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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
December 12, 2010
Mortifying the Flesh, Pt. 2
Colossians 3:8-10
Introduction
Why is it that professing Christians struggle to live the Christian life in joy and obedience to God? I fear at times that the very misunderstanding of the answer to that question will lead some to even greater struggles as the accusations of our adversary and the feelings of failure overwhelm the person into defeat and despondency and even severe depression. There are several answers to that question, and this morning we are going to continue our examination of one of Paul’s explanations and his solution to the problem. However, before we do that I want to address the reality of the struggle.
I have found it is very easy to look at the lives of the apostles or other Christians you know that seem to have it all together and then compare yourself to them to your own discouragement. While we are called to be holy for our God is holy (1 Peter 1:16), the scriptures also tell us point blank that as long as we are walking in these bodies on this earth, we will sin. That is the common experience of all believers. Even the apostle Paul expresses his own struggle in Romans 7. The degree of struggle will vary from individual to individual and over the course of the life of the individual, but all Christians will struggle to live in holiness and refrain from sin. The apostle John even states that to say that we do not or have not sinned is to deceive ourselves and call God a liar (1John 1:8,10). That is why 1 John 1:9 is so important for it explains the proper response of the believer to their sin – confession relying on God’s nature and promises for the cleansing and forgiveness of that sin.
Why do professing Christians struggle with sin? There are quite a few reasons. The first is simply that there are those that profess to believe, but they do not understand the gospel and have not actually placed their faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, for they do not actually know him. That is why Paul gives challenges for believers to “Test yourselves [to see] if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you– unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
What is that test? It is not meeting some standard of outward behavior, but rather a serious contemplation of what you actually believe and whether you are a disciple of Jesus Christ? If your faith is in a different Jesus than the one revealed in the Bible, you have the wrong Jesus and you fail the test (Acts 4:12). If you believe that you can save yourself from God’s judgment by something you can do rather than what Jesus Christ has done for you on the cross of Calvary and His resurrection, then you also fail the test for you have the wrong gospel (Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:5-6). If you are unwilling to trust Jesus and strive to walk with Him, then you also fail the test because you are not His disciple. The issue here is not how well you walk with Him, but that you are on the narrow path of righteousness with Him and not on the broad path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). A person who fails the test needs to repent, believe the truth and place their faith in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation and commit themselves to follow Him.
A major reason that true Christians struggle with sin is simply ignorance and immaturity. They do not yet know the principles and precepts of God’s word. That is why Jesus’ call in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 concludes in “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” It also takes time and effort to learn how to follow those commands. That is why the Lord places us within His body, the church, so that we are part of a group of believers that are using their various spiritual gifts to help one another walk with Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16). We can trace the life of Paul through Acts and see his increasing maturity over time. In Philippians 4:11 Paul states that he “learned to be content in whatever circumstances.” This was something that developed over time as he experienced various circumstances in life and learned to walk in the Lord’s commands in the midst of them. The same will be true for us.
Another reason that true Christians struggle with sin is the effect that false teachers can have upon them. This was a danger that the Colossian believers were facing and that was one of the reasons Paul wrote to them. While he wanted to encourage them in what they were doing correctly (Colossians 1:3-12, etc.), he also wanted to warn them of the dangers the false teachers presented (Colossians 2:4-8, 16-23, etc.) and correct any false beliefs that may have already developed (Colossians 1:13-23; 2:9-15). Similar dangers and even worse ones abound all around us today for the teachings of heretics are prevalent on the internet, TV, radio, bookstores and magazines. To the degree that you believe and heed their false teaching, you will remain ignorant of the truth and immature in actually walking with Christ and therefore struggling with sin.
Another reason that believers will struggle with sin is that we can forget the truth and yield to the temptations that come upon us whether their origin be with our adversary, the devil, the pressures of the world or the desires of our physical unredeemed flesh and old ways of thinking. We battle temptation from the devil by submitting to God and resisting the devil who will then flee from us (James 4:7). We battle the temptations from the world by resisting being conformed to it and instead being a living sacrifice that is being transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:1-2). We battle the desires that arise from our unredeemed flesh and old manner of life by remembering who we are in Jesus and living accordingly – which is what Paul is talking about here in Colossians 3 as he encourages believers to press on in walking in righteousness as those who are raised up with Christ. In all cases of temptation, God does not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but provides a way of escape that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Let us review the first part of Colossians 3 to set the context.
Review
The Foundation (Colossians 3:1-4). “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
All that Paul says in this chapter is based on the truth that believers have been raised up with Christ. You are a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 2:17) because you have been made alive in Him (Colossians 2:13) to walk in this newness of life (Romans 6:4). It is for this reason that the purpose of your life changes from seeking for yourself to “seeking the things above where Christ is seated.” It is no longer about your kingdom, but Christ’s kingdom. In order to seek His kingdom you must set your mind on the things above and no longer on the things of this earth. That is what brings about a renewed mind and a changed way of living. See: Consequences of Life in Christ)
Though we will still struggle against sin in this life, we are secure in Jesus because our lives are hidden in Him in God (vs. 3). Believers also have Jesus’ promise that when He is revealed in His glory, we also will be revealed. All true Christians have a secure confidence of ultimate glorification. God will complete the work He has begun in us in Christ so that we will be conformed to the image of His son (Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:29).
Mortify the Members of Your Earthly Body – (Colossians 3:5). It is on the basis of the fact that the true Christian has been raised up with Christ and therefore has a new purpose in life that Paul gives his command in verse 5. The KJV translating that literally as “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.” Mortify is to “put to death.” These “members” encompass not only your physical unredeemed body and its desires, but also way in which your mind has been trained to think and the sinful desires you have been taught to want. Paul will describe this in verse 10 as the “old man.” Paul called this the “flesh” in his description of his own struggle in Romans 7. We must remember that though we have been redeemed by Christ’s death so that God’s sees us as justified in Him and clothed in Jesus’ righteousness, our full redemption will not take place until we receive our glorified bodies. Until then we must remember that we are raised up with Christ and must put to death those sinful things in our life while pushing on to live according to a new way of life.
In this verse Paul lists our five things common to sinful man starting with a specific sin of action and then progressing to the manner of thinking, emotions, desires and ultimate motivation for all the rest. This list is just an example of sinful actions of motivations. Disciples of Jesus are to put to death “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” Immorality is any sexual sin. Impurity always starts in the mind, but it refers to any action that is not morally clean. If it is not acceptable to God, it is impure, unclean. Passion refers to be overwhelmed and controlled by emotion – a condition often resulting in impurity and immorality. Evil desire is wanting what is contrary to God’s declared will. Greed is covetousness and describes the innate selfishness from which all the other sins arise. It is equated with idolatry because this selfish greed arises out of self worship. (See: Mortifying the Flesh, Pt. 1)
What You Used to Be (Colossians 3:6-7) is described next. 6 “For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.” The wrath of God comes upon men because of sin, and everyone who is saved is an individu
al who at one time actively sinned against God. Those who are now Christians were at one time the same as everyone else. However, by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, the believer is saved from sin and God’s wrath. It would illogical and inconsistent for a follower of Jesus to then continue in the same manner of life for which He gave His life to save them from. Paul’s point is simple – that is what you were, but you are not to be that any longer. You have been raised up with Christ.
Putting Aside Evil Motives & Speech (Colossians 3:8-9)
Paul now continues in this same theme in verses 8-11 giving a second list of sinful things that are to no longer be part of a believer’s life. Please follow along as I read verse 8-11.
8 “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, [and] abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its [evil] practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him 11 –[a renewal] in which there is no [distinction between] Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.”
Because you have been raised up with Christ you are to lay aside these vices. This second list is also simply an example of the kinds of things Christians are to lay aside. It is not comprehensive since Paul already gave one set of examples and in many passages he lists out many additional sins that are to no longer be part of a Christian’s life (Galatians 5:19f). This second list progresses in the opposite direction of the first list starting with sinful motivations and ending with specific sinful actions.
Put them all aside – apotiqhmi / apotithêmi is a compound word meaning “from away” and “to put / lay,” hence to lay aside or put away from. The same word is used in Hebrews 12:1 “to lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us . . .” It is used in James 1:21, “Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness . . .” It is used in Acts 7:58 to describe the witnesses “laying aside their robes” so they would not be encumbered by them in stoning Stephen.
The grammar shows this is another command that is to be done at a point in time (aorist) as was the command to mortify in verse 5. That is why it is translated as “put” or “lay” aside all these things instead of “putting” or “continually put.” It is not because we will not struggle with these things in the future, but that we are to view them from the position of the changed nature we have gained in Christ. To use the illustration of what it means to “lay aside a garment,” it means that you put it away from you and do not pick it up again, which also then incorporates the middle tense of this verb. You actively put it away from you, and passively you do not pick it back up again.
What is it that is put aside? The “all things” here refers to all the activities and attitudes of your former sinful nature which are then illustrated in the list of six specifics.
Anger (orgh / orgê) and wrath (qumoV / thumos) are the first two. They are so similar in meaning that they are sometimes used and translated interchangeably. In fact, the KJV translates qumoV / thumos as anger here in verse 8, but translated it as wrath in verse 6. However, when two similar words are used in a list, the differences are being stressed.
When the differences are being emphasized, anger (orgh / orgê) is the broader term indicating a more settled or abiding state of mind. It is slower to rise and subside. Wrath (qumoV / thumos) is more emotional in being an agitated condition of the feelings. Anger burns and can plan out its actions while wrath is more explosive into reactionary actions.
Both of these speak of what is occurring in the mind and emotions before there is an expression of them in any specific action. Malice, slander and abusive speech arise out of anger and wrath.
It is important to note here that anger and wrath in themselves are not necessarily sinful though they may be indicators of something sinful and lead to sin. Whether they are sinful or not is dependent on their cause and the actions that arise out of them. God Himself is angry about sin (Deuteronomy 32:16) and Revelation records that His wrath will be poured out against wicked mankind (Revelation 16:1). God’s anger and wrath are generated as a reaction of His holiness towards man’s sinfulness. Jesus became angry at the hard-heartedness of the Pharisees (Mark 3:4) and His wrath was evident when He overturned the tables of the money changers and used a whip to drive them and the merchants from the temple (Matthew 21; John 2).
It is very seldom that man will have such righteous causes of his anger. Man’s anger is usually generated out his own selfishness in not getting what he wants, but even when it has a proper cause, man must still be very careful to not let his anger lead him into sin. That is why Paul warns in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry, and [yet] do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.” James 1:19 gives further warning, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak [and] slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” Deal with the causes of your anger quickly before they fester and allow the devil to take advantage of them to lead you into sinful actions. Anger can be a good motivator to take action, but if those actions are done in anger, they will not produce a righteous response, they will not achieve the righteousness of God. We p
ut away anger and wrath by dealing with their causes quickly and seeking the righteousness of God instead of our own revenge.
Malice (kakia / kakia) is also translated as evil, wickedness and trouble since it is a cognate of kakoV / kakos – bad / evil. It is the quality of being bad, evil and in this context speaks of someone who harbors evil intent which may even be expressed by a vicious disposition. When such malice is expressed, it inevitably destroys the relationship between people. It is one of the characteristics listed in Romans 1:29 of those given over to depraved minds. Peter rebuked Simon Magnus and told him to repent of his evil intent in wanting to purchase the ability to give the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:18-23). Extra-Biblical literature later records that Simon became an apostate false teacher that caused lots of problems in the early church.
Evil intent is contrary to the character of a Christian. We do not desire evil upon others. We are to even love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us (Matthew 5:44). The more we understand that our actual enemy is the devil and his demons and not people who are flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), the easier it is to put away malice and pray for God to bring our enemies to repentance instead of desiring Him to destroy them because we want revenge. We put away malice when we seek God to glorify Himself in others.
Slander (blasfhmia / blasphêmia) – we get our word “blasphemy” from this word which we usually use only in connection with the slander of God, but the word itself is broader than that. It is a verbal expression of malice since it has the evil intent of causing injury to another’s good name. The level of blasphemy people will express against one another and God will vary with the level of malice, wrath, anger and falsehood involved ranging from besmirch, belittle, denigrate, and disparage to smear, sully, asperse, slur, defame and falsely charge.
Any impious or reproachful speech about God is blasphemy because it denigrates His good name. This would include thoughtless references to Him. Phrases such as “O God,” and “O my God,” are appropriate in prayer and in telling people about your relationship with Him. They are blasphemy when used as expressions of surprise or amazement and even of concern when not part of crying out to Him. You take the name of the Lord in vain when you use any reference to Him thoughtlessly as many do now using even the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ as an epithet or curse. Blasphemy gets much worse as people teach heretical theology or purposely seek to defame the Lord and falsely charge Him with attributes and actions that are contrary to His character. It is common to hear atheists and agnostics rail that God cannot be good because He allows evil to exist without looking in the mirror to see the real source of evil. They should instead fall on their knees in humble repentance that God is so patient and longsuffering as to allow them to continue to live in the present without casting them into eternal hell immediately, but if they do not repent, that is what He will do to them (Revelation 20:11-15). Blasphemy ranges from thoughtlessly taking His name in vain to purposely charging Him with evil.
But people treat other people the same way. People often pick at the weaknesses of others. That can even be done humorously with humble people who are willing to laugh at themselves, but it does not take much to cross the line into belittling, denigrating and disparaging them ending up in what is sometimes referred to as “cutting” wars as hurt turns to anger and retaliation. The pain caused is real and is the opposite of our Lord’s command and example of treating one another with kindness and speaking in such as way as to build each other up instead of tear one another down. Blasphemy against others increases with the level of malice as slurs are cast and purposeful efforts to defame are made even to the point of purposely making false accusations. This has become a common practice in politics which we refer to as mudslinging, but it also happens in businesses and within almost any social group as people try to climb their way to what they think is the top by tearing down others. All of this is part of what Paul lists here as blasphemy – slander.
How do you put this away from you? By remembering you have been raised up with Christ for a different purpose in life. You don’t have to claw your way to the top. You are to humble yourself before God and let Him exalt you at the proper time (1 Peter 5:6). You are to treat others with kindness and consider them as more important than yourself (Philippians 2:3-4). When you remove the malice and anger, you prevent yourself from slandering others.
Abusive speech (aiscrologia / aischrologia) is a compound word joining aiscroV / aischros, meaning shameful, disgraceful, improper, filthy, base, sordid, with logoV / logos, meaning word, message, speech. It also translated as “filthy communication,” “vile language,” and “foul talk.” Slanderous, blasphemous speech can quickly degenerate into this kind of speech in which rational effort to communicate is lost to name calling and being crude. There is no redeeming value left leaving only the expression of the person’s uninhibited anger, wrath and malice that then flows out of their mouths.
Most people are thoughtful and self controlled enough that they rarely use such language. It is just part of common courtesy in getting along with others that we seek to refrain from treating others with such vulgarities. However, the more a person gives into and is controlled by their base d
esires, the more they will express their anger, wrath and malice in such crude ways and it eventually just becomes their normal speech patterns. People sometimes try to excuse it as just “sailor talk,” or “mechanics language,” but it is simply vile, crude speech that reveals their moral weakness. Remember Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 15:10-20 that it is what comes out of the mouth that reveals what is in the heart and so defiles the man.
How do you lay aside filthy speech? Again, it comes back to remembering who you are in Christ. Such language is not fitting or reflective of being redeemed and adopted into God’s family. Neither is it in keeping with your new nature and purpose in life in which we seek to live righteously and encourage others to do the same. And finally, you do not need to say everything you think. Even though you may be angry and desire to harm someone by slander or abusive speech, that does not mean you need to say anything. You can keep your mouth shut while you deal with your attitude so that you can be at least neutral instead of a curse spreading ungodliness to others.
Lying (yeudomai / pseudomai) is separated from the list of things we are to “lay aside” with a distinct command quickly followed by the reasons for the command. 9 “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its [evil] practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.” Lying is telling others things that are not true. That is done actively when you are the source that has purposely spoken what you know is not true, and it can be done passively when you ignorantly spread the lies of others which is part of gossip.
Lying is a normal characteristic of the unregenerate because the devil is the father of lies (John 8:44) and the unsaved walk in his ways (Ephesians 2:1-3) even suppressing the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). People lie in an effort to get what they want and avoid what they do not want. Some are so characterized by lying that they have difficulty distinguishing between the truth and the falsehoods they have made up and their conscience becomes seared. Liars are excluded from heaven for their destiny will be the second death of the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8).
Lying is so common that even Christians often try to find ways to justify it for particular circumstances such as not wanting to hurt someone else’s feelings. A noble goal to some degree, but there are many ways to avoid hurting someone’s feelings other than lying, and more often than not the actual desire here is not true compassion on the other person, but to avoid the problems that will come when the other person has their feelings hurt. We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:25), and the loving thing is honesty and humility in yourself and helping a person work through the pains and disappointments in life.
Why is lying such an important issue? Because it strikes at the foundation of trust upon which every relationship is built. Trust and responsibility are directly related. The more you can trust someone the greater responsibility you can give to them, but lying strikes at the heart of trust. There cannot be any depth of relationship without the ability to trust the other person. It will of necessity remain shallow because you cannot entrust to a liar any responsibility that will negatively affect you. Would you really trust a liar to fix your car, diagnosis your illness, watch your children, be your confidant? How can you be vulnerable about your weakness and gain help from someone you cannot trust? A liar will look out for their own interest, not yours. Their advice will be questionable and your confidence will be broken. In raising our own children, Diane and I placed a major emphasis on teaching our children to be honest and squashing their natural tendency to lie. Every new responsibility and privilege was directly tied to our ability to trust them, and if we could not trust them to be honest with us including with their own weaknesses and failures, we could not trust them with new privileges.
How can you refrain from lying? Paul ties it here directly to the reality of what you have become since you have been raised up with Christ. You have “laid aside the old self with its evil practices and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created him.” I spoke about the old self or old man briefly earlier in the sermon and I will expand on it in our next study in Colossians in two weeks. For now, just understand that if you are a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, He has made you into something new that is being conformed to His image. God has already changed your fundamental nature and He is at work changing your manner of life so that you reflect His holiness and righteousness. Because of that, you no longer have to be controlled by the old nature you used to have. You no longer have to live according to your old pattern of life. As a Christian, we are to put those things to death and lay them aside while picking up a new way of living that will glorify our God.
In two weeks I will discuss further this idea of old man and new man while also explaining what Paul says in verse 11 about its ramifications upon racism and prejudice. Following that we will begin our study of the remaining passages of Colossians and their explanation of the new manner of life in which we are to walk.
KIDS CORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help.
Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Write down all the words that describe
a sin. Talk with your parents about how you can avoid those sins in your own life.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. Do all Christians struggle against sin? What scriptures support your answer? What are some of the reasons Christians struggle against sin? What causes you the most problems? How can victory be gained in those struggles? What should be the result of being raised with Christ – Col. 3:1? What does it mean to mortify? What are “your members which are on the earth”? How can you fulfill that command? What were you like before you were saved? What does it mean to “put aside”? Explain each of the following the how it may be or is sinful? Anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech and lying. How can you put aside each of these? Why is lying set apart as a separate command? What harm does lying do to a relationship and why? Which of the six vices listed do you struggle with the most? Memorize at least two verses that correct that vice. Find an accountability partner who will help you overcome it.
Sermon Notes – 12/12/2010
Mortifying the Flesh, Pt. 2 – Colossians 3:8-10
Introduction
Why do professing ________________ struggle to live the Christian life in joy and obedience to God?
Struggling against sin is the continuing common experience of ______ believers – Romans 7
Some struggle because they do not understand the __________ and do not actually know Jesus Christ
2 Corinthians 13:5 – we test ourselves about what we actually _________and if we are disciples of Christ
It is not an issue of how well you walk, but that you are on the narrow path to _______- Matthew 7:13-14
Many struggle with sin because of ignorance and ___________. We are to learn and mature – Matt. 28:19
Others struggle because they have been influenced by ___________ teachers
We will struggle when we forget the truth and ____________ to temptations
Temptations from the devil are conquered by submitting to _________ and resisting – James 4:7
Temptations from the world are conquered by being living sacrifices who are transformed – ___________
Temptations from our old self are conquered by remembering & living according to who we are _______
The Foundation (Colossians 3:1-4)
Since we are ______________ with Christ, we seek what is above and set our minds on the things above
We are secure in Christ because our lives are hidden in Him and we will be ________________with Him
Mortify the Members of Your Earthly Body – (Colossians 3:5)
To ____________ is to “put to death.”
The “members” include the desires of your unredeemed physical body and old way of _____________
We are positionally redeemed & righteous before God, but full & ____________redemption is still future
We are to put to ___________:
Immorality = any sexual sin
Impurity = anything not morally clean
Passion – overwhelming emotion
Evil desire = wanting what is contrary to God’s declared will
Greed, which amounts to idolatry = covetousness arising out of selfishness, which is self worship
What You Used to Be (Colossians 1:6-7)
Every Christian used to practice ______________ that bring about God’s wrath
It is illogical & inconsistent for a follower of Jesus to continue in the ____________ manner of life
Putting Aside Evil Motives & Speech (Colossians 1:8-10)
A second list of vices given as an example progressing from motivations to specific sinful ____________
Put them all aside (apotiqhmi / apotithêmi) to lay aside / put away from (Heb. 12:1; Jam. 1:21; Acts 7:58)
We are to view our struggle against sin from the position of the ________nature we have gained in Christ
Put the sin away from you and _____________ pick it up again
Anger (orgh / org̻) Рa broader term indicating a more settled or abiding state of mind. It ___________.
Wrath (qumoV / thumos) – more emotional in being an agitated condition of the feelings. It __________.
Anger and wrath can be ____________ – Deut. 32:16; Rev. 16:1; Mark 3:4; Matthew 21; John 2
Man must be very _________________ of anger – Eph. 4:26-27; James 1:19-20
We put away anger & wrath by dealing with their ________quickly and seeking the righteousness of God
Malice (kakia / kakia) – the quality of being bad / evil. Harboring _____________________.
Malice is ______________ to the character of a Christian – Matt. 5:44.
We put away malice when we seek God to ____________ Himself in others instead of our revenge
Slander (blasfhmia / blasphêmia) – actions taken to cause injury to another’s good _____________
________ impious or reproachful speech about God is blasphemy because it denigrates His good name
Blasphemy of other people includes _____________, denigrating and disparaging them – “cutting” wars
As malice increases, blasphemy escalates to defamation and ____________ accusations.
You put away slander by being ______________ and seeking the interest of others above your own.
Abusive speech (aiscrologia / aischrologia) – shameful, base, sordid, _______, foul speech / language
Even courteous people refrain from using ___________ and vulgar language.
What you say reveals the condition of your _____________- Matthew 15:10-20
You put away abusive speech by saying what is proper and _____________, not whatever comes to mind
Do not Lie (yeudomai / pseudomai) – a distinct command prohibiting telling others what is __________
Lying is characteristic of the ______________ (John 8:44) and the ___________(Eph. 2:1-3; Rom. 1:18)
We are to speak the truth in ____________ (Eph. 4:25)
Lying destroys the foundation of ____________ upon which every relationship is built
Lying diminishes and ceases as we _____________________ the old self and put on the new self
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