0 Put to Death What? Sin?

Paul writes in his Epistle to Colossae:

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." (Col. 3:5-10, ESV)

The prescription is relatively straightforward. Why, then, is it so hard for us to accept that we truly are to seek a different life? Certainly the Scriptures make it clear that our justification does not derive from how closely we follow this prescription... but nevertheless we cannot sit back and adopt a licentious attitude about sin - a lack of concern about the pattern of our lives. John, too, in his first epistle makes this point quite clear. John there, and Paul here clearly speak to the expectation that the ways of the world are not to be that which we follow - yet some, it seems, in order not to offend the "seeker" hesitate to say anything concerning renovation of heart and life. Why is that? Have we adopted a "sales" attitude concerning the Christian life?