The nature of the new man: (4:25-32):
Here the Apostle gives the application part for believers. The word “therefore” again connects the previous thoughts and gives some practical applications. These are the “don’ts” and “dos” for the believer. We can put them into the following:
- Lying: (4:25): We must abstain from lying and speak the truth. We know that Satan is a liar and father of lies (Jn. 8:44). Whenever we speak truth, the Spirit of God works in us. Hell is prepared for all those who practice falsehood (Rev. 22:15b). This does not mean that anybody who ever told a lie will go to hell, but rather that those whose lives are controlled by lies, they will have their destination in the hell. But the Christian’s life is controlled by truth.
- Anger: (4:26,27): The apostle is saying that if you are angry, be sure it is the kind of anger that is not sinful. Let not the sun go down. “Even a righteous wrath by overindulgence may pass all too easily into sin” Many times in O.T we see the anger of the Lord kindling against the people. God’s anger is nothing but judgement. It is the divine indignation.
It is difficult for us to practice a truly holy anger or righteous indignation because our emotions are tainted by sin, and we do not have the same knowledge that God has in all matters. God sees everything clearly and knows everything completely, and we do not. A believer should be angry at sin but loving toward people.
It is possible to be angry and not sin, but if we do sin, we must settle the matter quickly and not let the sun go down on our wrath. The fire of anger, if not quenched by loving forgiveness, will spread and defile and destroy the work of God. Anger is the first step toward murder (Matt. 5:21-26), because anger gives the devil a foothold in our lives and devil is a murderer who wants to murder all believers.
- Stealing: (4:28): A believer is not only to refrain from stealing but is to provide for himself and his family through his own work.Bible commends honest hard work. Paul says in (2 Thess. 3:10) that the one who does not work should not eat. We all should work, help our selves and others even. A lazy Christian robs himself, others, and God. Paul himself was an example of a hard worker, for while he was establishing local churches, he worked as a tentmaker. Every Jewish rabbi was taught a trade. Rabbis says: “If you do not teach your son a trade, you teach him to be a thief.” Moses was caring for sheep when God called him; Gideon was threshing wheat; David was minding his father’s work; and the first four disciples were either casting nets or mending them. Jesus Himself was a carpenter.
Ex: Based on the work of Paul as a tentmaker, the word Tent-making Missionaries have come. Now-a-days God is calling such tent making missionaries in the form of students, teachers, business-men are becoming necessary as many countries have closed their doors for Missionaries or evangelists. We can send our people to work in such countries with the primary motto of evangelism and missionary work.
- Un-wholesome talk: (4:29): the un-wholesome talk is nothing but the corrupt talk. The mouth and heart are connected. “Out of the overflow of heart, the mouth speaks” (Matt.12:34). We expect a change in speech when a person believes Christ. The sinner’s mouth is “full of cursing and bitterness” (Rom. 3:14); but when he trusts Christ, he gladly confesses with his mouth “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Rom. 10:9-10). That’s why Paul says in (Phil.4:8) “whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable…. think about such things.” Remove unwholesome talk and put wholesome material and this would please God.
- Do not grieve Holy Spirit: (4:30): The Holy Spirit gives us a seal or guarantee that we belong to God. That which grieves the Holy Spirit is sin. The remedy is confession (cf. 1 Jn 1:9). Although the Holy Spirit may be grieved, yet he will never leave the believer. He is our seal. We have been sealed by him unto the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13). He is the guarantee that our redemption will be completed. Some of the vices that would definitely grieve the Holy Spirit are:
Bitterness: The bitterness robs us of our joy and peace. When we have bitterness towards others, this would slowly tend to commit sin. Bitterness very clearly grieve the Holy Spirit.
Anger and rage: The anger is very dangerous which commits the man to sin. If at all we are angry towards anything, before the sun goes down , the sin must be dealt before God and with the person.
Brawling, slander and malice: Brawling and slander are the continuous works of Satan always putting blame on believers before God. So a believer must shun away from these sins.
Instead a believer must exercise kindness and compassion. The word here says: keep on proving yourselves to be kind to one another. We must forgive others just as Christ forgave us. He forgave us not because we deserve, but because of His mercy. We must be kind towards others and show compassion whenever any need arises. Having received Christ’s forgiveness, we pass it on to others. Those who are unwilling to forgive others cannot share with Christ.