Communication

Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.  9 Lie not one to another KJV

Colossians 3: 8 But now put you also all away: anger, indignation, malice, blasphemy, filthy speech out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another:  

Douay Rheims

Colossians 3:8 But now put ye away all things, wrath, indignation, malice, blasphemy and foul words of your mouth. 9 Do not ye lie together 

Wycliffe

In the last blog, we talked about Thoughts and Actions which are more internal to you and the surroundings, i.e., lust, fornication, covetousness.  Here this is more about our communication with others, or should I say bad or evil communication.  Let's look at each one.

Anger/Wrath/Indignation

Since all three versions seem to mix up the three, I decided to put them together. You will clearly see why after reading on.    Wrath appears 201 times, Anger 234 times, and indignation 41 times in the KJV.   Anger and wrath, we all know those.  Wrath, to me, is extreme anger over someone's action.  God's wrath was common in the OT.  We find the "wrath of God" ten times in the NT; we just studied one in Colossians 3:6 "For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:"

Indignation, though, is when others provoke us to anger or wrath.  A story in Matthew 20 gives us a great look at indignation.  The mother of Zebedee asks Jesus if her two sons, James and John, can sit at the right and left hand of God in Heaven.    Jesus explains why this is not possible.  The other ten disciples were "indignant" not against the mother but James and John.   Indignation is when a person(s) provoke you through their actions.  This is oh so common in today's society.  

I highly recommend each of you do a study on these three words.  

Malice

What a strong word.  Malice.  It is found six times in the NT of the KJV.  A person(s) acting evil towards one or more people in words or actions.  There are many ways this is done through revenge, hate, or even make a hostile environment when the person(s) are present.  Malice is pure evil.  

Blasphemy

See and hear this all the time.  I am guilty of this, for sure.  We say things that are not true about God.  Jesus never promises us a good life of riches or wealth. We also blasphemy God when we use His name in a profane way.  Damn and Fuck, a lot of times, also appear Jesus or God along with it.  Let's be real.  Most of you reading this, especially in America, have said these words.   

Filthy/Foul Words

We read about some foul words in Blasphemy, but those were limited to God and Jesus in the same communication.  Filthy and foul language are the other words we use.  Kids are especially prone to using swear words (foul/filthy), but adults also are guilty.  It is a hard habit to break.  When I am with people who use it in my presence, I am more prone to use it.  Also, when my family makes me angry, I will use it.  I want to be honest; it does find its way into my communication. I am trying very hard to limit my use and hopefully eliminate it for eternity.   

Lying

Liar Liar pants on fire.  Many have heard this as we said this all the time as a kid.  Do I need to explain lying?  Probably not.  Lying appears 70 times in the KJV.  

Each of these five we just studied really affects our communication with other people.  The irony is James later writes about our communication (tongue) in the book of James 3:8-10 "8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be."

We bless God and curse men out of the same mouth.  Well, these are the five most used ways we do it.  Each one of us needs to ask God and Jesus to purge our evil communication out of our mind and speech.  It is evil.  James wrote it so well.  Did James learn his lesson thanks to his mother when asking Jesus for them to sit at the throne of God?  Maybe.  

My hope is these last two blogs have shown you ways in which maybe you need Jesus to help you.  Paul gives us an eloquent verse we need to ensure each one of us is walking.  Colossians 1: 10 "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"  We do this by understanding our thoughts, actions, and communication towards and with others.  Not in evil, but in good.