LESSON 5-Ephesians
Chapter 4
BEING THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
Ephesians 4:1-32
Eph.4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
4:29 Instead of cheap talk, your mouth is now a fountain of grace, giving encouragement and inspiration to everyone
within earshot. Mirror Translation
Related Scriptures:
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Col.4:5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Eph. 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
4:30 The Holy Spirit is your signet ring from God to confirm that you are redeemed to live your life in the light of day, any conduct that belongs to the night grieves Him. Mirror Translation
All sin is a cause of personal sorrow to God. Yet, He knows the sin problem is taken care of. We are still called to “walk worthy of the vocation with which you are called”, to walk in fellowship with the Lord. And the Holy Spirit occupies the Christian and is the source, the bond, of the spiritual fellowship with have with God. He is our teacher and our comforter. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit and is the cause for the loss of fellowship, the loss of filling, the loss of the controlling ministry of the Spirit. The Spirit’s presence is also a seal of assurance of the life and inheritance that we possess now and will possess fully in the end. The very thought of this should encourage us to keep ourselves pure.
1 John 3:2-6, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.
Eph.4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
4:31 Take up the strongest possible position against every form of distorted behavior in your own life, do not allow yourself to be spiteful; outbursts of violent emotion and rage do not become you. You don’t have to shout in order to make your point. People must feel safe in your conversation, therefore slander and hurtful words (blasphemy) are out! Mirror
Here is even more reference to sins of the tongue and of mental attitude, so that they can be set over against the way that we have learned in Christ. Six things are named here that are decisively to be put away.
1. “Bitterness” is PIKRIA (cf. the English “picric acid”).
2 – 3. The “wrath” and “anger” here are those which spring up from passion and temper because of personal resentment or provocation. The only Christian rule about these is total abstinence!
· Then follows “clamor”, KRAUGEI, which is “the loud self-assertion of the angry man, who will make everyone else hear his grievance.”
· “Evil speaking” is BLASPHEMIA, “slander; blasphemy”. This word is commonly used for speaking against God, but it is also commonly used for slanderous or abusive speaking against one’s fellow men. Since all men re made in the image and likeness of God, you blaspheme man you are blaspheming God
· Finally, Paul adds “all malice”, or “bad feeling of every kind”, thus demanding the complete exclusion from the Christian’s life of every thought that leads a person to speak or do evil against some else.
Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
4:32 Be inspired by kindness and compassion; your forgiving one another when you might feel irritated and frustrated, demonstrates the way God graciously treated us in Christ. Mirror Translation
A forgiving spirit is one of the most obvious and telling character traits in a growing Christian. The lack of a forgiving spirit is the mark of the novice Christian. The word “forgive” is a Grace word, in the English as well as in the Greek. An early meaning in English was “to give or to grant”. Then, “forgive” came to mean “to remit a debt; to give up resentment or claim for requital; to pardon an offense.”
(John 20:23) Of whomever sins you remit, (cancel) they are remitted to them. Of whomever sins you retain, (not abolish) they are retained.
We will continue with Lesson 6 next week.
The blessings of the Lord are upon you whether by blood, adoption/sonship or assignment. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22
David & Mary Sue