But now, put off all such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices.
Into the Text
Instead of just saying “put off all sinning” and moving on to the next topic, Paul now goes on to list specific sins. He doesn’t want to leave anyone wondering what our dirty clothes actually look like.
It’s very tempting for us to be unspecific and vague about our own sins. Instead of calling it “anger” or “rage”, we may say, “I’m just irritable today.” When we speak unkind things about other people, we may call it “openly sharing”, but we would never consider ourselves to be slanderers. Instead of admitting that we have lied, we call ourselves “clever” or “shrewd.”
Look at what Paul says in verse 6: “Because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.” In other words, God hates sin. Sins are not small matters to be played around with or to be tolerated in our lives.
We will only “put off” our sins if we have become aware of what they truly are. We need to stop excusing our selfish attitudes and behavior. If we want to gain victory over sin, we need to name it. Tell it for what it is!
It’s painful to have our sins exposed by Jesus. It’s not easy to articulate our wrong thinking, speaking, and acting by bringing it all out into the open before a holy God. Yet, the reason He shows us a specific sin is so that we can confess it, be forgiven, and gain victory over it. Jesus is the good doctor who lovingly shows us our sickness and then offers us the cure. He gives us His gracious cleansing and the power to change.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you see my sin. I confess it to you now. Please forgive me and change me. Amen.