Malice (4/20/2025)

A study of Colossians 3:8—Part 2

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

Paul here seems to be describing a progression of emotional expressions or even outbursts as he moves on to the third emotion “malice,” which is essentially described  as wickedness or being actively malevolent (a word that means “having or showing a wish to do evil to others”).

Hearing such definitions gives the picture of a generally mean-spirited and spiteful person, certainly not one who professes to belong to Jesus Christ nor one who has dedicated his life to making heaven his home.

If there ever were a person who could be justified in feeling “malice” toward another human being, it was Jesus Himself: no human has ever suffered the kind of pain or humiliation He did. Yet, Jesus never rebuffed His persecutors nor did He wish evil on any of them.

In the Scriptures, God has made it clear that our job is to endure and try to influence positively: His job is to judge and punish. May we keep this thought in our memory as we find ourselves in difficult or even in extremely frustrating circumstances.