Answer: The children of God are taught in Christ (in accordance with the Truth that is Jesus) to put off the old self (the former way of life--the way we lived before we heard of Christ and were taught in Him), (verses 21 and 22). This old self is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, (verse 22). If one becomes clothed again in the "old self" instead of being clothed with Christ, then we are no better than those outside of Christ who are "darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts." The heart becomes insensitive again, and pleasing self with every impurity becomes of utmost importance, (verses 17, 18 and 19).
The putting off of the old self of sin includes: the putting off of falsehood (verse 25); the putting off of anger that causes us to sin and that is one of many sins that gives the devil a "foothold"(verses 26 and 27); the putting off of stealing (verse 28); the putting off of unwholesome talk, one of the sins we can commit, along with the other sins mentioned above and elsewhere in Scripture which make us responsible for grieving the Holy Spirit of God (verses 29 and 30); the putting off of bitterness, rage and, again, anger, brawling, slander and every form of malice (verse 31).
