But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands, which is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:20-32 NKJV

4:20-21 We have not learned ignorance and blindness in Christ. By virtue of hearing and being taught by Him, truth is revealed in Jesus. Truth breaks into ignorance and blindness, illuminating the great virtues of Jesus.

4:22 Before we were in Christ, we walked out a completely different identity. Growth into corruption and deceitful longings is something we have put off or renounced in Christ. We are not bound to the identity of the person we were before coming to faith in Christ Jesus.

4:23 We not only put off the former, but we put on something new. The spirit of our intellect is being renewed. Let us not escape the process here. As we embrace our life in Christ, we begin a process of transformation. If we lose sight of the process, we can be overcome by the battle we face. Putting off the old self is not a once and done reality. We wake up every day with a choice. The renewing of our mind/intellect requires us to choose the attitudes and character of Jesus in each circumstance.

4:24 We choose Christ by putting on the new man. In the very next verse we will see Paul remind us we are still talking primarily in a communal sense. These truths require us to make very real individual decisions, yet by putting on the new man, you are putting on the identity of the body of Christ. The body of Christ is the new man created “according to God”. Remember, we were raised up together, seated together, and built up together. We were earlier described as “one new man” in Christ.

To “put on” the new man requires us to endeavor unto the unity of the faith. If we fight against this process we actually become enemies of God’s process of renewing our mind. To “put off” the old man or old nature requires us to resist corruption and deceit in the sense of believing you can accomplish anything for God on your own. There is only one new man in Christ, to whom we all belong.

Further Reflection on Ephesians 4:20-24

This truth should be especially encouraging to those who feel isolated. When we pursue Jesus in a wholehearted way, it can feel very lonely especially when we face persecution or have to walk on our own due to situations that isolate us from the body. If we have truly been built up together as the body of Christ, even those of us who have been removed and isolated have access to the same spiritual life and co-inheritance in Christ.

Even so, as much as we are able to do so and have access, we need to pursue the fellowship of the faith. I am not talking about church attendance, either. Church attendance equals fellowship with the saints just as much as going on a cruise makes you a sailor. The goal is to be members of one another. We need to be involved in every aspect of one another’s lives in communion with Christ. This requires us to share in our victories and defeats in life. We need to rejoice together and weep together. We need to pray and worship together. We need to disciple and share the gospel together. We need to be raised up together, seated together, built up together, and renewed together.

4:25 “For we are members of one another…” For this reason we put off the falsehood, the fake and lying face. Instead, we speak the truth (in love) with one another, for we are members of one another.

4:26-27 “Be angry…” We would be saints of unfathomable perfection if this process didn’t make us angry. The word rendered sin in this passage essentially means: missed the mark. You’re going to get angry with one another, but when you do, do not miss the high aim of unity in oneness. Failing to pursue unity with our brother or sister when we are angry with them is sin.

Deeper Look # 10: Ephesians 4:26-27; Matthew 5:22, 9:13, 12:7

“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Matthew 5:22 NKJV

“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice…”

Matthew 9:13a NKJV

“But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.”

Matthew 12:7 NKJV

There are times when there is genuine cause to be angry. There are other passages of Scripture which deal with such issues. However, there are many times when we conflict with others in the body due to personality, culture, upbringing, social and cultural ideas, as well as doctrine. Sometimes, these things highlight a genuine cause to be angry, but the majority of the time we are merely standing in the face of a differing opinion. Nevertheless, we have seen entire churches and denominations torn apart by these things, not to mention friendships and families.

Not allowing the sun to go down on our wrath requires us to deal with these things in light of God’s mercy. If we resist mercy it will provide access to our adversary and accuser to bring chaos to the situation. Mercy is not inherently something we understand by becoming christians. Jesus tells us to “go learn” mercy. Without a mind of mercy we will always and continually condemn the guiltless, doing the work of Satan by becoming accusers and adversaries to our own brethren.

Again, there are real issues that need to be addressed and other verses do well to instruct us in these matters. However, these issues usually come into light over time unless they are gross and obvious sin. Towards one another, especially when we are angry or in disagreement over something, this is an opportunity to first learn mercy, and then show it to others.

If God desires mercy more than He does burned offerings, let us not put ourselves in danger before the fires of hell. Those who do not show mercy will not inherit mercy from Jesus. This is not a peripheral issue. When we let the sun go down on our wrath towards others within the household of Christ, we endanger our own personal salvation.

Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands, which is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:28-32 NKJV

4:28 In Roman society, theft was a crime which resulted in punishment much more severe than what we experience in many western countries today. If you were not a Roman citizen, (if you were not killed while being caught in the act), you might have been appointed to crucifixion or placed in something the equivalent to a labor camp. If you were a Roman citizen, your punishment would have likely been to pay damages likely many times greater than what you stole. If your theft were considered treasonous in nature, such as stealing from an official of the military, you might be killed or sold into slavery.

For Paul to simply write, “Let him who stole steal no longer…” would have been alarmingly counter-cultural in his day. The cultural sense of justice in Paul’s day would have been confronted by such a statement. Here we see the redemptive command, to work hard so that you have something to give to those who are in need. Quit stealing, and when you have earned something, use your earnings to help those who may be in a position where they are tempted by lack. Whatever labor you are given in life, do it well and bless others with your earnings.

4:29 Let no rancid, worthless speech come from your mouth. In context to the passages we’ve been reading, we need to acknowledge the significance of what Paul is writing here. Do not allow unresolved anger, ignorance, laziness, or evil speech to thrive in the Church. Instead, do the things which edify, serve, love, and impart grace to one another.

We cannot overlook the concept of gracious speech towards one another. Our creator God performed creation by using speech. The power of the tongue for us who are made in His image cannot be overemphasized. When we bless or curse, our words hold power and influence with the Lord as well as the one who is the object of our speech. Our words also hold weight in the heavenly realms as well.

4:30-31 Bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, evil speech (slander and blasphemy), and malicious/evil works are what brings grief to the Holy Spirit.

4:32 We remove the evil attributes by pursuing the pure attributes. Kindness, tenderness, and forgiveness is the nature which affirms our sealing by the Holy Spirit. In our pursuit of these Christ-like attributes, we impart to others the mercy and forgiveness Christ had first shown to us.