Verse 1. “Therefore I, the prisoner
of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling
with which you have been called,”
From a human perspective,
there’s a certain irony here. Paul, at the moment this
was written, was a convict. He not only was a prisoner
then, but Paul also had a “record” – he had been in jail on
other occasions. When he encourages others to “walk”
in a “worthy” manner, anyone
could see that his situation wasn’t so appealing to onlookers
in or out of the church. It follows then that Paul must
have had something in mind other than merely outward conditions
when he tells us to “walk” in
a “worthy” manner.
Our outward actions
and circumstances ARE important, vitally important, and many
have been turned away from the church by what they have considered
“hypocrites” – especially in relation to those who are outwardly
religious, but cold in heart. And that is what Paul is
really referring to – It’s what’s “inside” that counts, for
your motives are who you really are. We actually have
an audience of One in life, namely the Lord, who “looks
at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). To walk “worthy
of the calling” of God is to walk in love.
Verse 2. “with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another
in love,”
Paul now begins to
describe what he meant by the phrase, “to
walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been
called,” in verse 1.
Again, his outward situation was bleak at that moment, for he
was a prisoner in a very “tough” jail system, and most did not
survive incarceration at that time in history. Paul himself
would ultimately experience capital punishment at the hands
of his jailers.
To “walk worthy” (verse 1) is to have “humility,”
a word which means you don’t think highly of yourself.
It is to have “gentleness,”
an inward grace of the soul, in which you do not dispute or
resist. To have “patience”
is to be longsuffering – you don’t quickly retaliate.
“Tolerance” is enduring those who, from a human perspective, cannot be endured; doing
it with “apape,”
God’s unselfish “love,”
available to those who have FAITH in the Lord.
Verse 3. “being diligent to preserve
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
In relation to this
verse, Paul not mean agreement on doctrinal issues because,
if we are honest about what we believe, we don’t agree about
much of anything. As humans, we are unalike in our views
on the politics of the church, the order of worship, our choices
in music, our thoughts about what the pastor should wear, about
whether the local church should be separate or part of a larger
group, and much, much more.
When you consider
not only the history of the church, but also secular history,
and then look at the state we are in today, you have to conclude
that for any of us to have any kind of “unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” is impossible.
But God can do what we cannot do. Jesus was asked about
salvation: “Who then can be saved?”
He replied, “With men this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:25-26).
The Spirit of God makes salvation and “unity”
to be “possible” for you and
me.
Verse 4. “There is one body and
one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your
calling;”
Though we think we
are many, we who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ are “one
body” in the sight of God. We all have only “one
Spirit” that indwells us, the Holy Spirit of God.
He (the Spirit) is “one” and
cannot be divided. WE are outwardly divided, but He is
not. He is One. Through Him, we are together accomplishing
God’s goals in this world, although His work in us is much higher
than we can see or understand.
He, the Holy Spirit,
is the Finisher of all we start that is good. He is the
One who prompted you to do any good you have ever done.
And He is the One who calls you to a certain “hope”
that will never fail. There is only “one
hope:” that we are saved through the finished work of
Christ on the Cross. When He died, we died, but when He
arose, we arose with Him and have His life – forever!
It is the Holy Spirit who makes this “hope”
alive for you and me.
Verse 5. “one Lord, one faith,
one baptism,”
From the human viewpoint,
there are many religions on earth, and in relation to them,
many so-called “lords” have been offered to mankind. But
Scripture is clear that only “one Lord”
has ever been presented by God, wherein we might be saved, and
His Name is Y’shua HaMashiach, Jesus the Christ, the Messiah,
the Son of God. There is only “one
faith” that has resulted from that “one
Lord,” and we are to place our belief, our trust, in
Him.
“Baptism”
is a “picture,” a parable that visually depicts our faith in
the one Lord and shows our relationship with Him to the whole
world. There have been many rituals and ceremonies offered
through the various religions of this earth, but there is only
“one baptism” that is recognized
by God. In Romans 6:1-14, “baptism”
is described as an image of our death to this world, and it
shows our coming to life with the Lord, raised to lives of purity
and holiness in the sight of God.
Verse 6. “one God and Father
of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
There is only “one
God.” There are millions of “gods” and “goddesses”
in the “Hindu” pantheon, just as there were hundreds, perhaps
thousands of so-called “gods” in Greek and Roman mythology.
People are inherently religious and seem to make “gods” out
of everything – cars, computers, money, etc., but as we saw
in verse 5, there is only “one faith,”
because there is really only “one God.”
The true God is the
“Father of all.” He is
our Creator. We would not exist without Him. The
one among us who thinks he or she is “over” (in charge of) others
should recognize that God is “over
all.” Our leadership is subject to His, and we
must make an account to Him someday. He is “through
all” – everything you do (like walking and breathing)
is because of Him. And He is “in
all” who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 7. “But to each one of
us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.”
God’s “grace,”
something wonderful (His favor) that we did not earn or deserve,
is given to each one who breathes “Yes” to Jesus Christ.
That “grace” takes the form
of salvation for those who trust in Him. As C.S. Lewis,
the Oxford Don and writer said, we are all “bent”
inside, as viewed by Almighty God. Paul the Apostle said,
“All have sinned and come short of
the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We are made straight,
we are “saved” from sin “according
to the measure of Christ's gift,” which is infinite in
scope.
But there’s even more.
As we shall see in the verses that follow, we are given “gifts”
of service to God and man, because of what Christ has done for
us. Some of those “gifts”
are mentioned in verse 11. There is a hunger in us all
to do something “significant” in life. We want our lives
to MATTER and I have good news. The One who created you
(commentary on verse 6) also makes your life indeed MATTER;
He gives “gifts” according to
the “grace” given us in Jesus
Christ.
Verse 8. “Therefore it says,
‘When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives,
and He gave gifts to men.’”
This verse quotes
Psalm 68:18, a very “Messianic” Psalm. ALL of mankind,
ALL this world, fell into sin. We sold ourselves out to
the invader that took God’s property (the human race) captive.
We gave ourselves to the enemy of God. But the enemy,
a mere created being, is limited in resources, in creativity
and especially, he is without any love. God DOES have
ENDLESS resources and because of His infinite love, He did not
destroy us, but successfully re-invaded this planet through
Israel, the Law, the Prophets and finally through God’s very
own Son.
Those who trust in
the Son are the “captives” set
free in God’s mighty “invasions,” which included weaponry that
culminated in the astonishing death and resurrection of the
Son of God. What He did is not unlike a master Chess Player
who unexpectedly sacrificed His own King, and yet still won
the game. The “game” isn’t fully over and part of His
strategy has been to equip His “captives,”
taking His love to the ends of the earth, with “gifts”
wrought in God, through ordinary people like you and me,
Verse 9. “Now this expression,
"He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended
into the lower parts of the earth?”
There have been at
least two explanations offered for this verse and the ones that
surround it. The first is that “He”
(Christ) “descended into the lower
parts of the earth,” to “hades,”
the place of the dead. The other view is that Christ was
in heaven and “descended…
to earth,” and after His work
on the Cross was finished, He then “ascended”
back to heaven. The latter view is suggested by a comparison
with John 3:13. The first view is bolstered by two obscure,
but interesting places in 1st Peter (3:18-22, and
4:6).
Those verses state
Jesus “went and preached to the spirits
in prison” who “formerly were
disobedient… in the days of
Noah.” And, “the gospel
was preached also to those who are dead.” As part
of your examination of this subject, you may also consider that
WE were “spirits in prison”
and WE were “dead in trespasses and
sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Though we walked and breathed,
we were dead in sin. Whatever you decide, it is clear
that Jesus’ death on the Cross is sufficient to save all those
who have ever lived or will live – including you and me.
Verse 10. “He who descended is
Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that
He might fill all things.”
What do you need when
you’re in trouble? Big trouble? – You need help! You need
somebody who can REALLY help. If it’s legal trouble, you
need the best attorney in the business. If you require
an operation, you need the best surgeon money can buy.
If you’re lost in sin (and that IS the problem with the whole
human race), you need a Savior. Not just anybody.
You need THE Savior; the One who is acceptable to God the Father.
There is only One
Savior acceptable to God the Father, and His Name is Jesus Christ.
He is the One who was WITH the Father before He “descended”
to this earth. He is the One who died for your sins and
then “ascended far above all the heavens”
to be with the Father once more. To “fill
all things” is to personally indwell us, and also fill
us with His Holy Spirit, giving us “gifts” like the ones mentioned
in verse 11, so that we will be “equipped” for service, as shown
in verse 12.
Verse 11. “And He gave some as
apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and
some as pastors and teachers,”
It’s AMAZING that
God gives gifts of the Holy Spirit to men and women (and boys
and girls), enabling us to serve those of this world.
He does not need us and yet His Holy Spirit equips and uses
ordinary people like you and me. Some are “apostles”
(“sent ones”) - the word referred to emissaries who were sent
into other countries to perform special missions for their king.
“Apostle” was adopted from secular usage into the Early Church.
“Prophets”
are God’s spokespersons, who are given knowledge of God’s will,
present and future (Acts 21:8, 2 Timothy 4:5), sharing the information
with others as the Lord leads them. “Evangelists”
have a special calling and ability to lead others to Christ.
“Pastors” are the ministers
of a local congregation. “Teachers”
are given a hunger to research the Bible, a special understanding
of His Word and a need to communicate it to others as enabled
by God’s Holy Spirit.
Verse 12. “for the equipping
of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of
the body of Christ;”
Why is it important
to recognize that the “gifts”
of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:8, 11), given at Pentecost, are for
today? Because they are God’s tools, HIS abilities, shared
with His church (the “called-out” ones) for the “equipping”
of God’s “saints” (His “holy”
or “set-apart” ones). Trying to “equip” others without
His “gifts” actually is counter-productive.
He intends that ALL may find the “work
of service” God intends, so that the “body
of Christ” (His church) may be built-up (made strong)
in His strength, not in our own.
The “gifts of the
Spirit” are not strange or frightening, nor are they intended
to place anyone on some kind of “platform.” They are simply
various abilities given to ALL who receive the Son of God, for
purposes that include those named in this verse. The
“gifts” are designed for us
to help OTHERS find the FULLNESS of the Lord. They (those
we serve) are to be equipped and built-up, so that they, in
turn, may help still more in the Body of Christ.
Verse 13. “until we all attain
to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs
to the fullness of Christ.”
Some of the “gifts”
of the Holy Spirit are listed in verse 11. Their purpose
is delineated in verse 12, and the duration of them is shown
in this verse. Some have thought the gifts are no longer
given to men and women, but that could not be true, for we have
not attained even remotely a “unity
of the faith.” Hopefully we do have “knowledge of the Son of God,” but there is little maturity as shown
by our divisions with one another, which causes our “stature”
to remain small.
Jesus’ prayer, as
He was going to the cross, was that we would be “one,”
even as the Father and He are One, and we need to join Him in
that prayer. The reality is that “unity”
is generally found only when we are within tribulation (and
also in times of revival). The “gifts of the Spirit” will
pass away (1 Corinthians 13:8), but not until the Lord (the
Perfect One), returns to this earth (1 Corinthians 13:10).
Verse 14. “As a result, we are
no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and
carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of
men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;”
Most people want to
become mature, to grow up, but the question is seldom asked:
How do we do it? And when the question IS asked, wrong
answers are often given, causing people everywhere to be “carried
about by every wind of doctrine.” The reason that
many remain like children is surprising and it is right here
in this verse: it is caused “by the
trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.”
There are MANY in this world, including those in authority,
who DELIBERATELY mislead others.
Some understand, as
seen in bumper stickers on cars that carry messages like “Question
Authority!” The danger with that response is: instead
of turning to the Lord and growing up as we are supposed to,
many become bitter and won’t listen to anyone. If we do
listen to the Holy Spirit of God and are open to the Word of
the Lord, we “are no longer to be children”
because He will bring us out of the tossing “waves”
of this life and cause us to become healthy and mature in His
sight.
Verse 15. “but speaking the truth
in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the
head, even Christ,”
The expression “speaking
the truth in love” carried a deeper meaning in the New
Testament Greek than it does in English. In the Greek,
the phrase meant to BE true, in addition to merely speaking
the truth. We are not only to SEEM just and true; we are
actually to BE His “truth” in
the center of our being. Such a reality can only come
from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, as enabled by
His Holy Spirit, as we have seen in the preceding verses.
Have you ever wondered
about “Christians” who are seemingly full of knowledge, and
yet they aggressively HAMMER doctrinal ideas into those around
them? At the very least, such people demonstrate immaturity
in the faith of our Lord. Paul taught us that if we “have
not love” we “are nothing”
(1 Corinthians 13:1-3). “Speaking
the truth in love” does not mean triumphing over one
another, but instead it is kindly helping others “grow
up” “into Him,” the “Head”
of us all, who is Himself love.
Audio Bible Study - Ephesians 4:16-20
Verse 16. “from whom the whole
body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies,
according to the proper working of each individual part, causes
the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
Notice that our growing
up in Christ (as seen in the preceding verses) is typically
NOT accomplished alone, but instead it is a corporate event,
accomplished in relation to the “whole
body” (all who are in Christ). If the parts of
our physical body are scattered around on the floor, the likelihood
of accomplishing much in life is reduced. Something similar
occurs in the body of Christ. If we resist being “fitted
and held together,” we will accomplish less and show
little of His love.
The reasonable expectation
of these verses is that we will work together in Christ for
the good of all. The mechanism for growth, the Person
who makes us grow, is the Holy Spirit of God, for through Him
“gifts” (verse 8, 11) are given
to the “body” for the “building
up of itself in love.” You need my gifts and I
need yours, to the extent that we will never adequately “grow
up” (verse 15) unless we finally LISTEN to and LOVE one
another.
Verse 17. “So this I say, and
affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just
as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,”
You are being led
by these verses and by the Lord Himself to not spend your life
merely trying to be like other people. God, through the
writer Paul, will now tell us four ways in which we are to NOT
copy others, and the FIRST is right here in this verse: We are
not to waste our lives with the “futility”
of vain thoughts and actions. And so much of what is done
in life is actually great “futility”
and down inside, we all know it.
All of us have only
have a few decades on this earth and we are given the freedom
to do pretty much whatever we want with those years. We
can devote ourselves to work, or fun, or we can respond to the
Lord and give ourselves to Him. When you watch the news
on TV or listen to the conversation of others, most of what
you see and hear is “futility.”
Someday, you’ll be in the position of explaining your life to
the Lord – what will you say to Him?
Verse 18. “being darkened in
their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of
the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their
heart;”
Let’s be honest: the
real bottom-line reason why people are “darkened
in their understanding” is because they want to be, and
this is the SECOND difference from those of this world – we
are enabled to SEE (understand) when the norm is to choose to
not see. Some wish to not see because of what they call
the “unfairness” of God. There are also many in the world
who have never heard of the Bible and don’t know who Jesus Christ
is, but Paul, in the power and love of the Holy Spirit, wrote
that God is SEEN in His creation (Romans 1:20-21). We
see His power in the atom and His love is glimpsed in a loving
touch, a smile or a kind word.
As a race, humans
have a “hardness of…
heart” (and this will be the
THIRD way His people are to be different from others).
This “hardness” is incredible
when you consider that God is “clearly
seen” (Romans 1:20) by those who are in denial about
Him. The Law of God (His Word) is available to us all,
because the “work of the Law
(is) written in their hearts”
(Romans 2:14-16), and our conscience reveals that underneath
it all, we KNOW. To believe that some don’t have a God-sent
conscience is to believe a lie – they merely choose to not listen.
The “ignorance” we have is a
willing act, based on the “hardness”
of our hearts.
Verse 19. “and they, having become
callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice
of every kind of impurity with greediness.”
“Live today for tomorrow
you may die!” has been the sad cry of many. Historically,
there have been times of revival and renewal within mankind,
but right now we are in a time of steep moral decline.
To become “callous” is to WILLINGLY
shut God and His benefits out of your life. In Romans
1:24 & the verses that follow, we see that God “gave
them up to uncleanness” – He sentences us to do whatever
we want, rendering us into a condition not unlike the lemurs
of Madagascar, who follow a path toward a cliff that leads to
destruction.
This verse, by the
way, describes the FOURTH way we are to be DIFFERENT from the
culture in which we reside. When everyone else begins
to race toward that cliff, like the lemurs mentioned earlier,
we are enabled by God to NOT go with them. We’ve discussed
the callousness and moral “impurity”
that underlies our culture, but in this verse we see the “greediness”
that underlies many of our problems. We want what we don’t
have, and instead of asking God, we seethe inside that we don’t
have it. We are to be like Paul the Apostle, who “learned
in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11).
Here’s his secret - he said: “I can
do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians
4:13).
Verse 20. “But you did not learn
Christ in this way,”
Let’s take our spiritual
“pulse” and see how we are in relation to our culture and the
expectations of our God. It’s important to measure ourselves
and see if we TRULY have given our hearts to Christ. After
all, Paul told the church in another place (2 Corinthians 13:5)
that we are to “examine (ourselves)
as to whether (you and I)
are in the faith.” How
we do it is found in this Chapter of the Book of Ephesians.
You should find yourself wanting to do such things as:
Trusting in God and
keep on reaching out to others, even if we’re in prison or a
cancer ward (Ephesians 4:1). In that same verse it is
clear we should not think highly of ourselves and we are to
be gentle toward others. We are to accept them even when
they are different from us, “bearing
with one another in love.” We are called and we
should be men and women of peace (verse 3). Others will
have different gifts from ours and yet we are to accept them
as belonging to Christ also. This Chapter in Ephesians
is rich – you are encouraged to examine this Chapter often,
taking your spiritual “pulse” as you read the words.
Audio Bible Study - Ephesians 4:21-25
Verse 21. “if indeed you have
heard Him and have been taught in Him, just astruth is in Jesus,”
The CHALLENGE here
is intense and these verses are SEARCHING us, deep inside!
We are being encouraged to fearlessly LOOK at our lives and
the attitudes we have. Here’s the most important “truth”
of all: Do you really love others? Or do you just tolerate
them, and deep inside, find the rest of us to be somewhat annoying?
Have you REALLY “heard” the
Lord Jesus? Have you REALLY been “taught
in Him?”
Has the message of
His love, His Spirit, taken deep root inside you, to the extent
that you really DO regard yourself as the “servant”
of others, regarding their needs as even greater than your own?
Here’s what Jesus “taught” in
Matthew 20:26-27 – “Whoever desires
to become great among you, let him be your servant.”
Hear these questions, this “truth”
inside yourself: Do you want to serve? Or be served? To love?
Or be loved?
Verse 22. “that, in reference
to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which
is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,”
Paul is telling the
Ephesians (and you and me) to quit living lives of dissolution
in thought and action, like we did before we knew Christ.
Paul used language similar to the words of this verse in other
places, like Romans 6:6, where he said “our
old man was crucified with Him” (with Christ).
In that verse he was expressing what happens when we COME to
Christ (called “justification”
by theologians). When Jesus died on the cross, God views
it that our sins “died” with Him. Your part is to have
faith in Him and what He has done.
Here in this verse,
Paul is addressing a different, but related concept, called
“sanctification,” the cleansing
of our lives through the Power of the Holy Spirit. The
Ephesians Paul wrote to had already received Christ – Paul wrote
to the “SAINTS who are in Ephesus and
FAITHFUL in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1). Here
Paul is gently reminding them (and us) to live clean and wholesome
lives. That which the world values as “fun” tends to be
the “lusts of deceit” that corrupt
us. We are to look to the Lord (1 John 1:9) and increasingly
be delivered from the corruption of this world.
Verse 23. “and that you be renewed
in the spirit of your mind,”
This verse is an interesting
bracket between verses 22 and 24. In verse 22, Paul tells
us to stop living like we did before, and start really LIVING
the Christian life. Verse 24 gives us the good news that
we have a new life in store for us, a completely “new you,”
in which we become able to live in a manner that was impossible
for us before. This verse (23) tells us how to do it.
There have been MANY
in history and there are a lot of them right now, who think
we can live the Christian life through effort and self-denial,
but if you’ve tried to do that, and you’re honest about it,
you’ve found that it just does not work. “New Years Resolutions”
don’t last and neither do our attempts to be religious without
the power of God. You must be “renewed
in the spirit of your mind,” which is both an event (at
salvation) and a process worked out in you by the Holy Spirit
– HE will do in you what you cannot do. Your job is to
look to the Lord, trust in Him, and be OPEN to His work in you.
Verse 24. “and put on the new
self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness
and holiness of the truth.”
In 1 John 1:9, we
read these interesting words – “If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
A wonderful assurance, and these verses in Ephesians help us
understand the PROCESS involved in the promise of 1 John 1:9.
In Ephesians 4:22, we see that we are to “lay
aside the old self” that has let us down all these years.
In verse 23, we find that the Lord will cause us to be “renewed
in the spirit of (our)
mind(s).”
To “put on the new self,” is to “PUT
ON CHRIST” (Galatians 3:27),
for only HE can do this work in our lives. In the book,
“Pastors at Greater Risk,”
by H. B. London, Jr., we read these interesting words: “We
need to face the fact that about an inch beneath our Christian
skins is a barbarian inside.”
We can only find the “truth”
of these verses in Ephesians in one way: through the Lord!
He is innocent, pure and holy, and we are not. We NEED
Him and HIS righteousness, every moment of every day.
Verse 25. “Therefore, laying
aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor,
for we are members of one another.”
The book mentioned
in the commentary on verse 24 (“Pastors
at Greater Risk”), contains these words: “One
church lost 10-families in a year because a pastor was caught
in a lie. What he could have repaired with four or five sentences
of confession never healed. As the years passed, a second generation
of many of those families remain completely alienated from any
church.” The sin of pride, the cause of most lies,
claims many innocent victims.
It’s time to tell
the truth, to become men and women who ARE truth in the power
of God. In the past, many have “protected themselves”
by lying about who and what they are. Many have told “white
lies” in a misplaced attempt to “protect others.” In Christ,
we are all one people, one family in our Lord, who simply IS
“the truth” (John 14:6).
We already have seen that we are being enabled to be “speaking
the truth in love,” which is how we are to “grow
up… in Christ” (Ephesians
4:15).
Audio Bible Study Ephesians 4:26-30
Verse 26. “Be angry, and yet
do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,”
The Sixth Commandment
is very clear: “You shall not commit
murder” (Exodus 20:13) and most feel they have not violated
it. But Jesus made it difficult for us by citing the commandment
in Matthew 5:21, and then continuing, “whoever
is ANGRY with his brother without a cause shall be in danger
of the judgment” (Matthew 5:22). Anger is serious
business, not only for the ones who bear the brunt of our anger,
but personally as well, for anger places us in danger of the
Judgment of God.
Fortunately, Jesus
added “without a cause” or we
would all have been cast into outer darkness a long time ago.
And it’s a blessing that Scripture gives us a marvelous remedy
for sin. Not only did Jesus die for our sins (He IS our
Remedy), but also we are given a way to deal with continuing
sins – To CONFESS them and be healed of them (1 John 1:9).
The Lord understands we WILL “be angry”
and we learn that such emotions by themselves are not necessarily
“sin,” until we nurse that anger
inside. What do we do? – “Do
not let the sun go down on your anger.” Confess
it and be healed – today!
Verse 27. “and do not give the
devil an opportunity.”
Many “impregnable”
walled-cities of the past have been captured because citizens
within the walls have sold-out the city to its enemies.
That was the case with the Great Wall of China, which never
fell to the Mongol hordes until guards on the Wall sold-out
to the Mongols and let the enemy in. That’s the imagery
of these verses. To “give the
devil an opportunity” in your life is to be a liar (verse
25), nurse a grudge (verse 26), steal (verse 28), involve yourself
in coarse and mindless conversation (verse 29), and in general
to let him in to our lives.
We are to speak the
truth in love to God and those around us. We are to confess
our sins to the Lord daily, in faith, and be done with them
– for good! We are to stop taking what is not ours and
instead earn money honestly, enabling us to share with those
in need. We are increasingly, as God empowers us, to speak
words of edification and encouragement to the many injured souls
of this world. And all our lacks in these areas will be
replaced with love, which “will cover
a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
Verse 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.”
In this verse, we
see that Christians typically aren’t changed overnight, for
some continue to steal, which can take subtle forms, such as
cheating on taxes or pilfering from goods and services that
really belong to others. The liar (verse 25) is a thief,
for he or she is stealing the truth from their neighbor.
Continuing to be angry (nursing a grudge) is a form of stealing,
for you are withholding your love from someone to whom it rightfully
belongs.
When we involve ourselves
in theft, which may take many forms, “we
give the devil an opportunity” (verse 27), which is not
good and it is worse than it sounds. People DO look at
us, and they often see us far more clearly than we see ourselves.
What do non-Christians think when they see us? If we are
“gossips” (verse 29), will others decide to reject the Kingdom
of God on the basis of our carnality? It’s time to be
“kind” and “forgiving”
(verse 32), for the important reason that others may see our
changed lives and want the Lord who changed us.
Verse 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 willgive grace to those
who hear.”
Let’s share a moment
of total honesty – What is your conversation like? What
do you talk about? Do you dwell verbally on what might
be called “superficial” topics? Do the concepts that come
out of you tend to be profane and/or worldly? Why do you
(and the rest of us) say things like that? Why DON’T people
speak more in terms that would result in “edification”
for our hearers? Or DO you give words of “grace”
to those who listen to you? Perhaps you do.
Think for a moment
about those you listen to – Some people seem to pull the life
right out of us, especially if we hunger to hear the good things
of the Lord and are starved for His good news. Others
fill us up and restore us. As you read the words of Paul
the Apostle, who wrote this Letter to the Ephesians, note that
his words strongly tend to lift us up; to make us more than
we were before we read them. PRAY that we in the church
might be more like Paul, who GAVE the grace of God to all who
would listen.
Verse 30. “Do not grieve the
Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
The Greek word translated
“grieve” in this verse is a
form of “lupeo,” to “make sorrowful.”
A look at the context of this verse will help you to understand
how it is that we could place “the
Holy Spirit of God” into a “sorrowful” or grievous condition.
Lying and stealing, as previously discussed, are actions and
attitudes we are to “lay aside”
(verse 22) in the power of God. The Holy Spirit has “sealed”
you, protected you from the negativity spoken of these verses,
and because of Him you don’t need to act that way anymore.
The TYPE of acting,
thinking and speaking in a manner that causes distress to the
Holy Spirit, is found in the next verse: “All
bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor” along with
“slander” is to be “put
away” from our lives. Such words are reminiscent
of the “works of the flesh”
seen in Galatians 5:19 and context. The antidote offered
is also found in those verses: “Walk
in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh”
(Galatians 5:16).
Audio Bible Study - Ephesians 4:31-32
Verse 31. “Let all bitterness
and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from
you, along with all malice.”
From God’s perspective,
there are only two kinds of people in humanity: 1) Those
who have never received Christ and know nothing about His Holy
Spirit, and 2) Those who have trusted in the Lord.
The first group will predominantly exhibit the characteristics
named in Ephesians 4:31, and the others are supposed to display
the traits seen in verse 32. The reality is that those
who are in Christ, even though we have access to the very Throne
of God and His Holy Spirit, send a confusing message because
we often retain character traits that were part of our lives
BEFORE we met the Lord. To some extent it’s true of us
all.
We know this from
Scriptures like Ephesians 4:17 to the end of this Chapter.
Paul was writing this Letter to the “saints
who are… faithful in Christ
Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1) and yet, in this context, here
he is, telling them again to “walk
no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of
their mind” (verse 17). It’s so easy to fall into
the patterns of the activities mentioned in this verse, and
a look at the church in our world today, shows that we have
already fallen a long way. PRAY for the church, for you
and me, for REVIVAL in us, that “all
bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander (will)
be put away from (us),
along with all malice.” In Jesus Name. Amen.
Verse 32. “Be kind to one another,
tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ
also has forgiven you.”
Jesus taught, “Whatever
you want men to do to you, do also for them” (Matthew
7:12). Do you want others to be “kind”
to you, kind to your children, to those you love? – Be kind
to others! And your kindnesses are not to be limited only
to those who will be nice to you in return. To be “tender-hearted”
is to become vulnerable, a condition in which you will no longer
protect yourself by the personality characteristics and actions
shown in verse 31. And you are to be “forgiving”
of others, even when they don’t forgive you and they aren’t
sorry about what they did to you.
Is it impossible to
live that way? Yes it is, and that’s the whole point.
The impossible for you and me is possible for God, especially
when you are “forgiven” in Christ.
You will find yourself acting in His strength, His love, not
in your own. There is POWER in the person who is “forgiven”
by our Lord and “sealed for the day
of redemption” (verse 30) through God’s Holy Spirit.
If you are in Christ, you have the God-given capacity to be
kind, tender-hearted and forgiving – if you WANT to be.
Do you want to be more than you are? – “Delight
yourself… in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of
your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
Ron Beckham,
Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
The First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchOnTheNet.org "While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
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