Paul gives us advice in how to live in just about all of his letters. He writes to the communities of Christians that he had established to remind them of the necessity of living lives of love as well as pointing out behaviors that they might not see as sinful. Many people I know do not consider all of the above listed habits as sinful either, and are surprised to find out that they are.
Have you ever thought of covetousness as idolatry? Have you thought of inappropriate jesting or "foolish talking" as sinful?
Today we have a real problem with bullying among the young which has led to suicide in many cases. When I was a child, there was a phrase, "Sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me." I'm not sure that that was true then, but I am well aware that this is not true today.
Name calling, bullying, is so much easier today because of social media. The young are particularly vulnerable. The fact that it's possible to be anonymous, makes it even easier to inflict this pain.
As adults, we are also not immune to hurt. Racial and ethnic slurs, calling people names because of gender or sexual preference, disabilities, economic status, are only a few of the ways in which people cause pain in others.
Sexual violence is also a common problem among young adults. Date rape is still rape and when a person says "no" he or she means "no." Sexual harassment in the workplace is another problem that is finally getting to be seen as criminal.
We live in an unclean world, and we have a choice to make. Paul is reminding the Christian community that the world they live in corrupt just as ours is today, and we have been called to a higher standard.
