Blasphemy (4/27/2025)

A study of Colossians 3:8—Part 3

“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth” (Colossians 3:8).

When we think of “blasphemy,” we usually think of speaking “irreverently about God” or perhaps about other special religious persons. In the list in this verse, however, it is named among other negative human emotions and/or actions that deal with our relationships with our fellows. 

In its translation of this passage, the American Standard Version uses the word “railing,” meaning insolent or derisive language directed against God or other people, a sinful behavior.

Including “blasphemy” in this list emphasizes the importance of self-control—not just the control of ourselves outwardly but also the control of our hearts, the center of our behavior and actually the controller of our actions. The preacher plainly says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).

Looking at these four emotions should be a wake-up call, a beacon of great magnitude, teaching us a powerful lesson about the kind of person Jesus wants His followers to be and the kind of behavior He wants us to exhibit.