Editor’s Note:
You can read the first article in this series here.
Scripture is Intensely Practical
One common complaint that you might hear about Christians is that they follow a book that is thousands of years old. The implication is that the Bible is an ancient cultural relic that has no bearing on our current day and age. For anyone who has spent any time reading the Bible, you see very quickly that the Bible is extremely practical. The truth of the Bible is timeless, because it is the Word of the eternal God. It has a myriad of applications to our daily lives—regardless of the time or culture we’re living in.
In a previous article, we looked at Paul’s plea to the Ephesians Christians to put off sin and put on righteousness. As Christians who have been washed in the blood of Jesus, we should not turn back to living like unbelievers. We must walk worthy of our calling in Jesus.
In Ephesians 4:25-32, Paul gets intensely practical with examples of what it looks like to put off sin and put on righteousness in everyday life.
Put Off Lying
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
verse 25
First off the bat, Paul is going to talk about how a believer should be speaking in regard to honesty. Putting off the old self and putting on the new self will manifest itself in our speech. We will be truthful and not lie. God is a God of truth, and he hates lying (Prov 6:16-17; 19:9). Those who live unrepentant lives defined by lying give evidence that they are not saved, and they will not inherit eternal life (Rev 21:8). Lying shouldn’t be a pattern in the life of a believer in Christ. This would include outright lying, but also exaggerating and omitting key details that shade the truth.
As believers, we should be known as those who speak the truth. (Note: that doesn’t give us license to blast others harshly because we were “just being honest.” Our speech should be true, but it should also be gracious.) We should see ourselves as members of the body of Christ, not lone rangers out for themselves. We should tell the truth to other believers, because it honors God, but also because we have a responsibility to each other in Christ.
Next, Paul is going to talk about what a worthy walk looks like regarding our attitudes.
Put Off Unrighteous Anger
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
verses 26-27
Walking with Christ will impact how we interact with others. We will not be hotheads with a short fuse. We shouldn’t be bitter people (Ps 37:8; James 1:19-20). The Greek word for “anger” means deep seated and determined conviction. There is such a thing as righteous anger. God gets angry. Jesus got angry. However, they will never sin in their anger. They get angry at injustice, sin, ungodliness, and the dishonoring of God. We should get angry at those same things.
However, righteous anger is very difficult for us in our flesh, because most of our anger is tainted with selfishness. If I’m honest with myself, the things that make me the angriest are when I feel like someone has wronged me or something doesn’t go my way. We must deal with sinful anger swiftly and immediately when it crops up and repent.
Even righteous anger shouldn’t be held onto. Paul tells us that we shouldn’t leave anger unresolved. We need to deal with it and reconcile with the other person “before the sun goes down” or else it will open the door to Satan. The NIV says “do not give the devil a foothold.“ If you’ve ever participated in rock climbing, you know that finding a foothold is a game changer for making progress. It gives you leverage to move forward.
Don’t give Satan an opportunity or foothold to make progress with you. It will lead to disunity and bitterness. Walking worthy of the Lord means walking in unity with other believers. Don’t leave conflicts with others unresolved. As much as it depends on you, seek peace and unity. Don’t give Satan an inch in this area or he’ll take a mile.
Next, Paul is going to talk about how a Christian should view possessions, work, and generosity.
Put Off Stealing
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
verse 28
Paul directly addresses people who were thieves. He doesn’t say, “well, they can’t be saved.” He tells them to change their pattern of living after they’ve been saved. Thieves who have placed their faith in Christ can be saved and must now change how they live (1 Cor 6:9-11).
Putting on the new self will result in a change with how we think about possessions and work. Christians should not be out for dishonest gain, but working hard, as to the Lord (Eph 6:5-8). Taking something that doesn’t belong to us shouldn’t even enter our minds. We shouldn’t be trying to get something out of dishonest gain. We should be generous, not selfish.
Paul goes on to talk about how walking worthy of Christ impacts our words.
Put Off Corrupt Speaking
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
verse 29
Putting on the new self should result in righteous speech. Believers shouldn’t speak like unbelievers. Paul says, “let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths.” The Greek word for corrupting means rotting. It speaks of foul or profane words. You don’t have to spend much time around unbelievers to hear profanity. I took my pre-teen boys to a 49ers football game last season and even just sitting in the crowd, we probably heard variations of an extremely profane word at least 250 times over the course of the game. Literally, every single play of the game, someone was swearing at the ref, the players, the outcome of the play, etc…
As believers, our words shouldn’t be corrupt, foul, or profane, because God’s words are pure and life-giving. Additionally, our words shouldn’t be unkind or tearing others down. How you speak to your friends, your parents, and your siblings matters. We should be building others up with gracious speech. We shouldn’t be harsh. Our words should be fit for the occasion—they should be carefully chosen to be appropriate for the situation. Don’t put your foot in your mouth or wound others by shooting your mouth off at the wrong time. Other translations say our words should “minister grace to the hearer” or “edify the hearer.” You should hear a stark difference in how a believer speaks compared to how an unbeliever speaks. If we are not walking in a worthy manner, we dishonor God.
Put Off Grieving the Holy Spirit
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
verse 30
Paul says we should not grieve the Holy Spirit. This tells us several things:
First, the Holy Spirit is a person and can be grieved. We shouldn’t be making him sad by dishonoring God. Paul says we are “sealed for the day of redemption” with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14). Additionally, the Holy Spirit is a down payment from God. He is the official seal of God on the life of a believer that we are redeemed and that we have a future inheritance in Christ. As Christians, our behavior in thought, word, and deed should seek to honor God, not grieve the Holy Spirit. Paul is going to close with a final look at our attitude towards others.
Put Off Corrupt Attitudes
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
verse 31
We must actively be putting away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice.
- “Bitterness” speaks to smoldering resentment or holding a grudge.
- “Wrath” speaks to wild rage.
- “Anger” speaks to a deep internal feeling.
- “Clamor” speaks to public outbursts.
- “Slander” speaks to defamation.
- “Malice” speaks to general evil.
Is there a grudge you’re holding against someone that you need to repent of? Have you flown off the handle recently and need to ask someone to forgive you? You must repent of that and put away those sinful attitudes and actions. Beyond just putting aside these sinful attitudes and actions, we must pursue righteous words, actions, and attitudes.
Put On Righteousness
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
verse 32
We must be kind and have a soft heart for others. This is the opposite of being calloused or hard hearted. Other translations say “be compassionate.” Our hearts should have affection and empathy for others that result in loving actions. When someone sins against us or wounds us, what should our reaction be? Anger? Bitterness? Retaliation? Resentment? No—we must be peacemakers who are quick to forgive. Why? Because Christ forgave us.
The parable of the unforgiving servant that Jesus told in Matthew 18 is a graphic reminder that we have been forgiven a debt far greater than anyone could ever owe us. If we’ve been forgiven so much by Christ, we must be willing to forgive others (Matt 18:21-35).
Put Scripture into Practice
In stark contrast to being some archaic book with outmoded lessons, God’s Word is intensely practical for every aspect of our modern lives. In just this single passage, we see many examples of how the truth of scripture is incredibly relevant to our everyday lives. We see calls to action that should influence the way we speak, the way we act, and our inner attitudes.
We’ve seen how, as followers of Jesus Christ, we must practically live our lives in a way that is worthy of our calling in Jesus. We must put off our former unredeemed ways of living and pursue righteousness in thought, word, and deed.
