Ephesians 4:30-32

4:30

And do not – Fifth in the series of prohibition commands

grieve – sorrow, mourning, inward pain, weeping

the Holy Spirit of God – most elusive of the Trinity; Counselor, Comforter, Paracletos, Advocate; it is the Holy Spirit of God who lives inside me. When I pray and ask Jesus or the Lord or God to do this or that, it is the Holy Spirit of God who hears and translates this prayer into the request that I really intend to raise to God. And it is the Holy Spirit of God who achieves any answer to my prayer. He does not work for His own glory. His mission is to lift the name of Jesus and through Jesus to glorify the Father. One who is so committed to glorifying God the Father and God the Son: How can I bring Him sorrow?

NLT inserts: by the way you live – lifestyle, actions, habits, speech, all the patterns itemized in this list of prohibitions

with - This preposition refers to agency. The Holy Spirit of God was the active agent who achieved our being sealed. He sealed me, encloses me, protects me from intrusion. I am secure in Christ by the Holy Spirit.

whom – granted, the Greek does not distinguish between masculine and neuter genders. But this is a Person who acted and acts in us.

you – personally and collectively, me and us

were – past participle; occurred and completed in the past

sealed – marked for ownership. Not sealed as in walled off or sealed tightly shut and prevented from escape. But sealed as in branded to show ownership. I belong to God! The fact that God lives in me by His Holy Spirit proves that I belong to God! Any doubt or uncertain thoughts originate with the father of lies, the slanderer, the accuser.

for – until, in anticipation of, expecting, how long the guarantee lasts (is this the sense of the word? It seems so to me)

the day of redemption – We have been redeemed already. But this is the initial redemption. We still fall short of the glory of Christ. We still yearn to measure up to the full stature of Christ. We still have the hope that when we see Christ we shall be like Him for we will see Him as He is. That future day, when we see Him and are made like Him, is the final redemption of which this verse speaks.

God’s brand of ownership has been burned into my being. That brand guarantees that He will not leave me nor forsake me. It (the brand) is the sign or evidence that He (the Holy Spirit) guarantees to bring me to final redemption. On that day, I, with the billions of others He has thus branded, will see Christ as He is. On that day, we will be like Him. Incredible dream! But true.

4:31

Get rid of – Final prohibition command in the series of six. Remove, overcome, destroy

all – every trace, every hint of

bitterness – hostility, animosity, ill will, malice, hatred, spite, wishing evil toward those who injured me. Been there; done that; got the scars. Definition: intense antagonism or hatred

rage – Second of three synonymous terms: “Rage suggests loss of self-control,” i.e. in my expression of anger. Angry fury, violent anger; fury, indignation, ire, rampage, raving, tantrum, vehemence

and anger – Definition: “strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong;” “state of being mad, annoyed.” Animosity, antagonism, enmity, indignation, outrage, resentment

[Note, in case anyone else ever reads this: For the above 3 words, and probably the following as well, I checked and lifted from: thesaurus.reference.com and dictionary.reference.com.]

I find it curious that v. 26 says, “In your anger do not sin.” But this verse, 31, says to “get rid of all … anger.” The former suggests anger is okay to feel as long as I keep it under control and deal with it quickly. But the latter directly commands me to get rid of anger altogether. At this point, I have no resolution for this seeming discrepancy. And I have resolved not to resort to my commentaries for assistance in this exercise. I would love to have picked Paul’s brain about it. But alas! I must let it go for now.

brawling – definition: noisy quarrel, squabble or fight; synonym: altercation, dispute, scrap. I get the sense that this goes beyond a verbal disagreement to physical engagement.

and – don’t really see a connection between these two terms; perhaps the previous is physical engagement while the following is a verbal attack

slander – definition: “a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report;” synonym: backbiting, backstabbing, lie, misrepresentation, smear

along with – in addition to the foregoing five habits to remove …

every form – all expressions

of malice – definition: desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another. Perhaps Paul is telling me that the previous five are possible expressions of malice. In that case, if I come up with any other ways to vent suffering on another, I must get rid of that intention or plan as well.

I certainly have gone through my years of bitterness. Those who lived with me then can attest to it. And I admit that I relished the thoughts of bad things happening to those who hurt me so deeply. Thank God, His grace finally brought me to the place when I could forgive and pray for their well-being. I still feel some ache and tenderness in that area of my memories. But those just serve to keep me hypersensitive to anyone who starts to say anything negative about another believer, especially one of our leaders.

I find it very interesting that Paul’s stern command regarding these malicious feelings and actions appears in the context of relations within the church, the body of Christ. Why do I get along better with some of my secular friends than I do with some of those in the body of Christ? Why have the people of God hurt me far more deeply, more often, and more intentionally than anyone in society at large has? Why has my struggle with bitterness focused exclusively on professing Christians? This is a fact: The only thing that has kept me part of any church is this: Jesus has always been faithful to me and this ill-behaving bride of his is the one He set His heart on to love. Ergo, I will be part of her, even though I see so little of Christ in her.

4:32

Be – NLT inserts “instead” to highlight the contrast between verses 31 and 32. Get rid of the negative, v. 31; replace it with the positive, v. 32

kind – “good and benevolent nature or disposition;” synonym: affectionate, generous, considerate, courteous, gracious, loving, thoughtful

and compassionate – “having or showing compassion” viz., “feeling of deep sympathy or sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.” [As in v. 31, definitions and synonyms from same sources]; synonym: empathy, sympathy, sorrow, tenderness, mercy

to one another – each other, back and forth, “he ain’t heavy; he’s my brother.” Why has the world sometimes done a better job of this than I have?

forgiving – accepting the pain of your attacks, loving you through those attacks and that pain, and not holding the offenses or pain against you

each other – and you doing the same for me, i.e., loving me also even through the pain I cause you

just as – in like manner, imitating

in Christ – all God’s mercies, forgiveness, grace and other blessings come to me in, by, through, and because of Christ

God forgave – took on Himself my sin(s); loved me through the sins and the pain it caused Him; and did not hold those offenses against me

You – me, each one who claims the name of Christ