Growing Steps of a Changed Life

Ephesians 4:25-

"Just say No" doesn't work by itself; the negative must be accompained by the positive..

Begins with a "consequently"; a natural and expected consequence of you being a new creation in Christ is that you will put off the attitudes and behaviors of the old man and put on those of the new man. In other words, you will...

quit lying v.25

Since the new man is created in "righteousness and holiness of the truth" NASB falsehood should have no place in the Christian's life.

having put away falsehood - ψευδος (second aorist, historical present, action completed in past) “what is untrue,” “deceit,” “falsehood,” “lying.” “lie,” TDNT; certainly contains concept of intentional deception

cf. Joh_8:44 we should not resemble our arch-enemy

2Co_11:13-15; 2Th_2:9-11; Rev_12:9, Rev_13:14, Rev_20:2, Rev_20:3, Rev_20:10,
no place in heaven for liars: Rev_21:8, Rev_22:15

reason given: we are members one of another αλληλων There is a sense in which Adam and Eve were members in mutuality - Gen_2:24 the two were one flesh; it was deception, breaking of trust, that destroyed original intimacy of relationship. The reconciliation God is working out in the church through Christ is intended to "roll back" the effects of that original deception and its consequences.

Just as truth is an essential characteristic of God and embodied in his Son Joh_14:6, it must be the first mark of the new man. Put on as an ongoing way of life truthfulness; the standard character of our communication should be that of truthfulness. Relationships not founded on truth and nurtured in truth are doomed to failure.

avoid rage v.26-27, 31

quoted from Psa_4:4; The primary meaning of this root is to quake or shake, from which ideas such as shaking in anger, fear, or anticipation are derived. Most usages of ra^gaz express agitation growing out of some deeply rooted emotion. From the range of usages it is clear that the term refers to the agitation itself.

4:26 "Be angry (orgizo¯) and do not sin"; do not let the sun go down on your wrath (parorgismos)

4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath (thumos), anger (orge¯), clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Orge - legitimate anger, righteous indignation, habitual indulgence of anger

Parorgismos - strengthened, anger coupled with irritation, exasperation, embitterment

Thumos - "distinguished from orge, in this respect, that thumos indicates a more agitated condition of the feelings, an outburst of wrath from inward indignation, while orge suggests a more settled or abiding condition of mind." Vine Perhaps more like our modern word "fury", suggesting (from human perspective) passion out of control.

There is a time and place for righteous indignation, but with any accommodation given to anger opportunity is concurrently provided for sin. It will be easily accompanied by the other negative emotions Paul identifies in 4:31.

"[Anger] is an instinctive principle - a species of thorny hedge incircling our birthright. But in the indulgence of it, men are very apt to sin, and therefore they are cautioned against it. If a mere trifle put them into a storm of fury - if they are so excitable as to fall into frequent fits of ungovernable passion, and lose control of speech or action - if urged by an irascible temper they are ever resenting fancied affronts and injuries, then do they sin. But specially do they sin, and herein lies the danger, if they indulge anger for an improper length of time." John Eadie

Most importantly, to allow ourselves to be ruled by our emotions leaves us vulnerable to Satan's encouragement toward sinning especially when there are always the beginnings of bitterness. Orge in the sense Paul uses it seems to have the sense that another has been offended while parorgismos has an element of first-person offense. Thumos takes that personal affront to the next level with the emotions boiling over uncontrollably.

don't steal v.28

The concept of honesty transfers from speech in v. 25 to behavior in v. 28 We must not be in the habit of acquiring goods or services by providing less than fair compensation in return.

The practice should be laboring - tire, wear oneself out through physical or mental effort. Labor to the point of being tired so as to provide with our own efforts for our own needs and beyond. The purpose of working hard is not to hoard, it is to enable us to help those in need.

"No one is entitled to be supported by others, who is able to support himself. This is one great principle of scriptural economics. Another, however, no less important is, that those who cannot work are entitled to aid and therefore the apostle adds as a motive why the strong should labour that they may have to contribute to him that hath need. No man liveth for himself; and no man should labour for himself alone, but with the definite object to be able to assist others. Christian principles, if fairly carried out, would speedily banish pauperism and other cognate evils from our modern civilization." Hodge

Our work should be of excellent quality - "what is good". That which we earn in abundance should be reasonable compensation for the quality of product or service we provide. None of the "close enough for government work" attitude.