29Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Eph. 4:29-30)
Ephesians 4:29 urges us to take seriously the power of our words. They can build up and inspire. Or they can tear down and deflate. In Ephesians 4:22-24 our life in Christ is pictured as a matter of putting off the old self and putting on the new. We get strip off the negative and dress up in the positive. The verses that follow offer specific applications. In v. 25 we’re to put off falsehood and speak truthfully instead. In v. 26 we’re to take off sinful expressions of anger. In v. 28 thieves are to stop stealing and start working. V. 29 continues this pattern of moral exhortation, beginning with the negative to be rejected before moving to the positive to be embraced: “Let no corrupting [sapros] talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good [agathos] for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” The Greek word sapros can mean “rotten, worthless, bad, or unfit for use.” It shows up in the saying of Jesus, “[E]very good [agathon] tree bears good fruit, but a bad [sapron] tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:17). As Christians, we need to put away rotten words that harm and hurt others, words that tear down rather than building up. By contrast, we are to use our language positively. The words that come out of our mouths should be “good [agathos] for building up,” Note two ways in which we can use the power of words for good. First, our words can build up people according to their needs. Second, our words can “give grace to those who hear.” That’s right. Your words can be a source of grace to others. V. 29 challenges us to consider how we use the power of our words. Do your words tear down or hurt others? Do you get stuck in complaining that discourages others and fractures community? Or do you use the power of speech for good, for building up those around you and for being a channel of God’s grace to them? The next verse reveals something quite astounding. It shows us that our words have additional power, perhaps more power than we would have imagined. Let’s look carefully at v. 30: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” V. 30 is linked to v. 29 with the connective “And.” V. 30 adds more about the danger of unwholesome talk. Not only does this talk tear people down rather than building them up, but also it grieves the Holy Spirit of God. Yes, our words can actually grieve God’s Spirit. This is both stunning and unsettling. I don’t want to hurt people with my words (except, I suppose, for times when I’m angry or hurt and want revenge). But I really, really, really don’t want to grieve the Spirit of God. Not now. Not ever. The verb translated here as “grieve,” [lupeō in Greek] means “to cause severe mental or emotional distress.” Some commentators worry about the notion that our behavior can make God feel bad, emphasizing that this is just a figure of speech. Yet, given that we are created in God’s image, and biblical language about God’s joy and delight in us (see, for example, Zephaniah 3:17 and Psalm 147:11), I don’t like to avoid the plain meaning of Ephesians 4:30. Though we cannot fully comprehend it, we can actually cause the Holy Spirit to grieve. We can hurt, not just people, but even the Spirit of God. We can do so, in particular, by using unwholesome words that wound others and shatter the Christian community. When we do this, God grieves. Help us, Lord, to be good stewards of our words, using the power of our words for the good of others and for Your good, Lord. Forgive us, Lord, for the ways our words and deeds have grieved your Spirit. Help us to use them in ways that give delight to You. Comments are closed.
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