8 But now you must rid yourselvesof all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Thoughts: vs. 8 says to rid ourselves of three sins of speech- slander, filthy language and lying. The word slander here in the Greek is blasphemia- from which we get our word "blasphemy." When used of God it is the highest form of degradation- worthy of death in the Old Testament (and blasphemy of the Spirit was the unpardonable sin in the New Testament). Instead of blasphemy- we are called to be kind. Filthy speech- is cursing. In place of cursing we are called to be pure. In place of lying we are called to be true. Today people have a hard time defining truth, but in our heart we understand truth.
Prayer: Let my words be kind, pure, and true for you, O Lord.
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