Colossians 3:8 Meaning and Explanation
“But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Words can carry the heat of anger into a family, congregation, workplace, or friendship long after a moment has passed. Paul addresses that ordinary spiritual battlefield directly. Because believers have a new life in Christ, he calls them to remove attitudes and speech that poison fellowship and dishonor the God they serve.
Colossians 3:8 calls Christians to lay aside anger and destructive speech. The new life in Christ reaches the heart, the tongue, and the ways people treat one another.
The Context of Colossians 3:8
After commanding the Colossians to put to death sins connected with disordered desire and covetousness, Paul recalls that they once lived in such things. He now turns especially toward sins that damage relationships: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy communication. The command begins a sequence in verses 8-10. They are to put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man, renewed in knowledge after the Creator's image. Verse 11 then shows the communal reach of this renewal, where social divisions lose their power because Christ is all and in all.
What Does Colossians 3:8 Mean?
"But now ye also put off all these" marks a decisive change in the readers' manner of life. Paul uses the image of taking off clothing, a fitting picture because the attitudes named can cling closely to us and become familiar. "Anger" and "wrath" describe forms of heated hostility; "malice" aims ill toward another person. "Blasphemy" here belongs in a list of relational sins and includes abusive, slanderous speech. "Filthy communication out of your mouth" reaches language that is shameful, degrading, or corrupting. Paul does not limit holiness to inward thoughts. The mouth reveals and shapes the life shared with others, so he calls for its cleansing.
In the chapter's movement, this command grows from being risen with Christ. Verse 7 remembers a former walk, while verse 8 says "now," indicating that the gospel creates a real new situation. Paul is not asking the Colossians to manufacture a worthy identity through moral effort. Verses 9-10 ground the putting off and putting on in what has occurred with the old and new man. Still, the imperative remains active: the grace given in Christ calls forth practices that fit it. The following verses name mercy, kindness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, charity, peace, gratitude, and the word of Christ. Harmful speech must be removed so these graces may be expressed among God's people.
Jesus' own teaching gives this command its deepest seriousness. He spoke of the heart as the source from which evil words and actions proceed, and he warned against contemptuous anger toward a brother. At the same time, his ministry shows speech used to heal, teach, forgive, and bear witness to truth. Those joined to Christ are being formed for that kind of life. The command does not deny that grief, zeal, or protest may arise in a troubled world. It addresses the hostile passions and corrupt speech that seek to rule our dealings with others. Christ's peace is later invited to rule the heart in this same chapter.
Bible Verses Related to Colossians 3:8
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:”
- Ephesians 4:31
“Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.”
- James 3:9
“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.”
- Matthew 15:18
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”
- Colossians 3:12
Where Colossians 3:8 Echoes in Scripture
Ephesians 4:31 strongly echoes this verse by gathering anger, wrath, malice, and harmful speaking into a list to be put away. Its immediate setting then calls believers to kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness in view of God's forgiveness in Christ. That parallel helps us read Colossians 3:8 as more than restraint. The removal of destructive habits makes room for a community shaped by mercy and reconciliation.
How to Apply Colossians 3:8 Today
We can take inventory of the phrases that emerge when we are frustrated: cutting jokes, repeated complaints, insults, exaggerations, and words meant to make another person feel small. A pause before replying, a confession after speaking wrongly, and a deliberate choice of truthful, respectful language can interrupt these patterns. In homes and congregations, it may help to address a grievance directly rather than recruit others through slander. The aim is not a merely polished manner. We seek a mouth that serves peace, truth, correction, encouragement, and gratitude in the presence of Christ.
Reflection & Prayer
What kind of speech tends to surface when we feel ignored, hurried, or wounded? Ask God to reveal the desire beneath it and to form a truer response. Pray: "Lord Jesus, rule our hearts with your peace. Cleanse our words from hostility and make our speech a means of truth, mercy, and healing."