ACC ~ Ephesians 4 v25 - 32

OVERVIEW:

Telling the truth is a sign of regeneration (AMBROSIASTER). Lying is a fatal vice that signals death (AUGUSTINE). We have a special duty to one another as fellow members of the body (THEODORET) to speak the truth (JEROME). Evil talk is another source of anger (CHRYSOSTOM) that brings the faith into disrepute (AMBROSIASTER). Wherever we harbor anger against one another, the devil gains an easy entrance (AMBROSIASTER, CHRYSOSTOM), which he will quickly turn to advantage (ORIGEN). We ourselves remain responsible for what we allow the devil to do in us (MARIUS VICTORINUS). Bitterness and wrath lead to anger so as to breed worse sins (JEROME). It is useless to cherish them secretly (CHRYSOSTOM), bear malice (AMBROSIASTER) or neglect the edifying virtues (CHRYSOSTOM). Theft is a common sin (JEROME) but forgivable to those who mend their ways (MARIUS VICTORINUS). It often stems from idleness (THEODORET) and is best overcome by honest toil for the sake of others (MARIUS VICTORINUS, AMBROSIASTER). Be ready for ordinary occasions for edifying speech (CHRYSOSTOM). It is our everyday faults and vices (MARIUS VICTORINUS) that grieve the Spirit (CHRYSOSTOM). The good conscience must be tended and kept spotless (JEROME). When we consider Christ, the commands to kindness and forbearance become easier to fulfill (JEROME, CHRYSOSTOM).

4:25a | Let Everyone Speak Truth

CREATED FOR TRUTH, WE MUST TELL THE TRUTH. AMBROSIASTER: Since we have been “created in truth and righteousness” and reborn in baptism, in order to remain in it we are instructed to put away lying altogether. Hold fast to the truth. Do not cheat your brother in any way. Being members of one body, support one another’s causes in turn. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 4.25.

FIRST WE MUST PUT AWAY LYING. AUGUSTINE: It is written, “The mouth that lies destroys the soul.” … Therefore the apostle puts truth telling in the first place when he commands us to put off the “old nature,” under which name all sins are understood, saying “therefore, putting off lying speak the truth.” N LYING 6.

TREAT THE NEIGHBOR AS WE WISH HIM TO BECOME. AUGUSTINE: Let no one mistake this. The apostle is not giving us room to tell a lie to those who are not yet members of Christ with us. The point of the saying is that each of us should consider everyone as we wish him to become, even if he has not become so. … We ought to deal with a person in such a way that he will cease to be an outsider. Regard him as your neighbor already, rather than as an outsider. It may be that, because of the fact that he is not yet a partaker of our faith and sacraments, certain truths must be concealed from him. But that is no reason for telling him falsehoods. AGAINST LYING 15.

4:25b | Members One of Another

MEMBERS ONE OF ANOTHER SPEAK THE MYSTERY OF GOD’S TRUTH TO ONE ANOTHER. JEROME: To be members one of another points to a great mystery. He is speaking of those who are very close to us in faith. For people are not generally “members one of another.” But the faithful indeed are members of the faithful. Christians are members of the body of Christ. We are members with the saints who embody purity of heart and consummate goodness. … Hence we are being instructed to speak intimately of the truth of this mystery with the neighbor—to speak of the fullness of God’s truth. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.4.25.

THE EYES WARN THE FEET OF DANGER. THEODORET: It would be extremely perverse, since we belong intimately to one another, to say things that are not true. For this is not the way the body functions. The eyes, for example, when they see cliffs and steep caverns, instantly report them to the feet so that they may turn aside and protect the whole body from harm. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 4.25.

4:26a | Being Angry but Not Sinning

HOW THESE TWO PRECEPTS INTERRELATE. CHRYSOSTOM: Note Paul’s persistent wisdom. He speaks first to prevent our sinning. If we do not listen, he does not abandon us. His role as a spiritual father does not allow him to give up on us easily. It is like the doctor who tells the sick person what he must do. If the patient refuses to hear him, he does not write him off. Rather he continues to care for him by giving him further persuasive counsel. So too does Paul. He has already said, “Do not lie.” But suppose anger should arise from lying. He then deals with this. What does he say? “Be angry and do not sin.” It is better not to grow angry at all. But if one ever does fall into anger he should at least not be carried away by it toward something worse. HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 14.4.25-27.

THE DOUBLE SENSE OF ANGER. JEROME: This is taken from the fourth psalm, as I am sure no one doubts. It may seem contrary to what is said of anger elsewhere, that we must put away all anger. … It is an oversimplified interpretation that does harm, especially when people imagine that the constraints against anger are being here relaxed. It is not only among us but among philosophers too that anger is spoken of in a double sense. Anger emerges first when we are understandably aroused by a natural stimulus after being wounded by an injury. Or it arises when, after the impulse has abated and our rage has been restrained, the mind is capable of judgment but nonetheless we find ourselves desiring vengeance upon the one who is thought to have inflicted the wound. In this [verse] Paul is speaking of the first kind of anger. He is allowing to us as vulnerable humans that in the face of some undeserved event we may be moved to some level of annoyance, as if a light breeze were disturbing the serenity of the mind. But on no account are we to be carried into swelling rapids by the impulse of rage. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.4.26.

4:26b | Not Letting the Sun Go Down on One’s Anger

DO NOT LET THE SUN LEAVE YOU AS ENEMIES, LEST ANGER INCREASE OVERNIGHT. CHRYSOSTOM: Do you wish to have your fill of anger? One hour, or two or three is enough for you. But do not let the sun go down and leave you both as enemies. It was God’s goodness that did not leave us in anger. He did not let us part in enmity. He shed his light upon those of us who were sinners. So when evening is coming on, be reconciled. Quell the evil impulses while they are fresh. For if night overtakes you, the next day will not be enough time to extinguish the further evil which has been increasing overnight. HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 14.4.25-27.

4:27 | Giving No Opportunity to the Devil

HOW THE DEVIL GAINS ENTRY. ORIGEN: He is showing us how an opportunity is being given to the devil by these acts and desires. Once he has entered our body, he takes full possession of us. Or if he cannot take full possession, he at least pollutes the soul, having stuck his flaming darts into us unawares. At times these pierce us with a wound that goes down very deep. At other times we are merely temporarily inflamed. But it is indeed seldom that these burning darts are easily extinguished. They find their place to wound. ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 3.2.4.

FREE PERSONS REMAIN RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT THEY ALLOW THE DEVIL TO DO. MARIUS VICTORINUS: The devil can do nothing to us unless we ourselves willingly allow him to do so. This is true in all our acts. Thus we are masters of our own will; otherwise we would deserve no good return for our good acts and no punishment for our bad acts. The devil’s opportunity arises from our own vice. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.4.27.

THE OPPORTUNITY ANGER GIVES TO THE DECEIVER. AMBROSIASTER: An angry mind will necessarily think evil thoughts, as the devil desires. If the devil finds a mind ready for evil and slipping toward it, he deceives the person who was created for life. The thought, you see, is human. But the devil completes it. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 4.27.

4:28a | No Longer Stealing

PERSISTING IN SIN. MARIUS VICTORINUS: Sin does not consist in simply committing sin but persisting in it. If so, there is always a place for repentance. There is a place for correction. So the apostle says: “let the one who has stolen not steal again.” This should be applied not only to stealing but also to all sin. Anyone who has sinned in any way is now called not to sin again. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.4.28.

THE SUBTLE TEMPTATION OF THEFT. JEROME: Those who live in the midst of this life’s intense business appear to be forced, for the sake of food and necessary provisions, to buy and sell certain things and to seek unfair profit from business. It is difficult even for those who have been set free from the other passions—namely fornication, idolatry, adultery and murder—to escape being caught by this subtle vice. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.4.28.

4:28b | Doing Honest Work

HONEST WORK. THEODORET: Idleness is a major source of sin. So it is reasonable for Paul to set honest work over against it. The text contrasts theft, which is an evil work, with honest labor, which is a good work. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 4.28.

4:28c | Giving to Those in Need

RESTORE TO THE POOR WHAT WAS TAKEN UNWORTHILY. AMBROSIASTER: Paul exhorts them not to return to their past vices and sins. He wants them to behave as new persons. What good is it to be called new if our evil deeds prove us to be still gripped by our old nature? The Christian is commanded not merely to avoid stealing but more so to care actively for the poor through his own hard work. Hence by commitment to good works he may restore what he formerly stole. We are not to be praised for refusing to steal. What makes one praiseworthy is to give of one’s own to the needy. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 4.28.

4:29a | Not Speaking Evil

ONE DOES NOT LIVE WELL WHO SPEAKS EVIL. AMBROSIASTER: To the servant of God, all things appear to have some aspect of good. This does not stain his purity in any respect. What use is it to have a clean life and a foul mouth? The Lord says that everyone will be justified or condemned by his own words. One who speaks ill cannot be thought to live well. Many vices are implied in speaking ill of another, whether this means talking basely or disparaging the good of another or telling deceitful tales or lies. All these are repugnant. But good and sober reports are gratifying to those who hear them. They set an example. God is glorified in such words, which build up faith in Christ. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 4.29.

LABOR FROM THE HANDS, NOT EVIL TALK FROM THE MOUTH. CHRYSOSTOM: What is corruption? It is what he elsewhere calls idleness: detraction, insult, facetiousness. This is how Paul trims away the roots of anger, by reducing lying, theft and even unseasonable speech. HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 14.4.29.

A GOOD WORD GIVES GRACE TO THE HEARER. JEROME: A good word is one that serves to build upon the occasion, communicating grace to the hearers because it teaches them to pursue virtues and shun vices. An evil word is one that prompts them to sin and rather drives them headlong into disaster. … Whenever we say what is not in season or inappropriate for the context, or that which does not contribute to the good of the hearers, an evil word proceeds from our mouth. … Even if we do no direct harm, yet we are not thereby building up. We shall pay the penalty of an evil word. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.4.29.

4:29b | Edifying Words

UPBUILDING SPEECH. CHRYSOSTOM: This means: “whatever edifies your neighbor, say this and nothing more.” … Say “only such as is good.” The flood of words is vast. Paul is right to charge us to use language carefully. He gives us a pattern for doing this. Of what then are we to speak? “Whatever edifies,” he says. Why? “So the one who hears may be grateful to you.” Suppose your brother has committed fornication. Do not lord it over him. Do not gloat. That will not help your brother but damage him. It is as if you were driving a nail into him. If you counsel him, do so in a gracious manner. Show him how to keep his mouth clean. Teach him not to disparage anyone. Make his instruction your first concern. Then you have rendered him a great service. And if you speak with him about abstinence, discretion and alms, all these things soothe his soul, and he will give great thanks to you. HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 14.4.29.

4:30a | Not Grieving the Holy Spirit of God

AN ARROGANT WORD GRIEVES THE SPIRIT. CHRYSOSTOM: This is a particularly awful and fearful saying. It reminds us of what he said to the Thessalonians: “Whoever disregards this disregards not man but God.” … If you say an arrogant word, if you strike your brother, you have not merely hurt him but have grieved the Spirit. He contrasts such arrogance with the benevolence of God in order to sharpen the admonition. HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 14.4.30.

HOW THE SPIRIT GRIEVES FOR US. AMBROSIASTER: The Holy Spirit rejoices in our salvation not for himself, since he has no lack of blessedness. But if we have disobeyed the Spirit, we have grieved the Spirit. His work in us is cut short, just when he wishes us to belong to life. Yet he is not grieved in such a way as to suffer in a literal sense. For God the Spirit is invisible and not subject to physical suffering. When Paul says the Spirit is “grieved,” he speaks metaphorically on our account to show that the Spirit leaves us to our own self-will when we have, so to speak, wounded him by despising his admonitions. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 4.30.

4:30b | Sealed for the Day of Redemption

THE SEAL OF THE SPIRIT. JEROME: That we have been “sealed” with the Holy Spirit means that both our spirit and our soul are impressed with God’s own seal, signifying that we belong to him. By this we receive in ourselves that image and likeness in which we were created at the outset. … You are sealed so that you may be preserved to the end. You may show that seal on the day of redemption, pure and unblemished and not damaged in any part. You are thereby ready to be counted with those who are redeemed. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.4.30.

4:31a | Putting Away Bitterness, Wrath, Anger, Clamor and Slander

PUTTING AWAY SLANDER. ORIGEN: People who insult others are said to slander or blaspheme against those whom they insult. … One blasphemes when one makes a true doctrine appear false or a false one true, especially when one speaks of God or matters pertaining to God. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

DISTINGUISHING THESE FIVE TERMS. MARIUS VICTORINUS: He adds five terms briefly at the end—bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander. Then at the very end he has added the summarizing phrase with all malice. Bitterness consists in envying and speaking ill of others and similar actions. Wrath consists in the lust for vengeance and punishment. Anger is the impulse of a mind boiling over and upheaving beyond what is reasonable. Clamor is a kind of insane, uncontrolled utterance. And blasphemy is wicked thought or speech that attacks God and is primarily directed against God. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.4.31.

TYPES OF AGGRESSION. JEROME: Wrath is the outspewing of indignation in the mind when anger overflows. Bitterness and wrath are varieties of anger. Anger desires vengeance after rage has been subdued. Anger wishes to harm the one by whom it believes itself injured. … Vengeance wants to return evil to the one it considers guilty of injury. A Christian ought not to return evil for evil but “overcome evil with good.” EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 3.4.31.

PUTTING AWAY BITTERNESS. CHRYSOSTOM: All this bitterness is not merely to be cleansed but to be “put away” altogether. Why should anyone try to contain it or hold it in? Why keep the beast of anger around so as to have to watch it constantly? It is possible to banish it, to expel it and drive it off to some mountain place. HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 15.4.31.

4:31b | With All Malice

WHY ADD MALICE? AMBROSIASTER: Some repress anger and clamor yet still remain mischievous. Paul therefore adds that these should be entirely done away, along with all malice. Such mischief consists not only in blasphemy but in putting on a face of peace while holding on to discord within the soul. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 4.31.

4:32 | Kind, Tenderhearted, Forgiving

AFTER CUTTING WEEDS, PLANT GOOD SEEDS. CHRYSOSTOM: Tell me what good it is to weed a garden if we do not plant good seed. … Sow good habits and dispositions. To be free from a bad habit does not mean we have formed a good one. We need to take the further step of forming good habits and dispositions to replace what we have left behind. HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 16.4.31-32.

THE VALUE OF FORGIVENESS. CHRYSOSTOM: Patience means practicing forgiveness. To give patience is a far greater gift than to give money. The one who gives money to one who asks of him does indeed do a fine and admirable deed, but such a gift touches only the body. Spiritual gifts touch the soul with redemption. Hence one who forgives does good both to his own soul and to that of the one who has received forgiveness. HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 16.4.31-32.

THE RISK OF FORGIVING. CHRYSOSTOM: Paul’s words contain a great mystery. “For,” he says in effect, “God took a chance in forgiving you. He placed his own Son in jeopardy. To forgive you he even sacrificed his Son. But you have received forgiveness time after time, at no risk or expense, yet you do not forgive.” HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 17.4.32—5.2.

GENTLENESS OVERCOMES BITTERNESS. JEROME: Paul wants us to be gentle, approachable people, people who have left anger, bitterness, wrath and slander behind. If we are merciful and serene, taking the initiative in reaching out to others, our very approachability will overcome the shyness and fear of those for whom we reach out. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 3.5.1.