Ephesians 4:25-32
Truth, Work, and Forgiveness
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.
26“Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger,
27and do not give the devil a foothold.
28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.
29Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.
30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.
32Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
Berean Standard Bible
Paul takes the new self into the language of ordinary relationships. Because believers are members of one another, they must put away falsehood and speak truth to their neighbors. A lie does not stay inside the person who tells it. It damages the shared life of the body.
Paul allows anger to be named, but he does not give it permission to rule. Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anger can point to something wrong, yet nursing it turns a wound into a place where evil can settle.
The thief must stop stealing and do honest work with his own hands so he can have something to share with the needy. Repentance is not complete when a harmful act stops. The person who took now learns to labor and give. Grace changes what the hands are for.
Paul also tells believers to speak only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, so that it may give grace to those who hear. Words can rot a community or supply what another person needs for the next faithful step.
The Spirit by whom believers were sealed can be grieved. Bitterness, rage, anger, shouting, slander, and malice must be removed. In their place comes kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, because God forgave them in Christ.
Questions
1 Why should believers speak truth to one another?
AnswerThey should speak truth because they are members of one another. Falsehood injures the shared body, not just an individual relationship.
2 What warning does Paul give about anger?
AnswerAnger must not become sin or be nursed until it gives the devil a foothold. A person should deal with it rather than build a home for it.
3 What new purpose does Paul give to honest work?
AnswerHonest work provides something to share with people in need. Repentance turns taking from others into the ability to give.
4 Why should believers remove bitterness and malice?
AnswerThey grieve the Holy Spirit and destroy relationships. Believers are called to kindness, compassion, and forgiveness because God forgave them in Christ.
What This Means for Us
This passage treats speech, money, anger, and forgiveness as connected parts of spiritual life. We cannot call ourselves mature while using truth as a disguise for cruelty, work as a way to hoard, or anger as an excuse to punish.
Forgiveness does not require denying what happened or ignoring necessary boundaries. It means refusing to let bitterness become the authority over the relationship. God's forgiveness in Christ gives us a new direction, even when repair takes time.
Prayer
Father, make our words truthful and useful. Teach us to handle anger honestly, work generously, forgive as we have been forgiven, and keep bitterness from taking root among us. Amen.