January 18
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BE ANGRY WITHOUT SINNING
25 Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE OF YOU WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, because we are parts of one another. 26 BE ANGRY, AND YET DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
-Ephesians 4:25-32
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In this letter of Paul to the Ephesians, he gives a reminder to the believers of their responsibilities when they become a follower of Jesus. In verse 25, he stresses how we should put of falsehood. In Hebrew, “sheker” is the counterpart of falsehood, which means to deceive, to tell lies or to lie. Paul says that instead of deceptions, we are to speak only the truth to each other because we are all parts of one another. In verse 26, he explains the emotion “anger” as the opening door for the devil. It doesn’t mean that anger in itself is bad. Otherwise, why did God give humans this explosive emotion? We are given anger so that we can be stirred to do express loathe to evil and wickedness around us, not to use it for selfish reasons. Notice that Paul says “Be angry”, He didn’t say “Don’t be angry”, but he says a cautionary clause after it. There must be a time limit to your anger. You shouldn’t sleep on your anger or you open doors for the devil to steal your joy, peace and love. In verse 28, Paul instructs them on never coveting or stealing, but emphasized that one must labor with his own hands. In verse 29, he prohibits them from speaking words that will hurt or discourage others but only let encourage and words that build up those who hear it. In verse 30, he warns them of the gravity of grieving the Holy Spirit. In verse 31, Paul enumerates all the other things that needs to be rid of such as bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and malice. He closes this letter with a command to be kind, compassionate, forgiving to one another, just as Christ has given them.
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REFLECTION
• Why did Paul enumerate in detail all these things that they should get rid off?