GET RID OF THE OLD STUFF. Ephesians 4:25-32 Putting off the sinful lifestyle shows that there is a real change in a believer in Christ. The Holy Spirit has sealed us as God's children and encourages us to do what is right while convicting us of what is wrong. When we submit to His guidance and authority, the fruit of the Spirit becomes visible in us. grieving and quenching the Spirit not only prevent us from being fruitful but also hinder effective and meaningful service for God. The more we depend on the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the more we can overcome sinful desires within us. Sin is an insult to the Spirit of God and creates a barrier between us and God.
When God saves us by His grace, He places within us a new nature that can enjoy what is right and have fellowship with God, who is perfect in holiness. The ability to please Him, serve Him, and love Him is part of this new creation. But He has not made us mindless robots; He has left us with choices to make and consequences to accept so that our fellowship with Him is meaningful and intelligent.
In light of that, we have decisions to make about our past lives and the world system that operates without God, through which we are passing. We live in the world but are not to conform to it. We work in it but are not to imitate it. It tries to attract us to its ways, but we are not to give in to its temptations. This means I have to make choices about my behavior, business, and actions that will define how I live. These choices will differ from my past life and may cause divisions between me and those who are offended by my convictions.
In our new life in Christ, which is “created according to God in true righteousness and holiness,” evil deeds such as lying are replaced by what is good and speaking the truth. Anger is replaced by forgiveness, and stealing by giving. Instead of speech that corrupts both the speaker and hearers, Christians speak words that build up and strengthen others in the faith. Bitterness and everything that results from it are replaced by kindness and all that flows from it.
A class of children was asked to give a definition of a lie. One boy said, "A lie is an abomination to the Lord, and a very present help in time of trouble." This humorous comment may or may not have been said. However, it does express how many people in the world view lying. For believers who are "renewed" in their minds, there must be a careful distinction between lying and truthfulness. Anything that shades the truth or exaggerates a matter is lying. Deliberately failing to keep promises, cheating, and flattery are forms of lying. Evading what I have committed to, or am obligated to do, along with betraying confidence placed in me, is also lying. The consequences of lying involve a lack of trust and the breakdown of relationships. Conflicts between individuals, groups, churches, or even nations may arise as a result of not "speaking truth with his neighbor." We cannot live without interacting with others, and trust makes the difference between peace and conflict.
There is no place for lying in the life of a child of God. Satan is the father of lies. Our Lord is “The Truth,” and each believer is in Christ, in His body, and members one of another. Our role in sanctification is to do what the word of God teaches and be guided by the Holy Spirit. Situation ethics have been around for a long time, but despite what it claims, lying is always wrong regardless of the outcome. God can make right what we do wrong when our attitude and actions have been deceptive or misleading. Lying does not edify the body or Christ, does not help believers mature, and does not address the fears and guilt of someone who lies.
Anger and peacefulness are strangers to each other. Righteous anger occurs when the character of God is impugned, and anger against evil is not sinful anger. However, even this must not be allowed to remain uncontrolled. Controlled anger against evil is legitimate because it has a righteous reason behind it. Uncontrolled anger can be dangerous to others, relationships, and our fellowship with God. It gives Satan an opportunity to divert our thoughts and actions to harmful paths. The only way to control anger is to avoid acting or speaking in haste. Be deliberate with your words and how you use them. Out-of-control emotion leads to sinful anger, which must be confessed, forsaken, and made right through the consequences it causes.
We did not lose our emotions when God saved us, but emotions need to be purified and controlled. When we involve ourselves in a matter or our attitude toward others based solely on how it influences our opinions, that is sin. Resentment that is allowed to linger can lead to unkind words or gossip, which can defile the hearers when spoken against another person. Confession and forsaking that sin is essential.
Personal sin often stems from our fleshly desires, and Satan uses this to lead us to sin against God and others. Delaying confession of sin makes it more difficult to be honest and can hinder our fellowship with God. If we give the devil time and opportunity, he may use it to divide believers.
We are not to sin by stealing, but rather to seize every opportunity to do good with what we earn through our work. It is possible for us to “rob God” by failing to give Him what He has allowed us to earn from our labor. We owe it to others to share the Gospel so they might be saved. Opportunities in business come, and how we handle them can bring honor and glory to our Lord. When we care about others, it becomes part of our testimony of faith to help those in need and to be fair and honest with what we have been entrusted with.
Stealing or sharing is another aspect of the changed life of a new man that must be addressed. There is more involved in stealing than just taking money or goods that belong to another person or business. If I am not meeting my employer's expectations because I take a few extra minutes at lunch to witness to someone, I am stealing time I owe him. If I take someone else's words and imply they are mine, I am stealing his efforts. If I fudge an expense account or cheat on taxes, I am stealing what belongs to a company or the government. Short-changing on measurements or weights is taking what is not mine, regardless of how I might justify it. The principle of life under which the walk of the new man is conducted includes the idea that "it is more blessed to give than to receive." We are expected to share with others rather than take from them.
There is a significant difference between worthless words and edifying words. An off-color story is clearly inappropriate and should not be part of the vocabulary of the new man. However, within the phrase "corrupt communication," there is frivolous talk that lacks any real purpose. Idle, useless chatter that is unprofitable may not seem like a serious offense, but the problem is that the human tongue is a dangerous tool, and idle words can lead to misunderstandings and sin that we never even considered. Corrupt words can quickly destroy the trust and relationships we have built over a lifetime of faith.
That is why we will be accountable for "every idle word" in the future. It may seem, and truly be, innocent now. But once words are spoken, there is no control over how far they will go. The word “corrupt” illustrates the lasting impact such words can have. Good words that edify others reveal what is in the heart of the one who speaks. Righteousness, grace, interest, concern, and love can be communicated through our speech. Our words should be suitable and uplifting for those who hear them. Gracious words "minister grace to the hearers." People "marveled at the gracious words" the Lord Jesus spoke when He was here. "Never man spoke like this Man," was a testimony from some who heard Him.
We have an obligation to our neighbors and the members of the body of Christ to have a truthful tongue because we belong to Christ. A calm spirit within that keeps our emotions in check and under control, and controlled anger that is in no way tainted by sin, can be deliberately directed against evil. We need to be conscious of the evil and hatred the devil will try to bring about when emotions are high. He hears our words and will seek to change the meaning and the reasons behind them. It is wrong for us to harbor anger for any length of time. We are to act responsibly in providing for our needs, the needs of our family and to share what we have with others. Gain gotten by wrong means is not ours and is never to be a part of what the new man claims as his. When honest labor is done, we can with a good and honest heart, give of that to others. That is how we give the Lord His due.
We serve the Lord by helping people. We are to "bring our tithes into the storehouse." Sanctified speech should be typical of someone who is a child of God. This is not the "corrupt communication," the polluted, rotten speech that many people around us speak. At the same time, we should not stay silent just to avoid making mistakes. That is not honest. Deliberate communication is possible for anyone God has saved, and it is part of why we are still here. Gracious words are a lifeline, a help, to others. We are not to grieve the Holy Spirit by saying or doing what is wrong.
The Holy Spirit is grieved by unholy talk. When our words and actions are guided by the Spirit's counsel, there will be blessing and benefit for everyone involved. He can use our words to share God’s truth with others, aiming for God's blessings to come upon them through believers as vessels of mercy. When a believer yields to the Spirit of God, He can fill them for divine service, even though we are frail mortal beings.
To abstain from all sins of the tongue and temperament helps maintain peace among God's people. We learn how to do this from the Lord and His example, and through acting in love toward others. This is a completely new change in attitude that leads us to unselfish concern for others rather than bitterness and resentment from within. Our actions will change when the inward wrath and rage that are ready to erupt in anger are controlled by yielding to the Holy Spirit and not grieving Him. Any outward display of wrath is anger and carries the danger of showing hostility and loud, abusive words.
This is all replaced in the new person in Christ, who does not grieve the Spirit because of a renewed motivation to please God. There is a compassionate response to others when that underlying, insulting, mean spirit of malice is replaced by kindness and a new attitude of the heart toward people and God. By the authority of the Lord, those worthless, evil traits are completely intolerable and are replaced by a forgiving spirit and forgiving actions. In this way, we imitate God, who forgave us because Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. The choices we make as believers, walking worthy of our calling, can bring good and many positive consequences to us, to others, and to the Lord.
The practice of our new life in Christ and its ways is expected from those God has saved. Evidence of truth, faith, and grace is not visible when we walk in the flesh. God’s intention is that we “Walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” Believers must make a serious, personal decision to turn away from what others may do. Hopefully, those who know us will listen to God's voice and pay attention to “the Gospel according to you.”
In myself, I have nothing to offer people in terms of hope, meaning, and purpose in life. If I lie, deceive, or stoop to act in malice, anger, and strife, which are things from the old man, I am involved in matters that do not belong in the body of Christ. Christ-likeness is the goal of God's plan in saving us because it is through the new man that people come to trust. It is God's intention that others, through me, will see something that provides proof that what they observe is real. When many other sisters and brothers in the body of Christ here on earth also demonstrate this, it testifies to each new generation the reality of faith, the true value of redemption, and God's full and free salvation.