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Ephesians 4:31 – Grieving Actions

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Will

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, along with all malice.

Truth to Learn

These are things which make God sad. Let’s not do them!

Behind the Words

The word “Bitterness” is the translation of pikria, from pikros which means “that which is unpleasantly sharp or extremely distasteful.”

“Wrath” is from thumos, which is from the verb thuō, meaning “to move violently, like a strong wind.” The word thumos refers to “a violent passion of the mind.” This describes the outward violent expression of the anger that is within.

The word “anger” is from orgē, which we saw back in verse twenty-six. Orgē refers to “excitement of the mind.” It is the inward feeling that sometimes is expressed outwardly as wrath.

“Clamor” is translated from the noun kraugē. This is from the verb kradzō, which is onomatopoeia (a word that mimics the sound of its meaning, such as “meow”) for the loud, coarse cry of a raven. Kraugē, which can be used in a good or bad way, is used to describe the clamorous outcry of the crowd demanding Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 27:23), the fearful cry of the disciples who saw Jesus walking on the water thinking Him to be a ghost (Matthew 14:26), and to Stephen’s loud declaration of forgiveness for those who were stoning him (Acts 7:60).

The words “evil speaking” are from blasphēmia, which refers to “slanderous verbal abuse, attacking someone’s reputation.”

“Malice” is translated from kakia, derived from kakos which refers to “that which has no worth” or “that which is bad.” It refers to the internal quality as opposed to the outward expression or effect (which would be the word ponēros).

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse the Apostle Paul commanded us to stop grieving the Holy Spirit of God. Allow me to point out here that you can’t grieve a “thing.” You can only grieve a person who possesses emotions. This is evidence to us that the Holy Spirit is one of the three that makes up the Trinity or the Godhead. He is one God but three persons. Why does Paul talk about grieving the Holy Spirit rather than the Father or the Son? Because, as Paul told us in the previous verse, the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a seal and guarantee of our salvation. He somehow lives within us and is a constant witness to our thoughts and actions.

In today’s verse Paul expands on some of the things that grieve the Holy Spirit. Because He can’t be taken away from us, the Holy Spirit is ever present when we exhibit characteristics of our sin nature. When we act bitter, saying things that are sharply unpleasant to others, it grieves Him. When we get angry for the wrong reason and let it explode into an outburst of wrath, it grieves Him. When we are loud and clamorous, stirring up hate and resentment in others, it grieves Him. When we verbally attack others, impugning their reputation, it grieves Him. In fact, when we do anything “bad,” The Holy Spirit of God is grieved.

Application

None of us wants to cause sorrow for those we love and who love us. Since we possess the Holy Spirit of God at all times, let’s put on the “new man” and not grieve the One who has sealed us, who preserves us until our redemption is completed. Our reason for obedience is not to preserve our salvation, it is to please Him who saved us and who loves us!

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:19 – Ears Open, Mouth Closed, Without Anger

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Will

Know this, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Truth to Learn

Your hearing will do you much more good in your walk with God than your mouth will.

Behind the Words

There is a variant reading in the first part of this verse. Some manuscripts begin this verse with hōste, meaning “so then” or “therefore.” The best manuscripts, however, begin with histe, a form of eidō, meaning “know this” (imperative). The latter is probably the correct reading.

In the Greek text a literal reading is, “Know this, my brothers, beloved ones …” As we pointed out in the notes on verse sixteen, James is not saying that the brothers (and sisters) are beloved by him (though, surely they are), but that they (and we) are beloved ones of God.

The words “let … be” are translated from the Greek word estō, a form of eimi. This is the verb of being and it is a command. Hence, James is commanding us all to, “be swift the hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath!”

“Swift” is translated from tachu, meaning “quick or nimble.” Figuratively, it means “ready and willing.”

The word “slow” is from the Greek word bradus which means “slow” but metaphorically it means “inactive.”

The word translated “anger” is the Greek word orgē, which means “violent passion.” It often refers to getting so angry that we yell or throw things.

Meaning Explained

Here is what Albert Barnes says of this verse in his Notes on the New Testament,

Since God is the only source of good; since he tempts no man; and since by his mere sovereign goodness, without any claim on our part, we have had the high honor conferred on us of being made the first-fruits of his creatures, we ought to be ready to hear his voice, to subdue all our evil passions, and to bring our souls to entire practical obedience.

In other words, what James is saying in this verse is: because God dearly loves us and because of what He has done for us, we must all be promptly ready to hear, that is, to listen intently to what God has to say to us. In addition we should not be in a hurry to express our own views. We cannot hear very well, either physiologically or mentally, when we are talking. If we are to learn what God has to teach us, we need to work hard on listening and even harder on not talking. There is an ancient saying which says;

The ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction; but the tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth, to hedge it in, and to keep it within proper bounds.

Finally, in this verse James says that we are to be “slow to anger.” If we have truly received the perfect gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus, then we should be eager to learn and we should not be characterized by outbursts of anger.

Application

There is a modern proverb which says:

It is better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all reasonable doubt.

I’m sure that James would say, “Amen!”

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:31 – Grieving Actions

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Will

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Truth to Learn

These are things which make God sad. Let’s not do them!

Behind the Words

The word “Bitterness” is the translation of pikria, from pikros which means “that which is unpleasantly sharp or extremely distasteful.”

The word “anger” is from orgē, which we saw back in verse twenty-six. Orgē refers to “excitement of the mind.” It is the inward feeling that sometimes is expressed outwardly as wrath.

“Clamor” is translated from the noun kraugē. This is from the verb kradzō, which is onomatopoeia (a word that mimics the sound of its meaning, such as “meow”) for the loud, coarse cry of a raven. Kraugē, which can ge used in a good or bad way, is used to describe the clamorous outcry of the crowd demanding Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 27:23), the fearful cry of the disciples who saw Jesus walking on the water thinking Him to be a ghost (Matthew 14:26), and to Stephen’s loud declaration of forgiveness for those who were stoning him (Acts 7:60).

The words “evil speaking” are from blasphēmia, which refers to “slanderous verbal abuse, attacking someone’s reputation.”

Meaning Explained

Application

None of us wants to cause sorrow for those we love and who love us. Since we possess the Holy Spirit of God at all times, let’s put on the “new man” and not grieve Him who has sealed us, who preserves us until our redemption is completed. Our reason for obedience is not to preserve our salvation, it is to please Him who loves us!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 10:19 – Action, not Anger

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Will

Romans 10:19 – Action, not Anger

But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.”

Truth to Learn

God’s gentle prodding is to provoke us to action. If we continually resist Him, it may provoke us to anger.

Behind the Words

In the phrase “did not Israel not know?” Paul uses the same double negative, mē ouk, that he employed in the previous verse. We could paraphrase it as, “did Israel really not know?”

“Provoke” is from paradzēloō, which is made up of para, meaning “beside” or “alongside” and dzēloō, meaning “to be zealous.” It refers to coming alongside and exciting or provoking someone, like one would prod an animal to make it move.

The words “move you to anger” are from a similar word. It is parorgidzō, which means “to come alongside and anger someone” (perhaps by continually prodding them).

Meaning Explained

Paul starts off this verse with, “Did Israel not know?” The implication is that Israel should have known, but they didn’t. The question that we have to ask ourselves is, “Know what?” Clearly, Paul has been talking about all people having evidence of God’s supremacy and man’s inability to be as righteous as God. But I don’t think that’s what Paul is referring to in this verse. Based on what he says in the following verses, I think Paul is referring to the fact that Israel clearly should have known that God was going to turn from the Jews and the message was going to go out to the Gentiles.

In order to make this point, Paul now quotes Moses from the second book of the Bible. In Deuteronomy 32:21 he says:

They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; they have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.

Here’s a summary of what Moses is talking about in Deuteronomy 32: The Greatness of God (verse four), God’s care for Israel, (verses nine and ten), the way Israel turned from God (verses sixteen through eighteen), and how God will respond by provoking Israel (verse twenty-one). Israel continually turned away from God and resisted Him so that in the end He provoked them to anger.

Paul’s point is clear. If the Israelites had studied their scriptures then they would have known that God would turn to the Gentiles because of the unfaithfulness of Israel. The problem was that too many of the Israelites did not know what was written in their scriptures.

Application

Let us all take a word of caution from this. Do you know what God wants and expects from you? Do you know what He instructs us to be and to do? Do you read and study your Bible so you will understand God’s plan for you? Do you know what God has in store for you and the future of mankind?

If you do, that’s great! If you don’t, why not? Do you want God to provoke you to anger like He did to Israel? Or will you listen to Him and be stirred to action?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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