“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” – 1 Peter 2:1
This should keep every follower of Jesus busy for awhile! There’s no place for these qualities in any follower of Christ. For those called to imitate Jesus, the Lamb of God, we must work hard to get rid of these things in our own hearts, minds, attitudes, words, and actions. While this is hard, we must be brutally honest with ourselves and take this soul work seriously.
If you follow Jesus, you must put away malice. You can’t maintain a grudge or desire to hurt or harm anyone. You must let go of any desire to see others suffer. Even those who’ve wronged you terribly you must commit to the Lord and trust in His perfect justice and vengeance rather than your own.
If you follow Jesus, you must put away deceit. Period. There’s no scenario where lying and deception in your interpersonal relationships, work, or social life is appropriate. You can’t practice deceit while growing in the Lord Who is Truth. Speak the truth, even when it’s difficult or costly.
If you follow Jesus, you must put away hypocrisy. At its most basic level, hypocrisy is about pretending to be more holy, righteous, and together than you actually are. God knows the truth, of course, but hyprocrisy keeps you from being touched and transformed by that truth. Stop pretending, start being honest with yourself and others, and apply the Gospel to yourself and your problems rather than trying to force it on others and their problems.
If you follow Jesus, you must put away envy. Learn to find your satisfaction in Christ and be happy for others as they enjoy whatever blessings they enjoy. Once we’re satisfied in Christ, there’s no need to envy what others have that we don’t, because we have everything we need in Jesus. As long as envy rules in our hearts, Jesus doesn’t, because envy says we need something more than Jesus to be satisfied.
If you follow Jesus, you must put away slander. You should never be speaking negatively of others and you certainly shouldn’t be lying about them! Again, you follow a God of truth and you must only speak truth. What you say about others should build them up, not tear them down, for that is how Jesus speaks of you!