Commentary - Ephesians 4:25-32

Bird's-eye view

In this dense and intensely practical section of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul begins to unpack what it looks like to "put on the new man" which he mentioned just a few verses prior. Having laid the glorious doctrinal foundation in the first three chapters, he now gets down to the street level. This is not a list of suggestions for self-improvement. This is a description of the organic fruit that grows from a life that has been genuinely united to Christ. The passage is a series of sharp contrasts between the old life and the new, covering our speech, our anger, our economics, and our relationships. The central theme is the radical transformation that the gospel works in the life of a believer, a transformation that is not just individualistic but profoundly corporate. We are to live this new way because we are "members of one another." The commands are grounded not in a desire to be a better person, but in the reality of who we are in Christ and what that means for our life together in the body.

Paul moves from our words to our wrath, from our wallets to our work, and in each case, the pattern is the same: put off the old, put on the new. The negative commands (do not lie, do not sin in anger, steal no longer) are immediately followed by positive, constructive replacements (speak truth, labor to give, speak edifying words). The passage climaxes by grounding all of these ethical demands in the highest of theological realities: our relationship with the Holy Spirit and the pattern of God's forgiveness toward us in Christ. This is what Christian community is supposed to look like, sound like, and feel like.

Outline

Context In Ephesians

This passage marks a major pivot in the letter to the Ephesians. Chapters 1-3 are what we call the indicatives, the glorious statements of fact about what God has done for us in Christ. He has chosen us, redeemed us, sealed us, and seated us in the heavenly places. Chapter 4 begins with the great "therefore," launching us into the imperatives, the commands that flow from those realities. Paul has just urged the believers to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling" (Eph 4:1) and to maintain the unity of the Spirit (Eph 4:3). He has described the old Gentile life as one of futility, darkness, and hardness of heart (Eph 4:17-19). In contrast, believers have "learned Christ" and are to put off the old self and be renewed in the spirit of their minds, putting on the new self "created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Eph 4:20-24). Our passage, beginning in verse 25, is the first detailed explanation of what this "putting on" looks like in the nitty-gritty of daily life within the Christian community.

Key Issues

The Wardrobe of the New Man

Paul's central metaphor in this section is that of changing clothes. The old man, with his corrupt practices, is a set of filthy rags that must be taken off and thrown away. The new man, created in Christ, has a new wardrobe, and Paul is laying out the articles of clothing for us. This is not about trying to dress up a corpse. The resurrection life has already been given to us in Christ. This is about learning to wear the clothes that correspond to our new identity. Each command here is a piece of the uniform of the kingdom of God. Notice that this is not an individual fashion show. The commands are intensely corporate: speak truth "with his neighbor," because we are "members of one another." Be kind "to one another," forgiving "each other." This is about how the body of Christ is to function as a visible, tangible expression of the gospel in a watching world.

Verse by Verse Commentary

25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

The first practical command flows directly from the "therefore." Because you have put off the old man, you must put off his native language, which is falsehood. Lying is the mother tongue of the kingdom of darkness. So, the first article of clothing for the new man is truthfulness. But notice the reason given. It's not just that lying is an abstract evil. We are to speak truth because we are members of one another. Lying to a fellow Christian is not just a sin; it is a form of autoimmune disease. It is the hand deceiving the eye, or the foot lying to the head. It is treason against the body. A community cannot function without trust, and trust cannot exist without truth. The health of the church is directly proportional to its commitment to plain, unvarnished truth-telling.

26 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

This is a startling command. Paul does not say, "Never be angry." He says, "Be angry, and do not sin." This means there is such a thing as righteous anger. Jesus Himself got angry at the hardness of men's hearts (Mark 3:5). God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11). Righteous anger is anger directed at genuine evil, at injustice, at blasphemy, at sin. The problem is that we, as sinful creatures, are prone to get angry for all the wrong reasons, our pride, our selfishness, our convenience. And even when our anger starts from a righteous place, it can quickly curdle into sin. That is why Paul gives the second command, a practical statute of limitations: deal with your anger before the day is over. This is a command for swift, decisive reconciliation. Don't nurse a grudge. Don't let it sit and fester overnight. Righteous anger is like manna, it doesn't keep.

27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.

This verse is directly connected to the previous one. What happens when you let the sun go down on your anger? You give the devil an opportunity, a foothold, a beachhead. Unresolved anger, bitterness, and resentment are open invitations for demonic influence in your life and in the church. Satan is an opportunist. He sees a crack in the fellowship, a heart nursing a grievance, and he wedges himself in. He turns a minor offense into a church-splitting feud. The command to resolve anger quickly is not just good psychological advice; it is a central strategy in our spiritual warfare.

28 He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

Here Paul applies the "put off/put on" principle to economics. The thief must stop stealing. That is the "put off." But the gospel doesn't just make him a non-thief. It transforms him into something radically new. The "put on" is that he must labor with his own hands. But the purpose of this labor is what is truly revolutionary. He is not just to work to support himself. He is to work so that he has something to share with one who has need. The gospel takes a parasite on the community and transforms him into a benefactor. It turns a net taker into a net giver. This is the heart of gospel economics: redeemed people become productive and generous people, working not just for themselves but for the good of the body.

29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for building up what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Paul returns to the subject of speech. The "unwholesome word" is literally a rotten or corrupt word. It's the kind of talk that tears down, defiles, and pollutes everything it touches, gossip, slander, filthiness, cynicism. That is to be put away entirely. The replacement is speech that has a threefold test. Is it good for building up? Does it meet the specific need of the moment? And does it give grace to those who hear? Our words are to be tools of construction, not demolition. We are to be ministers of grace, and our mouths are one of the primary means of that ministry. Every conversation is an opportunity to build someone up in their faith, to encourage, to strengthen, to impart the grace of God through human language.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Here Paul provides the ultimate motivation for all these commands. Why should we be so careful with our anger and our words? Because our sin is not just the breaking of an impersonal rule. It is a personal offense against a divine Person who dwells within us. The Holy Spirit is not an abstract force; He is God, and He can be grieved. Our bitterness, our corrupt speech, our unresolved anger, it causes Him sorrow. Paul reminds us of the Spirit's glorious work: He has sealed us. He is God's down payment, His mark of ownership on us, guaranteeing our final redemption. To then use our bodies and our mouths, which He has sealed for glory, for the petty and corrupt business of sin is a profound and tragic contradiction. It is to act in a way that is utterly inconsistent with our identity and our destiny.

31 Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Paul now gives a comprehensive list of the filthy garments that must be put away. This is a description of the downward spiral of unresolved anger. It begins in the heart with bitterness, a resentful spirit. This erupts into wrath (a passionate outburst) and anger (a settled hostility). This then finds expression in shouting (public quarreling) and slander (defamatory speech). The root of it all is malice, a general ill-will and desire to harm. Paul says all of it, every last bit, must be decisively put away. This is not to be managed or moderated; it is to be jettisoned.

32 Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you.

This is the glorious "put on" that replaces the ugliness of the previous verse. In place of malice, we are to be kind and tender-hearted. And the supreme expression of this kindness is forgiveness. But notice the basis and the standard for our forgiveness. We are to forgive "just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you." This is the engine of the Christian life. The indicative (what God has done) powers the imperative (what we must do). Our forgiveness of others is not the condition for receiving God's forgiveness, but it is the necessary evidence that we have truly understood and received it. If you are hoarding a debt against your brother, you are demonstrating that you have no real grasp of the infinite debt that Christ paid for you. The measure of grace we have received is the measure of grace we must extend.

Application

This passage is a diagnostic tool for the health of any Christian and any church. We must constantly be asking ourselves these questions. Is our speech seasoned with truth and grace, or is it polluted with falsehood and rottenness? Do we deal with anger swiftly and biblically, or do we let it fester into bitterness and division? Has the gospel transformed our view of work and money, turning us from consumers into generous givers? Does our treatment of one another reflect the astounding kindness and forgiveness that God has shown to us in Jesus Christ?

The standard here is impossibly high, and if we are honest, we all fall short. The point is not to read this list and despair, or worse, to become a Pharisee, checking off boxes. The point is to be driven back to the cross. The only man who ever lived this out perfectly was Jesus Christ. He is the New Man. And our only hope of living this way is to be so united to Him by faith that His life begins to flow through us by the power of His Spirit. This new life is not something we achieve; it is something we receive. Our job is to put off the old rags of the flesh and, by faith, put on the beautiful garments of righteousness that Christ has already won for us.