Put Away the Old, Put On the New
My dear friends,
With some warm tea or hot cocoa in hand, let’s keep going in our study of Colossians. We’re still sitting in chapter 3, right after Paul told us to put to death the earthly things that used to run our lives. Now he turns to the way we treat each other with our words and attitudes.
Here’s what he writes:
“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:8-10)
That little phrase “but now” is full of hope. He’s not saying, “Try harder so you can become someone new.” He’s saying, “You’ve already put off the old self and put on the new one. So live like it’s true.” The work of becoming new is already underway. Our part is to stop wearing the old clothes.
Let’s look at the list, because these show up in everyday conversations more often than we’d like to admit.
Anger is the slow burn—the irritation that simmers when someone cuts you off in traffic, dismisses your idea, or fails you again. It feels justified, but it quietly poisons the atmosphere around you.
Wrath is anger that boils over. It’s the sharp word, the raised voice, the outburst that leaves everyone else walking on eggshells. It may feel powerful in the moment, but it usually leaves regret behind.
Malice is the desire to see someone else hurt or diminished. It’s the quiet satisfaction when things go wrong for a person who wronged you, or the willingness to withhold help just because you can.
Slander is speaking about someone in a way that damages their reputation—whether it’s true but told with a twist, or simply exaggerated so others will think less of them. It often hides behind “I’m just being honest” or “I need to process this with someone.”
Obscene talk is speech that is crude, degrading, or sexually charged in a way that dishonors people made in God’s image. It can be the joke that goes too far, the comment that objectifies, or the language that treats sacred things as casual.
Then Paul adds a simple but searching command: “Do not lie to one another.” Lying isn’t only bold-faced deception. It can be the half-truth that protects your image, the silence that hides what you did, or the carefully edited story that makes you look better than you are.
All of these belong to the old self. Paul says we’ve already put that self off. We’ve already put on the new self—the one that is being renewed, day by day, to look more like Jesus, the true image of God. That renewal doesn’t happen by sheer willpower. It happens as we keep coming back to who Christ is and who we are in Him.
My friends, as I look at this list, the Holy Spirit convicts me that I am nowhere close to imitating Jesus in my life. I have issues that still need to be worked on and actions that I need to repent and ask forgiveness for. Thank God that He invites us to come to Him for the strength needed.
That invitation is both simple and costly: when anger rises, when the sharp word is on your tongue, when the half-truth feels safer than honesty—remember whose clothes you’re wearing now. You don’t have to keep putting on the old ones.
A few questions to sit with
- Which of these (anger, wrath, malice, slander, crude speech, or lying) shows up most easily in your life right now? What does it usually look like in practice?
- Is there a relationship where you’ve been living more from the old self than the new? What would “putting away” look like in that relationship this week?
- Where do you need the Spirit to renew your mind so that the new self feels more natural than the old habits?
Prayer
Father, thank You that I have already put off the old self and put on the new. Help me live like that’s true—especially with my words and attitudes toward others. When the old responses rise up, remind me whose image I’m being renewed into. Renew me in the knowledge of You. Amen.
Your fellow sheep,
