Ephesians 4:25-32 says...
Today's verses are Ephesians 4:25-32, which read,
v.25 - Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.
Paul has talked about the conversion of the Christian and the transformation that was to happen. This is what we were but now this is what we are to be. We had an old self but now we have a new self. Part of that salvation is also the giving of a gift from the Holy Spirit to have a greater impact on the church as we use it to build up the body of Christ in love. Paul now gets very practical and lays out what the new self looks like with another list.
First is to stop lying and replace it with speaking of the truth. Stop lying to each other in the church and start speaking the truth of the Word with each other in the church. I think we sometimes lie to each other in the church when we don't speak the truth of God with each other when we so much need it. We keep our mouth shut when what should be coming out of it is instruction from God's Word. Paul is telling the Christians instead of being silent and letting them figure it out to showing them and sharing with them the truth. I know that we learn a lot by doing and experiencing it ourselves but that doesn't negate us sharing the Word about the truth of the matter even if it is seemingly discarded until it sinks in. Remember, God's Word does not come back void.
v.26, 27 - Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not give the devil an opportunity.
We are emotional beings and we will need to express those emotions and one of them is anger. Make sure it doesn't lead to sin. Make sure it doesn't go to unwholesome talk or turn into revenge or bitterness. Anger is to be resolved and to be resolved before the sun goes down. I don't think the time frame is so much expressed here but the act of timely resolution and the need for it to be sooner rather than later but it is a very good practice to solve it within the day. It will lead to a good night's sleep.
v.25 - Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.
Paul has talked about the conversion of the Christian and the transformation that was to happen. This is what we were but now this is what we are to be. We had an old self but now we have a new self. Part of that salvation is also the giving of a gift from the Holy Spirit to have a greater impact on the church as we use it to build up the body of Christ in love. Paul now gets very practical and lays out what the new self looks like with another list.
First is to stop lying and replace it with speaking of the truth. Stop lying to each other in the church and start speaking the truth of the Word with each other in the church. I think we sometimes lie to each other in the church when we don't speak the truth of God with each other when we so much need it. We keep our mouth shut when what should be coming out of it is instruction from God's Word. Paul is telling the Christians instead of being silent and letting them figure it out to showing them and sharing with them the truth. I know that we learn a lot by doing and experiencing it ourselves but that doesn't negate us sharing the Word about the truth of the matter even if it is seemingly discarded until it sinks in. Remember, God's Word does not come back void.
v.26, 27 - Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not give the devil an opportunity.
We are emotional beings and we will need to express those emotions and one of them is anger. Make sure it doesn't lead to sin. Make sure it doesn't go to unwholesome talk or turn into revenge or bitterness. Anger is to be resolved and to be resolved before the sun goes down. I don't think the time frame is so much expressed here but the act of timely resolution and the need for it to be sooner rather than later but it is a very good practice to solve it within the day. It will lead to a good night's sleep.
Paul
also lets us know what will happen with unresolved anger. Unresolved
anger allows Satan material to work with to turn it into something
else. He gets a foot in the door of your life and you are very
vulnerable at this point.
v.28 - He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
Honest work is part of the new self. The old self was stealing to get ahead. It may have been physically stealing things but it can also be stealing of non physical things. Stealing is to be replaced with good old work and using those hands for another purpose to provide for others instead of yourself in unholy ways.
v.29 - Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
The old self said a lot of things at the expense of others but it is to be replaced with the new self saying a lot of things for the benefit of others. Again, this goes way beyond cuss words, swearing, or vulgar language. It includes words of gossip and cut-downs or slang used to degrade others. These are to be no part of the Christian's life.
v.30 - Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
What grieves the Holy Spirit of God? Disobedience grieves Him. When we live like the old self when we have been given a new self that He is holding onto and guarding for the day when we will see Him face to face, that is what grieves Him. As a parent you train your child in the right way to go and then he or she does just the opposite and it grieves you. You don't cease to be the parent and the child doesn't cease to be your child and so you hold onto your position and continue to guide in the truth but disobedience brings sorrow to you in your position. The Holy Spirit is that parent in our lives.
v.31, 32 - Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
The old self resorted to bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice and these are to be put away. Bitterness is smoldering resentment. Wrath is rage. Anger is internal, deep hostility. Clamor is out of control outcry. Slander is evil speaking of another. Malice is general term for all types of evil.
These are to be replaced in the new self with kindness, tender-heartedness, and forgiveness. The prime example of these new qualities of the new self is God Himself who showed these and displayed these to us through the cross of Christ with His gospel of grace.
Do you see a pattern here? Paul is informing us of what to take off or remove from our lives but also what to put on or add into our lives. What is taken away is actively replaced by something else. That space where evil is taken away is not left void, something of good has filled its spot.
v.28 - He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
Honest work is part of the new self. The old self was stealing to get ahead. It may have been physically stealing things but it can also be stealing of non physical things. Stealing is to be replaced with good old work and using those hands for another purpose to provide for others instead of yourself in unholy ways.
v.29 - Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
The old self said a lot of things at the expense of others but it is to be replaced with the new self saying a lot of things for the benefit of others. Again, this goes way beyond cuss words, swearing, or vulgar language. It includes words of gossip and cut-downs or slang used to degrade others. These are to be no part of the Christian's life.
v.30 - Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
What grieves the Holy Spirit of God? Disobedience grieves Him. When we live like the old self when we have been given a new self that He is holding onto and guarding for the day when we will see Him face to face, that is what grieves Him. As a parent you train your child in the right way to go and then he or she does just the opposite and it grieves you. You don't cease to be the parent and the child doesn't cease to be your child and so you hold onto your position and continue to guide in the truth but disobedience brings sorrow to you in your position. The Holy Spirit is that parent in our lives.
v.31, 32 - Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
The old self resorted to bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice and these are to be put away. Bitterness is smoldering resentment. Wrath is rage. Anger is internal, deep hostility. Clamor is out of control outcry. Slander is evil speaking of another. Malice is general term for all types of evil.
These are to be replaced in the new self with kindness, tender-heartedness, and forgiveness. The prime example of these new qualities of the new self is God Himself who showed these and displayed these to us through the cross of Christ with His gospel of grace.
Do you see a pattern here? Paul is informing us of what to take off or remove from our lives but also what to put on or add into our lives. What is taken away is actively replaced by something else. That space where evil is taken away is not left void, something of good has filled its spot.
- Replace lies with telling the truth of God's Word.
- Replace unresolved anger leading to sin and Satan's grip with resolved anger leading to true peace and God's lead.
- Replace stealing with providing.
- Replace cut-downs with build-ups.
- Replace grieving the Holy Spirit with obedience to the Holy Spirit.
- Replace evil actions displayed by the devil himself with holy actions displayed by God Himself.
- I will be with my family over Christmas and so I will see if there might be a devotional here or there over the next week but it probably won't come with its normal regularity. I am praying that you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
- "Lord, help us in the replacing mode of the new self. As we take things away, help us to replace them with Your way of life mapped out for us. May we see in this list the one or ones that we struggle with and how we haven't replaced them with Your commanded way to live as new creations of Christ. Amen."
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