Colossians 3:5 (ASV)

Passage

Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:3 For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:4 When Christ, [who is] our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory.

Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;

Colossians 3:6 for which things` sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience:

Colossians 3:7 wherein ye also once walked, when ye lived in these things;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "death", "therefore", "members", "upon", "earth", "fornication", "uncleanness", and "passion". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "death" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "When Christ who is our life shall..." into verse 6's "for which things sake cometh the wrath...", so "death" and "therefore" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "death" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.