In order to be holy, Christians must practice what is called mortification of sins (that means to deny their sins any opportunity to show themselves). Usually, this process involves replacing a sinful practice with its righteous opposite. Paul mentions several such practices in this passage.
Instead of lies, they have to speak truth to one another. Whenever they are angry, they must not have sinful anger because wrong anger opens a door for the devil to work. Thieving was common in society, especially at the level of pilfering for one’s own benefit, but Christians are instead to engage in honest work in order to benefit others. In a conversation, only edifying topics should be discussed by them.
If the believers fail to replace those wrong attitudes and actions, they will grieve the Holy Spirit. His presence in their hearts is a sign that God has changed them. But when they sin, he will withdraw the comforting sense of his presence, and that will continue until they repent. It is a serious matter not to be aware of the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit. His aim is to give to them assurance of their final redemption, but he will not do so if they choose to engage in sinful behaviour.
A believer who is making progress in holiness puts sinful attitudes and words away from him. The Holy Spirit will give them the power to do so, but they have to use that power not only to get rid of such noxious sins, but also to replace them with beautiful expressions of divine grace by which they become like the kind, tenderhearted, forgiving God who sent Jesus to be the Saviour.
Are we putting sins off today and replacing them with holy features, or are we allowing sinful thoughts, words and actions to strengthen their grip on our minds and hearts? It is not hard to work out the direction in which we are going.
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