Colossians 3:8 tells Christians to put away anger, rage, malice, slander and foul talk that comes out of the mouth. Paul writes this as a command to believers who have already begun a new life in Christ, so the sins he lists are things to set aside, not merely things to feel bad about. The letter is addressed to the church at Colossae, a congregation Paul had not personally founded, and the instruction follows directly from the claim that they have been raised with Christ.
But now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth.
Colossians 3:8 (WEB)
What Colossians 3:8 Means
The verse opens with “but now,” which marks a contrast with the previous verse. Paul has just described the way those readers once lived. Now that they belong to Christ, the old habits no longer fit who they are. The word “also” signals that this removal is part of the same process as the earlier call to put to death sexual sin and greed. Paul is not describing a single decision but an ongoing practice of setting these things aside.
The list has two clusters. “Anger” and “wrath” describe a heated temper and a settled, burning hostility. “Malice” points to a deeper ill will, a wish to see harm come to someone. “Slander” and “shameful speaking” concern the tongue: attacks on another person’s reputation and words that are crude or degrading. Paul names both the inner attitude and the outward speech, because the second grows from the first.
What the verse does not promise is that these feelings will vanish the moment you become a Christian. Anger will still rise, and temptations will still come. Paul’s point is that such things are no longer to be kept or excused. The verse is a call to deliberate choice, supported by the grace described in the wider passage.
The Context of Colossians 3:8
Colossians is traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul, written during imprisonment and sent to a church in the region of Colossae in Asia Minor. Paul had received reports about the believers there, and the letter aims to strengthen their grip on the supremacy of Christ over all things. Much of the first two chapters defends that supremacy, and the third chapter turns to how it shapes daily conduct.
Just before verse 8, Paul tells the readers to put to death sexual immorality, impurity and greed. Just after it, he says not to lie to one another, because they have put off the old self and put on the new. The verse sits in the middle of this sequence, which means its vices are part of one picture of a changed life. Read alone, it can sound like a list of manners; read in context, it describes a community being remade in its speech and relationships.
Key Phrases in Colossians 3:8
Ephesians 4:31
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice.
(WEB)
Paul gives a parallel list of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander, and urges the believers to put them away. Reading the two together shows that this was a consistent teaching across his letters about the way new life should show itself in relationships.
James 1:19
So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger…
(WEB)
James gives a practical rule: be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. It offers a concrete way to live out the call to put away harsh anger and speech that Paul describes in Colossians.
A Short Prayer From Colossians 3:8
Lord, you know how quickly my temper flares and how easily my words turn sharp when I feel wronged. Show me the anger and malice that still live in my heart, and give me the courage to lay them down. Guard my mouth from slander and from speech that tears others down. Clothe me again with your patience and kindness, and let my words build up rather than wound. Thank you that your grace is enough to change me. Amen.
