Colossians 3:8
“but now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth.”
What does Colossians 3:8 mean?
Paul is calling us to actively shed the behaviors that damage our relationships and souls—anger that flares up, the deeper rage that holds grudges, the desire to hurt others, gossip, and words spoken to tear someone down. He's not saying these feelings won't arise, but rather that we have the power and responsibility to put them away, like removing clothes we've outgrown. What makes this particular in Paul's letter is his assumption that people who follow Christ have already begun a transformation. He's not shaming us for occasionally struggling with these things, but inviting us to recognize we're becoming people who no longer want to live this way. It's both an encouragement and a gentle call to notice where we might still be holding on to habits of speech and emotion that don't reflect who we're becoming.