17/12/17 Ephesians 4:25-32 “Do not give place to the devil by sinning!”
Ephesians 4:25 – Wherefore
putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are
members one of another.
Wherefore – therefore; as a result of (previous
verses)
putting away – put off or aside (as you might for
garments, like taking clothes off)
neighbour – neighbour; friend; our fellow man; any
person with whom we live or chance to meet. Note the parable of the good
Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). In the above context “neighbour” apparently means
those who are members of the body of Christ (Eg Ephesians 4:12).
We have an
obligation to be truthful, in particular to those who are members with us of
the body of Christ. Our relationship with each other is through the head of the
body, Christ. Truth is emphasised in Ephesians 4 as per the following:
Ephesians 4:21; 24 – 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been
taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
24
And
that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true
holiness.
It is clear that
truth is a very important attribute in the body of Christ, which is not
surprising seeing as Christ is the Word of God and God’s Word is
truth.
“Therefore, putting
aside lying (intentional
falsehoods), every man (everyone) should speak truth with his neighbour (those others of the body of
Christ?), for we are members of
the same body as each other.”
Romans 12:4-5 – 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all
members have not the same office: 5 So we, [being] many,
are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Truth demonstrates
harmony, while a lie demonstrates inconsistency. Likewise, harmony demonstrates
truth, while inconsistency demonstrates a lie.
Ephesians 4:26 – Be ye
angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Anger does not
automatically mean sin, yet all too often anger is indeed the result or
companion of sin. The above verse is said to have been quoted from Psalm 4:4.
Psalm 4:4 – Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own
heart upon your bed, and be still.
However, it is
actually from the LXX (Septuagint) of Psalm 4:4 which says – 4 Be ye angry, and sin not; feel
compunction upon your beds for what ye say in your hearts.
“Stand in awe”
(Psalm 4:4) = tremble; rage; quake; be perturbed; provocation – all of which
could be seen as a description of an angry person.
It is a fact that
many of the quotes in the New Testament are from the LXX, which was probably
the most accessible version of the Old Testament for the Jews of Paul’s day.
More people (including Jews) spoke Greek than Hebrew! Many of those Paul was
writing to spoke the almost universal language of that day – Greek.
Jesus showed anger,
yet He did not sin at any time; thus anger is not automatically sin.
Mark 3:5 – And when he had looked round about on them with
anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man,
Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched [it] out: and his hand was
restored whole as the other.
let not the sun
go down upon your wrath
(indignation; exasperation) – Do not let the day finish before you deal with
your anger; do not let your anger continue into the next day – possibly from an
old Pythagorean rule that they should shake hands in peace before the setting
of the sun.
That is, if there
is a need to be angry, then be angry without malice, and even then, only as
long as is necessary for your anger to deal with things.
Ephesians 4:27 – Neither
give place to the devil.
place – place; any portion or space marked off
from surrounding space; place in a book; opportunity; power; occasion for
acting; scope.
devil – diabolos (slanderer; false accuser)
It is generally used of satan, yet not always. Women can be diabolos,
likewise wives! (And, no doubt, men too!)
Titus 2:3 – The aged women likewise, that [they be] in
behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much
wine, teachers of good things;
1 Timothy 3:11 – Even so [must their] wives [be] grave,
not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
“Neither should you
give the devil any occasion or opportunity for acting or performing (in your
lives).”
This logically has
to assume that the devil actually can be given opportunity to act and that this
opportunity can be given by Christians! Of course, the majority of Christians
today appear to consider that once a person is saved, he is no longer able to
be significantly influenced by satan and his demons, if at all! In particular,
the fundamentalist point of view is generally that demons cannot co-exist with
the Holy Spirit in the one person, and therefore Christians cannot be
demon-possessed. However, the word translated as “possessed with devils” or
similar in the New Testament actually means to be under the influence or control
of a spirit (which in Biblical usage is always assumed to be evil).
Matthew 8:16 – When the even was come, they brought unto him many
that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with [his]
word, and healed all that were sick:
Thus, “possessed
with devils” (or similar) should actually read “to be under the power of a
demon or demons”.
The term does not
signify possession, but influence or control. Ephesians 4:27 does teach
that Christians (to whom Paul was writing – the “saints” at Ephesus) can give
satan opportunity to act or perform in that person’s life. Clearly this is
influence at the very least. 1 John 3:8 says that He that committeth sin is of the devil; and while John teaches that Christians
should not sin, he is also teaching that if they do sin, they are giving the
devil opportunity to act in their lives. Therefore, the message for Christians
is this: do not (by sinning) give satan any opportunity to act or perform in
your lives (that is, do not permit satan to have any influence or control over
your lives).
It is impossible
for Christians to sin without getting their fingers burnt, possibly badly!
Pulpit Commentary
says that when we give place to the devil, we give him Place or room, opportunity and scope for acting in and
through you.
Ephesians 4:28 – Let him
that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with [his] hands
the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
labour – to grow weary, tired, exhausted (with
toil or burdens or grief); labour with wearisome effort.
If the Christian is
to put aside lying and speak the truth, then he should also avoid living a life
of lies and untruth. Stealing is dishonest, thus living a lie. Christians
should not only say the right things but also do the actions to back up their
talk. That is, practise what they preach!
Let him that used
to steal not steal again. Let him do some honest manual labour instead. Let him
grow weary and exhausted working with his own hands to produce some honest
gain. In this way he may have something of value to give to another who has a genuine
need for it.
Stealing may have
been a way of life for some of these Gentiles before they were saved, and they
may not have considered it a huge problem to continue, although maybe reduced
in magnitude. Old habits die hard! And, what is stealing, anyway? Is it
stealing to take a few pieces of equipment from your workplace, or maybe a
towel from a hotel? What exactly did they see as stealing anyway? Paul, though,
is telling them that if they need something, no matter how big or even trivial,
to produce it from their own resources, even if it means a wearisome effort.
For some people, an honest living is much more demanding than stealing!
Ephesians 4:29 – Let no
corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the
use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
corrupt – rotten; putrefied; not fit for use;
worthless.
good – good; useful; pleasant; agreeable;
honourable; fulfilling the service demanded; free from guile or corruption.
It can be seen that
“corrupt” is the opposite of “good” where one is putrefied and not fit for use,
while the other is pleasant and useful. One is only fit for destroying people,
while the other fulfils the service demanded for building up people, for the purpose
of ministering grace (charis) to those listening (and attending to what
is being said).
Our communications
should be the fruit of our transformed lives. If we are genuine Christians,
then our speech should demonstrate this.
James 3:10 – Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and
cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
The purpose of good
(useful; pleasant; agreeable; free from corruption) communications is to build
up (edify) people. Here it apparently means the members of the body of Christ,
the Church, for the purpose of ministering grace to those hearing it.
Paul was to
minister to them according to the grace that God had given him.
Ephesians 3:7 – Whereof I was made a minister, according to the
gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
And that grace was
given to Paul in order to pass it on to his hearers.
Ephesians 3:2 – If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace
of God which is given me to you-ward:
The gifts of the
Spirit (charisma) are ministered by the grace (charis) of God.
1 Peter 4:10 – As every man hath received the gift, [even so] minister
the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (where “gift” is charisma, literally
of grace – charis)
Ephesians 4:30 – And
grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.
grieve – affect with sadness; cause grief; offend
whereby – or “in whom”
sealed – set a seal upon; seal for security; seal
to keep concealed (as in a letter); keep secret; set a mark upon by impress of
seal or stamp; confirm; authenticate; place beyond doubt; prove a person’s
identity or position.
This has the idea
of being placed in a letter or container which is then closed. A drop of wax is
dropped onto the opening and a unique imprint of a seal or stamp is placed upon
that wax while it is still hot. Once the wax is cooled, the letter or container
cannot be opened without breaking that wax seal, and extra wax may not be added
unless that same unique seal or stamp can make its imprint upon on it. In this
context, the sealed container would be the Christian.
redemption – deliverance; a releasing or liberation
effected by the payment of the required ransom. Thus, the day of redemption
would be that time still yet in the future when the final outcome of the
redemption (already paid in the past) will be fully applied to the believer.
This may be seen as the process of glorification.
What about the
so-called eternal security of the believer? It is generally believed among
fundamentalist believers that once you have been genuinely saved, you cannot be
lost, ever. This is based upon a number of proof verses (as well as Ephesians
4:30) that demonstrate that (this is not an exhaustive list)
- God will never
leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5 – [Let
your] conversation
[be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as
ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.)
- God will never
allow anyone or anything to take us out of His hand (John 10:28-29 – 28 And I give unto them eternal
life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them
out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave [them] me, is
greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my
Father’s hand.)
- and God will
never permit anything to separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39 – 38 For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord.)
Does Ephesians 4:30
prove eternal security? On its own, this verse does appear to do so, yet does
being sealed mean absolutely no way out of the contract? Note that in any such
contract, only two parties had the right to break that seal. One was the party
who set the seal (here it is the Holy Spirit) and the other was the recipient
of the letter or container. The Holy Spirit has guaranteed (by the authority of
the wax seal) that He will not break it before the day of redemption. That is,
God will not leave you nor forsake you, nor will He let anyone or anything take
you out of His hand. Effectively, God Himself will guard your salvation until
the day of redemption.
But the seal is a
contract between two parties, God and the Christian. In law, as I understand
it, either party to the contract may personally negotiate with the other party
to change the details of that contract. However, no outside party may negotiate
any alteration to that contract without the knowledge, input and agreement of
the two parties involved. God has promised He will not change that contract,
nor is it possible for any outside party to change that contract. However,
there is just one loophole here: can the believer himself renegotiate the
contract (with God) if he so desires?
Are there any
verses that prevent the believer from re-negotiating the contract? Not one
verse appears to actually state that the believer cannot choose to lose his
salvation! But are there verses that demonstrate that a believer can
choose to lose his salvation? (For it is not sufficient to merely show that it
is possible to choose to lose salvation. One must show scriptural evidence that
such a choice may be made.)
For instance, Hebrews
5:11-6:8 does appear to teach that there are believers who fall away, not able
to be renewed unto repentance again. In order to dismiss this implication,
people teach that:
(a) Such people were never Christians in the first place.
But many of the
attributes in Hebrews 6:4-5 do appear to be describing Christians. And, how may
non-Christians never be renewed unto repentance again if they have never
repented in the first place?
(b) While it does appear to teach that people may lose their salvation,
it is, however, purely hypothetical.
But, even
hypothetical situations must be possible or else they are imaginary or fantasy,
not hypothetical. For a warning to be issued must mean that a danger exists.
Even if no-one ever falls over a cliff, it does not negate the warning sign
that says to be careful!
(c) It has nothing to do with evangelism.
This explanation
(which I have personally heard) was not supported by any Scripture nor anything
else for that matter. And whether or not it has to do with evangelism is
totally irrelevant to the issue here. We’re talking about losing salvation, not
finding it!
What about 2 Peter
2 which discusses false teachers who allure (entice) believers back to the
world from which they had escaped (2 Peter 2:18)? Peter consequently says For it had been better for
them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it],
to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (2 Peter
2:21) It may be possible for
this to be seen as perhaps those who are not actually Christians but instead
adherents to the faith. But the obvious interpretation is that these are those
who have partaken of the righteousness of God and then have rejected it. This
position has to be proven impossible before it may be taught that such are not
actually genuine Christians. And both this passage and Hebrews 6 teach that, if
it is possible to lose one’s salvation, then it is impossible to ever have a
second chance at being saved.
Also note Hebrews 10:26 – For if we sin wilfully after
that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sins. How can
this be talking about those who have refused the gospel? Can we only reject the
gospel once? Or is it talking about rejecting our salvation?
What about the
taking up of our crosses daily and following Jesus? (Luke 9:23-26) Why, in that
same passage, does it offer a choice between the world and your soul (also see
Matthew 16:24-28)?
Luke 9:25 – For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole
world, and lose himself, or be cast away (literally “be lost”)?
Matthew 16:26a – For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul?
What has this to do
with taking up your cross and following Jesus? We have to assume that such
people are Christians, for non-Christians cannot take up their crosses and
follow Jesus! And therefore, a Christian may gain the world yet lose his soul? Or
is this just another hypothetical situation? How many “hypothetical” situations
must we have before people begin to realise that the reality may be otherwise?
Before a person may
teach the eternal security of the believer as a doctrine, he must firstly
demonstrate that it is scripturally impossible for the believer himself to
desire the world so much that he is prepared to give up his soul in exchange.
In order to teach the assured eternal security of the believer, it must be
demonstrated that a person can have no free will to choose for himself to lose
his salvation. Otherwise, eternal security remains a personal interpretation
and not a doctrine (noting that a doctrine must be consistent across all the
Bible).
Ephesians 4:31 – Let all
bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away
from you, with all malice:
bitter – pikria (bitter gall; extreme
wickedness; bitter fruit; bitter hatred) cf picric acid
wrath – passion; anger that boils up and soon
subsides again; the wine of passion, inflaming wine.
clamour – outcry; violent assertions of right or
wrong; shouting down the opposition.
evil speaking – slander; impious speech; reproachful
speech
malice – ill will; desire to injure; wickedness
(esp. not afraid to break laws); depravity.
“Let all bitter
hatred and hot-tempered anger and angry indignation and the shouting down of
others, and slanderous speech, be put away (taken away) from you, together with all your ill-will and desire to hurt others (around you).”
Colossians 3:8 – But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath,
malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Ephesians 4:32 – And be ye
kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
kind – fit for use; useful; virtuous; pleasant;
kind; benevolent.
tender-hearted – or compassionate
“And be benevolent
(useful) to each other, tender-hearted (compassionate), forgiving each other according as (seeing that) God has for the sake of Christ forgiven
you.”
Treat others as you
would like those others to be treating you!
Luke 6:31 – And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye
also to them likewise.
If God has forgiven
you for no other reason than he loves you, then likewise you forgive others for
no other reason than you love them!
Note, forgiveness
is on the basis of repentance. If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent,
forgive him. (Luke 17:4).
Of course, the
calvinists could only love those whom God loves, for how could they love those
whom God hated enough to choose for eternity in hell? It’s fortunate (is that
the right word?) for the calvinist that this verse appears to be teaching about
only the elect, for the calvinist can only truly love his fellow-elect! (For if
the calvinist truly loved any non-elect person, then he would be guilty of
being more loving than the calvinist God!)
Hoppers Crossing Christian Church homepage