, torture and death. It is seen also in the world's growing corruption and disregard for God's law. Even professed Christians become instruments of evil when their lives serve sin.
Risen to New Life
Those risen with Christ have died to the old sinful self-indulgent character and to love of the world and self-serving, with their life hid with Christ in God. They must therefore seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God, and set affection on things above, not on things on the earth. This turning of mind, affections, and heart away from the world and toward the things of God shows the necessity of the transforming power of grace affecting heart and character. At conversion they received a new life of heavenly origin with changed life purposes, drawing no thread of selfishness into the life but seeking their place in the Lord's work.
They must mortify those earthly members and put off the old man with his deeds. Those deeds are anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication or filthy speech out of the mouth, and lying. In their place they are to put on the new man, renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him. In that new man there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Believers once lived in these sins but are to put them away and live in the renewed life, leaving the former life behind.
By baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each soul has taken a stand on the Lord's side and separated from the enemy. Each has pledged to remain dead to the world, to come out and be separate as sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty and members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King. That pledge means no longer following worldly methods and practices, and not acting as sinners act for convenience and self-advantage at a neighbor's disadvantage, lest profession be nullified by works. They rise to represent the resurrection of Christ and to represent the life of Christ, with heaven's pledge of power and grace to resist every temptation to dishonor God. Those who have entered covenant with God through baptism and died to the old life must put away these sins as fruits of the unregenerate heart that must not characterize a life hidden with Christ, so that none of these sins should cling to those who have taken baptismal vows and remained obedient.
Saying I was once converted is not enough, and claims of faith do not excuse conduct contrary to God's instructions. Conversion must be present experience and a new state before God transforming the entire being. The old things are to be overcome and emptied out of the heart and not seen in the life, including quick impatient temper, hate, envy, revenge, spirit of retaliation, pride of heart, emulation, and seeking for supremacy, with the heart kept pure. This is urgent because the converted still have a tempting devil continually and a strong undercurrent bearing back to the former state of sin and the natural passions of the unrenewed heart. These sins can still take hold among believers and must be firmly resisted and removed from the life, with refusal to cling to sin.
To stand they must arm with faith and prayer, watch unto prayer, keep the soul firmly united to Christ trusting Him every moment, and keep the heart pure by being constantly salted with divine grace. They must force passage heavenward against sinful indulgences using both oars of faith and works. The warning is straight, plain, and unvarnished so that no one need walk into the trap placed for them, but those who desire to be like Christ must pray in faith, watch unto prayer, believe, and sing songs of praise and thanksgiving. When Christ who is the life shall appear, those dead and hid in Him shall also appear with Him in glory. Meanwhile abiding in Christ and putting on mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness and love, and letting God's peace rule in the heart, shows the sinful world what Christ can do and leaves unbelievers with a favorable impression of the truth.
Wrath Seen Today
The warning that divine wrath comes upon disobedient people belongs to the present time, for that wrath has already begun to fall upon them and to be visited upon them. Its present falling is seen in the widespread crimes and sins and wicked and corrupt practices that are now being revealed.
Because that judgment is already at work, parents are to guard their children against corrupting influences and depraved associates. That guarding includes keeping them from intemperance and improper habits and from depraved influences that would lead them into disobedience.
God's wrath falls because of specific earthly evils upon those who persist in disobedience and keep living in the sinful practices of the former life. Those evils are sexual immorality, impurity, disordered passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry, together with anger, malice, blasphemy, filthy speech and lying. Those raised with Christ have died to the old self-indulgent character and love of the world, with their life hidden with Christ in God, so they are to seek what is above where Christ sits at God's right hand and set their affection there and not on earthly things. They are therefore to put to death those earthly members and put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator, where Christ is all and in all. A past conversion is not enough, for conversion must be a present experience transforming the whole being and keeping the heart pure through constant union with Christ by faith, prayer and watchfulness against the strong pull back toward sin. That warning belongs to the present, for wrath is already beginning to fall upon the disobedient as seen in widespread crimes and corrupt practices, calling parents to guard their children against depraving influences and associates.
Sins That Bring Wrath
The wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience, meaning those who persist in disobedience and continue in the sinful practices of the former life that believers themselves once lived in. The things for whose sake that wrath comes are the earthly members named just before the verse: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence or evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. With those are also joined anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication or filthy speech out of the mouth, and lying, which are the deeds of the old man to be put off. Believers once walked in these sins, but are to mortify them and put them away as part of leaving the former life behind and living the renewed life.
The children of disobedience follow the rebellious spirit first shown by Satan, resisting God's law while promising liberty through breaking it. That spirit misrepresents God's character, blames His restrictions for sin, and refuses to correct sin when reproved. Instead, when warned or corrected, wrongdoers justify themselves, seek sympathy, and turn indignation against the one who warns them. So Satan in heaven misrepresented God, refused opportunity to repent and submit, and persisted in rebellion until he and his sympathizers were cast out, and that same spirit has continued on earth from righteous Abel onward.
That disobedient course is seen in unregenerate hearts that resist God's law and continue the hatred that persecuted Christ's followers through imprisonment, exile, torture and death. It is seen also in the world's growing corruption and disregard for God's law. Even professed Christians become instruments of evil when their lives serve sin.
Risen to New Life
Those risen with Christ have died to the old sinful self-indulgent character and to love of the world and self-serving, with their life hid with Christ in God. They must therefore seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God, and set affection on things above, not on things on the earth. This turning of mind, affections, and heart away from the world and toward the things of God shows the necessity of the transforming power of grace affecting heart and character. At conversion they received a new life of heavenly origin with changed life purposes, drawing no thread of selfishness into the life but seeking their place in the Lord's work.
They must mortify those earthly members and put off the old man with his deeds. Those deeds are anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication or filthy speech out of the mouth, and lying. In their place they are to put on the new man, renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him. In that new man there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Believers once lived in these sins but are to put them away and live in the renewed life, leaving the former life behind.
By baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each soul has taken a stand on the Lord's side and separated from the enemy. Each has pledged to remain dead to the world, to come out and be separate as sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty and members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King. That pledge means no longer following worldly methods and practices, and not acting as sinners act for convenience and self-advantage at a neighbor's disadvantage, lest profession be nullified by works. They rise to represent the resurrection of Christ and to represent the life of Christ, with heaven's pledge of power and grace to resist every temptation to dishonor God. Those who have entered covenant with God through baptism and died to the old life must put away these sins as fruits of the unregenerate heart that must not characterize a life hidden with Christ, so that none of these sins should cling to those who have taken baptismal vows and remained obedient.
Saying I was once converted is not enough, and claims of faith do not excuse conduct contrary to God's instructions. Conversion must be present experience and a new state before God transforming the entire being. The old things are to be overcome and emptied out of the heart and not seen in the life, including quick impatient temper, hate, envy, revenge, spirit of retaliation, pride of heart, emulation, and seeking for supremacy, with the heart kept pure. This is urgent because the converted still have a tempting devil continually and a strong undercurrent bearing back to the former state of sin and the natural passions of the unrenewed heart. These sins can still take hold among believers and must be firmly resisted and removed from the life, with refusal to cling to sin.
To stand they must arm with faith and prayer, watch unto prayer, keep the soul firmly united to Christ trusting Him every moment, and keep the heart pure by being constantly salted with divine grace. They must force passage heavenward against sinful indulgences using both oars of faith and works. The warning is straight, plain, and unvarnished so that no one need walk into the trap placed for them, but those who desire to be like Christ must pray in faith, watch unto prayer, believe, and sing songs of praise and thanksgiving. When Christ who is the life shall appear, those dead and hid in Him shall also appear with Him in glory. Meanwhile abiding in Christ and putting on mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness and love, and letting God's peace rule in the heart, shows the sinful world what Christ can do and leaves unbelievers with a favorable impression of the truth.
Wrath Seen Today
The warning that divine wrath comes upon disobedient people belongs to the present time, for that wrath has already begun to fall upon them and to be visited upon them. Its present falling is seen in the widespread crimes and sins and wicked and corrupt practices that are now being revealed.
Because that judgment is already at work, parents are to guard their children against corrupting influences and depraved associates. That guarding includes keeping them from intemperance and improper habits and from depraved influences that would lead them into disobedience.