Ephesians 4:25-32
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.”
Therefore: Having been made new through faith in the Gospel, Christians are to live lives that are compatible with their new identity in Christ. We are to live righteously, producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), in light of our salvation.
Be angry: Paul is not forbidding anger. Rather, he is forbidding a sinful response to our anger. We can feel anger but not let it control us. Instead, we are to let the Holy Spirit control us.
Share with the one who has need: Paul is illustrating the change in behavior that Christians can exude because of their new natures. Whereas we used to behave according to the ways of the world (including stealing) we are to have no connection with this former way of living. Paul is speaking of a 180 degree turn in lifestyle.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God: Paul is not speaking of a divine anger towards the Christian’s sins. God has removed our sins in Christ (Hebrews 10:14). Instead, he is speaking of grief, or concern, for God’s children who are not expressing the Spirit. As a parent becomes concerned for their children when they see damaging behavior in their life, so God is concerned with us. He wants His children to express His Spirit. This is not to say that Christians won’t experience regret or sadness for sin. After all, we are no longer compatible with it. But our feelings and experience are not the anger of God.
Forgiving each other: We are to understand the completeness of our forgiveness in Christ and forgive others in the same way. Forgiveness is not a feeling, and it certainly is not forgetfulness. Forgiveness is releasing someone from a relational debt they owe to us.
