Colossians 3:8-9:  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds

We see here not one command but six: put off (abandon) anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, dirty talk, and lying.  The picture created by the words "put off" is that of taking off a dirty robe.

Anger and wrath may seem to be the same thing; but wrath simply implies a more forceful and often vindictive form of anger.  When we lose our temper we sin.  But we can be angry without the violent outburst that usually accompanies loss of temper.  Anger can be fast and short-lived or it can be slow and brooding.  It can be against a friend, a family member, a stranger, ourselves, or even against God himself.  This anger may result in some outward expression but it is more often kept inside.  Either way such anger is violation of a command of God.  Few words have as many synonyms as anger.  When we are upset that something didn't go the way we wanted, we sin.  When we feel resentment because someone's success puts us in a bad light, we sin.  When we are annoyed that the traffic light didn't stay green a little longer, we sin.  When we are honest with ourselves  it is hard to find a significant passage of time during which we have not broken God's Command to put off anger.

Malice adds to anger the desire to see someone suffer.  When we think: "I wish they'd get their just deserts" we are wishing ill on a person.  This is malice.  Blasphemy is nothing more than slander.  When we speak bad about a person we break this command.  We also break this command when we fail to speak in defense of someone being slandered.  Filthy communication is not just taking the Lord's name in vain, it is telling an off color joke, it is using words to imply a prejudicial message or a to make a sexually demeaning comment. 

Often a person will attempt to justify a feeling of anger or an act of slander; but this is just another sin, lying.  Humans are expert liars, they are so good they can convince themselves a lie is not a lie.  But Heavenly Father does not miss even one little white lie.  How often do you lie?  Was that an honest answer?  People lie about their feelings, their opinions.  They make false statements to avoid conflict.  When we disguise our true feelings, we lie.  When we exaggerate a story, our accomplishments, or attributes of a possession, we sin.  We can lie without even using our mouths.  We can deliberately convey false messages through our body language or even through our silence.