Colossians 3:5 (KJV)

Passage

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Nearby Context

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

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

Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Colossians 3:6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Colossians 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mortify", "therefore", "members", "upon", "earth", "fornication", "uncleanness", and "inordinate". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mortify" 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 the wrath of...", so "mortify" 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 "mortify" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.