“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking.”

and all evil speaking

The third and last category of sin is “evil speaking.” The fifth and final sin of this verse is “all evil speaking.” “Evil speaking” comes from two words: “to speak” and “against.” This means to speak against and often involves slander. It is evil speech, slander, defamation, detraction in lists of vices of a backbiter.

“Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge” (James 4:11).

This is slander, gossip, and undisciplined tongue. This is a person who hurts the reputation of others by words. This is a person who loves to run down other people. He defames someone else. He runs them down to other people. This person is resentful and discontent.

The evil speaker detracts from others. This involves speaking against another or defaming him. It is rendered backbiting in 2 Corinthians 12:20 and Romans 1:30.

This word is in the plural. There are many different kinds of slander and gossip. Evil speaking may take the form of blasphemy, profanity, slander, or gossip.

PRINCIPLE:

God does not want us to defame other people.

APPLICATION:

Speaking against others may also consist of passing on something untrue or would be better left unsaid. Are you able to keep to yourself something miserable you heard about another Christian? Can you cover for another Christian (1 Peter 4:8)?

God calls upon us to make a clean-cut break with these sins of disposition. Just because your parents were malicious or evil-speaking does not mean it is proper for you to be the same way. When we bring this over into the Christian life, we dislocate ourselves from the will of God. Prejudice and bigotry should drop like a shirt on the floor from the Christian.