Colossians 3:5
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Cross-references
Colossians 3:8 continues the same moral instruction, listing another set of vices to put away, reinforcing the call to put to death earthly behavior.
Colossians 3:2 gives the positive counterpart: set minds on things above — opposite of the earthly desires to put to death here.
In Galatians 5:24, believers have crucified the flesh with its passions — the same reality Colossians commands.
In Romans 8:13, Paul uses the identical phrase 'put to death the misdeeds of the body' by the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 5:1 reports a case of sexual immorality, showing the same sin Paul elsewhere commands to put to death.
1 Corinthians 5:11 warns against associating with a brother who is a fornicator, covetous, or idolater — the same vices to be put to death.
1 Corinthians 6:9 lists fornicators and idolaters among those who won't inherit God's kingdom, echoing the same sins Paul says to mortify.
In 1 Corinthians 6:10, Paul lists the greedy among those excluded from the kingdom—directly related to Colossians 3:5's covetousness as idolatry.
1 Corinthians 6:13 says the body is not for fornication, reinforcing Paul's command to put sexual immorality to death.
1 Corinthians 6:18 commands 'flee fornication', directly supporting Paul's imperative to mortify sexual immorality in Colossians.
In 1 Corinthians 10:6-8, Paul warns against evil desire and idolatry using Israel's failures—echoing the sins Colossians 3:5 commands to kill.
2 Corinthians 12:21 mentions uncleanness, fornication, and lasciviousness — vices Paul laments, matching the list of earthly sins to put to death.
Galatians 5:19-21 lists 'works of the flesh' — identical sins like sexual immorality and impurity — reinforcing what must be put to death.
1 Corinthians 5:10 mentions fornicators, covetous, and idolaters — matching three vices in Paul's list — as those outside the church.
In Ephesians 4:19, Paul describes the old life of sensuality and greed—the very things Colossians 3:5 says to put to death.
In Ephesians 5:3-6, the same vices (immorality, impurity, greed) are linked to idolatry and God's wrath.
In Ephesians 5:5, Paul equates covetousness with idolatry and excludes the covetous from the kingdom—identical teaching to Colossians 3:5.
1 Thessalonians 4:5 contrasts believers' sanctification with Gentiles who live in 'passion of lust' — exactly the passions to be put to death.
Hebrews 13:4 upholds marriage and warns that God judges the sexually immoral — reinforcing the command to put such deeds to death.
Revelation 21:8 lists the sexually immoral and idolaters among those facing the second death — showing the eternal stakes of these sins.
Revelation 22:15 excludes the sexually immoral and idolaters from the holy city — echoing that such practices lead to exclusion from God's presence.
Romans 1:29 names fornication, covetousness, and wickedness — three vices from Paul's list — as symptoms of sinful humanity.
In Matthew 15:19, Jesus lists sexual immorality and evil thoughts from the heart — the same vices to put to death.
In Romans 6:6, the old self was crucified with Christ — the same 'putting to death' of the sinful nature.
Mark 7:21 lists 'sexual immorality' as an evil from the heart, reinforcing that the same vice Paul commands to put to death originates internally.
Galatians 5:16 presents walking by the Spirit as the means to avoid gratifying fleshly desires — the alternative to putting them to death.
In Joshua 7:21, Achan's coveting and taking banned items exemplifies the covetousness Paul calls idolatry — putting desire above God.
In Job 31:24, Job rejects making gold his trust — the same idolatry of covetousness Paul warns against.
Hebrews 13:5 directly addresses love of money, a specific form of covetousness that Colossians 3:5 calls idolatry.
In Psalm 10:3, the greedy boast in their desires and renounce the LORD — directly linking covetousness to idolatry as Paul does.
Titus 2:12 commands renouncing worldly passions, directly paralleling the call in Colossians 3:5 to put to death evil desires and passions.
In Isaiah 57:17, God's anger at unjust gain shows covetousness as rebellion — the idolatry Paul condemns.
In Jeremiah 22:17, covetousness drives violence and oppression — the same earthly desire Paul calls idolatry.
In Ezekiel 18:31, casting away transgressions and getting a new heart parallels Paul's mortification of earthly desires and renewal in Christ.
In Matthew 5:29, Jesus commands radical amputation of a sinful body part — directly parallel to Paul's command to 'put to death' earthly members.
In Mark 8:34, Jesus calls for self-denial and cross-bearing — the same radical 'putting to death' of personal desires that Paul commands.
1 Corinthians 6:11 reminds that believers were washed and sanctified from sins like those listed — the basis for now putting them to death.
In Mark 9:43, Jesus uses drastic 'cut it off' imagery — directly parallel to Paul's command to 'put to death' your members that cause sin.
Romans 6:19 contrasts past slavery to impurity with present slavery to righteousness — directly relating to the earthly sins that must be put to death.
In Luke 9:23, daily cross-bearing and self-denial mirror the 'put to death' command — both require dying to self and sinful desires.
In Luke 12:15, Jesus warns against all covetousness — exactly the sin Paul calls 'idolatry' and commands to put to death.
Exodus 20:17 is the commandment against coveting—the foundation for Colossians 3:5's identification of covetousness as idolatry.
Romans 13:14 commands making no provision for the flesh — the positive counterpart to putting to death earthly desires here.
Romans 13:13 lists similar vices — orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, sensuality — reinforcing the earthly behaviors believers must put to death.
In James 4:1, desires battle within you causing quarrels — matching the 'evil desires' in Colossians.
In Romans 6:13, Paul urges not to offer body parts to sin — a parallel imperative to putting to death earthly members.
2 Peter 2:10 describes those who indulge lustful passions—the opposite of putting them to death, creating a contrast with Colossians 3:5.
In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter urges abstaining from fleshly passions—a parallel call to renounce the earthly desires in Colossians 3:5.
In Romans 7:5, being in the flesh produced sinful passions leading to death — the state Colossians says to put to death.
In Romans 7:8, Paul shows how the law arouses covetousness—the very sin Colossians 3:5 commands to put to death.
In Romans 7:23, Paul describes an internal war with the law of sin — the battle to put to death earthly nature.
2 Timothy 3:2 lists lovers of money among end‑times sins, directly matching the covetousness condemned in Colossians 3:5 as idolatry.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 specifically calls for abstaining from sexual immorality — the first sin listed here — as God's will for sanctification.
In Acts 15:20, the Jerusalem decree lists abstaining from sexual immorality and idolatry — directly paralleling the vices Paul commands to put to death.
In Luke 18:23, the rich ruler's sadness over wealth shows covetousness — a clear example of the idolatry Paul says must be killed.
In Matthew 19:22, the rich young ruler's sorrow reveals covetousness — the very 'evil desire' and 'idolatry' Paul names as needing death.
Mark 7:22 lists 'covetousness' among heart-sins, directly paralleling the covetousness Paul includes in his vice list.
Hebrews 12:16 warns against sexual immorality and godlessness, exemplified by Esau's selling his birthright — akin to covetousness as idolatry.
In Ezekiel 43:9, God commands Israel to put away whoredom and defilement — the same call to remove impurity so God can dwell among His people.
1 Peter 1:14 urges not to be conformed to former passions, reinforcing the call in Colossians 3:5 to put to death evil desires.
1 Corinthians 9:27 shows Paul disciplining his body — a practical outworking of putting to death fleshly desires.
In Psalm 119:36, the psalmist prays for a heart turned from selfish gain — the opposite of the covetousness Paul equates with idolatry.