Being Different

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Colossians 3:8-10

We are exhorted to stop doing certain things because we can stop. We are different, therefore we can act differently. That is the appeal of the grace of God. You have taken off your old self. A change has come; you are no longer what you once were. Your life is no longer linked with the old Adam but with the new Adam, who is Jesus. You have put on the new self which is growing and increasing in knowledge. The more you learn about this new life, the more you will find you are able to say no to the old. It is increasing in knowledge, growing into the image of Christ its Creator.

So Paul begins the list of attitudes to renounce. First, we no longer need give way to anger. According to the Scripture, there is nothing wrong with anger itself. Here it is an expression of anger that is in view, what one commentator accurately calls impetuous name-calling or calculated insult.

The second word is rage. This refers to temper tantrums, any violent display or attack, by either word or deed, upon another person. That does not mean we will be removed from the temptation to do these things; the old life still hangs around, but we must remember that it is no longer us. We can and should say no, because we are new creatures in Christ.

The third word is malice, that silent, hidden hatred of the heart that takes revenge in secret. Remember the story of the boy who took revenge on his tormentors by spitting in their soup before he served it to them? Have you ever spit in anyone's soup? It is an act of revenge inspired by malice.

Then, fourthly, slander. That is an attack on another person's character, whispering things about him, true or untrue, that destroy his reputation. That is slander. You can be sued for that in the world, because even the world recognizes it is wrong.

The fifth word is filthy language, foul talk, crude and coarse words, expletives that Christians might resort to in a time of sudden pain or hurt. We all know the temptation to do this, but it is to be put away, because it is not us any longer.

The sixth word is lying, untruth that breeds suspicion and destroys trust. Perhaps we all secretly agree with the little boy who was asked what a lie was and replied, A lie is an abomination to the Lord, but a very present help in time of trouble! But we pay a terrible price for lying by destroying trust and awakening suspicion. We find it hard to win our way back to being trusted again.

Many Christians are confused as to just when they are being hypocritical. Nobody, of course, wants to be a hypocrite. But many Christians think they are being hypocritical when they know their own inward evil temptations, but nevertheless go to church and sing the hymns, etc. What the Bible says, however, is that a Christian is a hypocrite when he gives way to those wrong things. That is when he is no longer being what he really is. You are being your true self when you praise God and respond with love, joy and peace. You are a phony, a hypocrite, when you give way to evil attitudes and practices.

Lord, change my thinking, because growth and change begin there. Teach me to think not in accord with my own human instincts but with the truth as it is revealed in Your Word. Amen.