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Ephesians 4:25 – A Body of Truth

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Will

Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.

Truth to Learn

Honesty is critically important within the body of Christ.

Behind the Words

“Therefore” is translated from the Greek word dio, which is made up of dia, meaning “through” and ho, meaning “which.” Thus we see that dio literally means “through which.”

The words “putting away” are translated from the Greek verb apotithēmi, which in verse twenty-two we learned means “to put away or to take off.” It is expressed here as an aorist participle in the middle voice. Therefore, it is literally translated as “having already put away from yourself.”

“Speak” is from the verb laleō, which refers to “the utterance of words” or “talking.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

The word “neighbor” is translated from plēsios, which is derived from pelos, meaning “near.” Plēsios refers to “someone who is close by” either physically or emotionally.

“Members” is from melos, which refers specifically to “a limb or other part of a body.”

Meaning Explained

In the past few verses we have been instructed that we are to put away from ourselves our sin nature and its ungodly desires. In its place we are to put on the new nature which God created for us when we were saved. Now we are told, having put away the lie which was part of that “old man,” we are to speak truth with each other as part of the “new man.” Once again, we see the Apostle’s teaching style of getting rid of something and replacing it with something else. His point is that instead of focusing on “not lying,” we are to focus on communicating truthfully with each other.

Paul ends this verse with an interesting comment. He says that “we are (body) members of one another.” You may recall that earlier in this chapter he told us that each of us is specially gifted to perform a function within the body of Christ, that is, the church. In verses fourteen and fifteen he instructed us that we should no longer be immature Christians, deceived by the trickery of men. Instead, we were told that we should speak the truth in love as we help the entire body grow. Therefore, it appears that today’s verse is specifically aimed at our communication with others within the body of Christ.

In the fourth century, John Chrysostom, the archbishop of Constantinople, interpreted today’s verse this way.

Let not the eye lie to the foot, nor the foot to the eye. If there be a deep pit, and its mouth covered with reeds shall present to the eye the appearance of solid ground, will not the eye use the foot to ascertain whether it is hollow underneath, or whether it is firm and resists? Will the foot tell a lie, and not the truth as it is? And what, again, if the eye were to spy a serpent or a wild beast, will it lie to the foot?

Application

It is critically important that we exercise our spiritual gifts within the church to build up the body. It is just as critical, however, that we do so with complete honesty, not trying to deceive, but doing all that we do as an expression of love for our fellow Christians.

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Peter 2:16 – Donkey Speak

Posted on May 27, 2009 by admin

2 Peter 2:16

But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

Truth to Learn

Following God’s leading may be hard, but it is the best way.

Behind the Words

The word translated “wrongdoing” is paranomia. This is a compound word made up of para, meaning “against or opposed to” and nomos, meaning “law.” Hence, paranomia refers to action that is, as we might say, “against the law.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we talked about the prophet Balaam who “loved the wages of unrighteousness.” We talked about how he initially refused to go with Balak, the king of Moab, to curse the Israelites as they were about to enter the promised land. The reason that he refused is because God told him not to go. When Balak promised him great honor and riches, Balaam decided to go with them after all.

He traveled on a donkey, and part way to his destination the Angel of the Lord stood in the road and the donkey refused to go forward but turned aside into the field instead. As a result, Balaam struck his donkey and brought him back into the road. Then the Angel of the Lord stood in the road in a narrow spot with walls on either side of the road. When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, he refused to go forward and turned into the wall, smashing Balaam’s foot against the wall. In response Balaam again struck his donkey. Then the Angel of the Lord stood in yet another place where there was no way for the donkey to turn either way, so the donkey simply lay down. At this point Balaam struck the donkey with his staff. Here is what happened then, from Numbers chapter 22.

And Jehovah opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have beaten me these three times?”

Then Jehovah opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of Jehovah standing in the way, and His sword drawn in His hand. And he bowed down his head, and fell on his face.

As a result, the Angel of the Lord allowed Balaam to proceed but strictly charged him to only speak the words that were given him from God. Balaam did go to Balak and when told to curse the Israelites, he blessed them instead because those were the words given him from God.

The point that Peter is making is that the false teachers of his day and of ours are willing to preach their own message instead of the message that God wants to be preached, and they do so for personal gain. They know that a message of acceptance and tolerance will attract many more listeners (and their money) than a message of willful submission and obedience to God as the supreme authority for our lives and actions.

Application

Which do you want from your pastor? Do you want a message that will make you feel good and allow you to indulge in the sinful practices of your flesh? Or, do you want a message that is straight from the Word, a message that demands obedience and submission to the Spirit of God?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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1 Peter 4:11 – Speaking and Ministering

Posted on February 19, 2009 by admin

1 Peter 4:11

If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Truth to Learn

All ministering that we do within the church should glorify God, not us!

Behind the Words

The word translated “oracles” is logia. This is related to logos, meaning “a word,” but it specifically refers to “an utterance.”

“Ability” is from the Greek word ischus, which refers to “physical strength or mental power.”

Meaning Explained

Now Peter gets specific about two very important types of gifts in the body; the speaking gifts and the serving gifts. The speaking gifts are those which involve the use of words. These could be preaching, teaching, counseling, encouraging, singing, or other verbal functions within the body of Christ. Peter tells us that if we are using any speaking gift within the church we should treat our words as the very utterances of God.

This is an awesome responsibility for those of us who have speaking responsibilities in the Church and is not to be taken lightly. First, we must be sure it is because of God’s gift that we are speaking. Then, we need to be certain that what we are saying is, in fact, the message that God wants us to deliver. It must be consistent with what is taught throughout the Bible. Therefore, the words that come out of our mouths should only be words that would come out of God’s mouth. Think about that the next time you are asked to present special music at your church or the next time you teach a Sunday school lesson.

The other gifts that Peter is talking about in today’s verse are the serving gifts. Though not always as visible as the speaking gifts, they are just as important. For instance, those who serve in the nursery so that others can receive the spoken message without distraction are doing a mighty service to God and to the church. Just because these gifts are behind the scenes doesn’t mean that they are any less blessed, any less important, or any less needful of the enabling gifts from God.

Whatever we do within and for the body of Christ is a type of service, and Peter says something critically important about it. He says that we are to do it with the ability that God has given us. That means that there are things within the body of Christ that you or I shouldn’t do. Unfortunately, there are people within the church who have taken on responsibilities that they shouldn’t have taken on, but they don’t know how to say “no” to those who ask them.

How do we know what areas of ministry we should be involved with in our church? Peter even gives the answer to this question. If we can do it so that God will be glorified, then we should do it. If it is for personal glory, we shouldn’t!

Application

We all need to be actively serving the body in one way or another, but we need to be involved

“… so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ …”

In God’s service, for His glory,

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