Ephesians 4:17 - Meaning and Application

Paul has already urged believers to love one another, live in unity, and keep peace. Now he turns to a wider call, to purity and holiness in heart and life, first in general, then in specific actions (Ephesians 4:17-24, 25-32). He introduces this with seriousness: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord.” In other words, because this is true of you, as members of Christ’s body and receivers of his gifts, I press this on your conscience as your duty before the Lord and by his authority.

He begins with this command: do not live any longer as other Gentiles live. He means, do not keep living like unconverted pagans, whose minds are ruled by useless things such as idols and worldly gain. Christians who have been changed by grace must not copy the life of those who have not been changed. They may live among such people, but they must not live like them.

Paul then describes the moral condition of the Gentile world, from which believers were rescued like brands pulled from a fire. Their understanding was darkened (Ephesians 4:18). They lacked saving knowledge, and even many things about God that natural light could have taught them. They stayed in darkness and preferred it to light. Because of this ignorance, they were separated from the life of God, meaning the holy life God requires and approves, the life that reflects his own purity, truth, righteousness, and goodness.

Their ignorance was willful. It came from the hardness of their hearts, not from any lack in God’s witness to himself. God had made himself known through his works, but they refused the light. They resisted instruction, rejected the means of learning, and chose ignorance for themselves. Gross and stubborn ignorance destroys religion and godliness.

Their consciences were also ruined and hardened. Being past feeling (Ephesians 4:19) means they had lost any real sense of sin, or of the danger and misery it brought. So they gave themselves up to sensual living. They followed filthy desires until they became slaves of sin and the devil, committing every kind of uncleanness with greed. When conscience is seared, there is no clear limit to what people may do. Once lust rules the heart, shameful excess soon follows.

But Christians must be different. “You have not so learned Christ” (Ephesians 4:20). The meaning is, this is not the way you were taught Christianity. If you have truly heard Christ’s teaching, and if you have been taught by him inwardly through his Spirit, then your life should show it (Ephesians 4:21). Christ is both the lesson we learn and the teacher who teaches us. The phrase “the truth is in Jesus” means either that Jesus himself gave the true doctrine and lived it out perfectly, or that truth has taken hold of your hearts as it did in him.

Paul then uses the picture of putting off old clothes and putting on new ones. Believers must put off the old self, their former way of life, and put on the new self (Ephesians 4:22-24). A real change in life begins with a change in inward principles, habits, and desires. That change is called sanctification, the process of being made holy.

The old self is called “old” because it comes from old Adam, from whom all people inherit a fallen nature. It is also called corrupt, because sin damages the soul’s powers and keeps growing worse when it is not checked. It is shaped by deceitful desires, which promise happiness but lead only to misery and ruin. These desires must be put off like filthy clothing, something we would be ashamed to wear in public. They ruled believers in their former life, before they were made new.

But it is not enough to abandon evil principles. We must also take up gracious ones. We must let our minds be renewed more and more (Ephesians 4:23). That means using the means God has appointed so that our thoughts, desires, and judgment are steadily changed. And we must put on the new self (Ephesians 4:24), the new nature created by God’s power through regenerating grace, that is, the grace that brings spiritual new birth. This new self enables a person to live a new kind of life, a life of righteousness and holiness that fits the Christian calling. It is God’s own workmanship, made truly beautiful and excellent.

After God, in imitation of him, and in line with that great example and pattern. Losing God’s image in the soul was both the sin and the misery of fallen human nature. That likeness to God is the beauty, glory, and happiness of the new person in Christ.

This likeness shows itself in righteousness toward other people, which includes all the duties of the second table of the law, and in holiness toward God, which means sincere obedience to the commands of the first table. It is true holiness, in contrast to the outward and ceremonial holiness of the Jews. We are said to put on this new person when, using all of God’s appointed means, we seek after this divine nature, this new creation. This is the general call to purity and holiness in heart and life.

The apostle then turns to more specific duties. General truths do not always move us as strongly, so he names the particular parts of the old self that must be put to death, those filthy rags of the old nature that must be taken off, and the special marks of the new self by which we should adorn our Christian profession.

First, beware of lying, and always be careful to speak the truth (Ephesians 4:25). Since you have been well taught what your duty is, and since you are under such strong obligations to do it, let your future conduct show that a real change has taken place in you, especially by putting away lying. The heathen were very guilty of this sin, saying that a useful lie was better than a harmful truth. So the apostle urges believers to stop lying, and to reject everything opposed to truth.

This belongs to the old self and must be put off. The part of the new self that stands against it is speaking the truth in all our dealings with others. God’s people are known as children who will not lie, dare not lie, and hate lying. Anyone who has grace makes it a matter of conscience to speak truthfully and would not tell a deliberate lie for any amount of profit. The reason given for truthfulness is this, we are members of one another. Truth is a debt we owe each other. If we love one another, we will not deceive or lie to one another. We belong to the same society, the same body, and falsehood tears at that body, so we should avoid it and speak the truth. Lying is a very serious sin, a special breaking of the obligations Christians are under, and deeply harmful to Christian fellowship.

Second, beware of anger and uncontrolled passions. “Be angry and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). This comes from the Greek Old Testament wording of Psalm 4:4, where our Bible says, “Stand in awe, and sin not.” This should be taken as a kind allowance, not as a command. We are quick enough to be angry already, but it is hard to keep anger within bounds and not sin.

If there is ever a just reason to be angry, make sure it stays free from sin. Guard against excess. If we want to be angry and not sin, then we must be angry only at sin, and we should care more about God’s honor than about our own interests or reputation. One common sin in anger is to let it turn into lasting wrath, and we are warned against that. If you have been provoked and your spirit has been greatly upset, and if you have bitterly resented an insult, settle your heart before night comes, be reconciled to the offender, and make things right again: “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” If anger turns into bitterness, be sure to put it down quickly.

Anger in itself is not sinful, yet it is in great danger of becoming sinful if it is not watched carefully and checked at once. Anger may come into the heart of a wise person, but only fools let it stay there. “Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). Those who keep on in sinful anger give the devil room in their hearts and let him gain ground, until he leads them into hatred, harmful plans, and more. Some read the word as “slanderer,” meaning, do not give room to the false accuser. If so, the warning is this, let your ears be closed to whisperers, tale-bearers, and slanderers.

Third, we are warned against stealing, the breaking of the eighth commandment, and encouraged to honest work and generosity: “Let the one who stole steal no more” (Ephesians 4:28). This is a warning against every kind of wrongdoing, whether by force or by deceit. Those who had been guilty of this sin during their time in paganism must do it no longer.

But we must do more than avoid the sin. We must also practice the opposite duty. Not only must we not steal, but we should work hard, doing honest labor with our hands. Idleness makes thieves. As Chrysostom said, stealing comes from laziness. Those who will not work, and who are ashamed to beg, put themselves in great danger of turning to theft. So people should be diligent and industrious in some honest calling, working at what is good. Honest work keeps people away from temptation to do wrong.

There is also another reason for hard work, we should labor so that we can do good to others, not only so that we can stay out of trouble. We should work that we may have something to give to the one who is in need. People must labor not only to live honestly for themselves, but also to share with the needs of others. Even those who earn their living by hard work should give from their little to help those who cannot work. Giving to the poor is such a necessary duty that even laborers and servants, with very little for themselves, must still cast their small gift into the treasury. God must have what is due to him, and the poor are his receivers. And the offerings most pleasing to God are not the fruit of dishonesty or theft, but of honesty and industry. God hates robbery offered as a sacrifice.

Fourth, we are warned against corrupt speech and directed toward speech that is useful and builds others up (Ephesians 4:29). Dirty and unclean words are poisonous and infectious, like rotten meat. They come from the corruption in the speaker’s heart and prove that corruption, and they also corrupt the minds and behavior of those who hear them. Christians should guard against all such talk. This may be understood more broadly of everything that stirs up sinful desires and passions in others.

We must not only put off corrupt speech, but also put on words that are good for building others up. The main purpose of speech is to strengthen and help those we talk with.

Christians should aim to make their conversation helpful. It should give grace to those who hear it, meaning it should do them good by giving needed instruction, wise advice, honest correction, or something similar. It is a great duty for Christians to guard their lips, and to use speech and daily talk as much as possible for the good of others.

Paul then gives another warning against anger, and more advice about mutual love and kindness (Ephesians 4:31, Ephesians 4:32). Bitterness, wrath, and anger mean strong inner resentment and dislike toward others. Clamour means loud, harsh, and unrestrained speech, such as big words, threats, and other outbursts that let anger spill out.

Christians should not keep these ugly feelings in their hearts, and they should not give them voice with their tongues. Evil speaking includes all insulting, mocking, and cutting words against people we are angry with. Malice means a deep-rooted anger that leads a person to plan or do harm to others.

Paul sets the opposite before us: “Be kind to one another.” This includes love in the heart and also gentle, humble, and courteous behavior on the outside. It fits the followers of Jesus to be kind to one another, as people who have learned, and want to teach, how to please others in a good and fitting way.

“Tender-hearted” means merciful, with a soft sense of other people’s troubles and suffering, so that compassion comes quickly. “Forgiving one another” means that disagreements will happen among Christ’s disciples, so they must be ready to pardon each other. In this they should be like God himself, who has forgiven them for Christ’s sake, and more than they can forgive one another.

With God there is forgiveness, and he forgives sin because of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice Christ made to satisfy divine justice. Those who have been forgiven by God should have a forgiving spirit. They should forgive as God forgives, sincerely and from the heart, readily and cheerfully, fully and permanently, when the sinner truly repents, remembering the prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

These duties all belong to what Scripture calls the second table, that is, our duties toward other people. Christians should learn from this how serious their obligations are in these matters. Anyone who does not carefully do these duties can never truly fear God or love him sincerely, whatever they may claim.

In the middle of these warnings and appeals, Paul adds this general command: “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God” (Ephesians 4:30). By looking at what comes before and after, we can tell what grieves the Spirit of God. The verses before show that lewdness, filthiness, lying, and corrupt speech that stirs up dirty desires grieve the Spirit. The verses after show that bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, evil speaking, and malice grieve this good Spirit.

This does not mean that the blessed Spirit can be grieved in the same way we are. The point is that we must not act toward him in ways that are upsetting and offensive to our fellow creatures. We must not do anything against his holy nature or his will. We must not refuse his wise counsel or rebel against his rule, because that would provoke him to deal with us as people do with those who anger them, by drawing back their kindness and leaving them to their enemies.

Do not provoke the blessed Spirit of God to withdraw his presence and gracious help from you. One strong reason not to grieve him is that by him we are sealed for the day of redemption. There is a day of redemption coming. At the resurrection, the body will be rescued from the grave, and then God’s people will be fully freed from all the effects of sin, as well as from sin and misery themselves, which does not happen until they are raised.

All true believers are sealed for that day. God has marked them out as his own, and he gives them the pledge and assurance of a joyful and glorious resurrection. The Spirit of God is that seal. Wherever the blessed Spirit is at work as a sanctifier, making a person holy, he is also the pledge of all the joy and glory of that day of redemption. Without him, we would be lost if God took away his Holy Spirit from us.