Colossians 3:9 tells Christians not to lie to one another, because they have already taken off the old way of living that made lying normal. Paul’s reasoning is that honesty is part of who you are now, not an extra rule you have to force yourself to keep. The verse is written by the apostle Paul, traditionally identified as the author of this letter, to the believers in the city of Colossae, a church in the region of modern-day Turkey.
Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings…
Colossians 3:9 (WEB)
What Colossians 3:9 Means
The verse opens with a direct command: “Don’t lie to one another.” The word “one another” matters. Paul is not talking about every stranger you meet but about the relationships inside the church family, where trust is supposed to be deepest. Lying here is not only a private failing; it breaks the fellowship the whole community depends on.
The reason Paul gives is that you “have put off the old man with his doings.” In plain language, this means that a person who has come to faith in Christ has stepped out of an old identity and its habits. Paul uses the picture of taking off a dirty garment. Since you have already removed that garment, going back to dishonest speech would be like dressing yourself again in clothes you have already discarded.
The verse does not promise that Christians will never struggle with the temptation to lie. Paul is describing what is true of believers and calling them to live in line with it, which is different from claiming that the pull toward dishonesty has vanished. It is an appeal to act like the people you already are in Christ.
The Context of Colossians 3:9
Colossians was written by Paul to a church he had not personally founded, and he wrote to correct false teaching and to strengthen believers in their daily walk with Christ. Chapter 3 shifts from doctrine to practice, moving from what God has done in Christ to how that reality should shape ordinary behavior. The surrounding verses in this passage list other sins to set aside, including anger, malice, slander, and shameful speech, so lying fits naturally into that list of words and habits that damage community.
Just after verse 9, Paul describes the “new man” being renewed in knowledge, and he says that in Christ the usual divisions of the world no longer define who belongs. Read in that light, the call to honesty is about building a community where people can trust one another across every line that once separated them. The verse is less a standalone rule and more one part of a larger picture of a renewed people.
Key Phrases in Colossians 3:9
Ephesians 4:25
Therefore putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.
(WEB)
This verse makes a closely parallel point, urging believers to put away falsehood and speak truthfully to their neighbors because they are members of one body. It shows that the call to honesty in Colossians is part of a wider New Testament teaching about how the church should live together.
Ephesians 4:22-24
22 That you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit; 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.
(WEB)
These verses describe the same putting off of the old self and putting on the new, using language very close to Colossians 3. Reading them alongside Colossians 3:9 helps you see that the call to honesty flows from a deeper change of identity rather than from willpower alone.
A Short Prayer From Colossians 3:9
Lord, you know how easily I shade the truth when it seems safer or more convenient. Thank you that I have already been freed from the old way of living that once made dishonesty feel normal. Help me to speak truthfully to the people in my life, especially those who trust me most, and give me the courage to be honest even when it costs me something. Renew my mind day by day so that my words reflect the new person you are making me to be. Amen.
