The Walk of the True Christian, Part 2 (Ephesians 4:25–32)

Focus Keywords: True Christian Walk, Ephesians 4, overcoming anger, righteous anger, exchanging sins, spiritual transformation, putting off the old self, grieving the Holy Spirit, John MacArthur

This comprehensive summary and rewrite draws on John MacArthur’s exposition of Ephesians 4:25–32, detailing the pragmatic exchanges a true spiritual transformation demands. The core message is that salvation initiates a dramatic shift from the lifestyle of the unregenerate “old self” to the righteous conduct of the “new self,” requiring believers to actively exchange ingrained sins like lying, stealing, and unrighteous anger for truth, sharing, and kindness.

The Foundation of Transformation: New Self vs. Old Self

The passage establishes a stark contrast between the former manner of life (Gentile conduct) and the new walk in Christ.

The Condition of the Unconverted (The Old Self)

Before Christ, the unconverted walk in darkness, characterized by:

• Futility of mind.
• Darkened understanding.
• Exclusion from the life of God due to ignorance and hardness of heart.
• Callousness and surrender to sensuality.
• Practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

The Mandate for the Believer (The New Self)

True salvation makes a dramatic, spiritual transformation. Believers “did not learn Christ in this way”. Having heard and been taught the truth in Jesus, the ongoing command is to:

1. Lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted by deceitful lusts.
2. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
3. Put on the new self, which, in the likeness of God, has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

This transformation changes everything: affections, intentions, motivations, speech, attitudes, and behavior, moving the focus from self-worship to the worship of the true God.

The Essential Exchanges of the Christian Life

The remainder of the passage details specific, pragmatic exchanges—sins to be put off and virtues to be put on—that serve as visible proof of a believer’s walk.

1. Exchanging Lying for Truth (Verse 25)

The foundational exchange is between falsehood and truth. Believers must lay aside falsehood and “speak truth, each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another”. This reflects the spiritual reality that the church is a unified body, and lying to one member is lying to the body of Christ.

2. Exchanging Unrighteous Anger for Righteous Anger (Verse 26)

This is a nuanced exchange, indicating that there is an “anger that is acceptable”. The command is clear: “Be angry and sin not”.

Righteous Anger: A Defense of God or Others

Righteous anger is justified anger that is always directed against evil. It is specifically aimed at that evil which strikes against the glory of God or mistreats another person.

• Example of Christ: Jesus demonstrated righteous anger when defending God’s honor in the temple and defending the right of the man with the withered hand to receive compassionate healing.
• Not Selfish: Righteous anger is never selfish or self-focused.

Unrighteous Anger: Self-Defense and Sin

Any anger focused on what “comes at us” is difficult to categorize as righteous because it easily involves the ego and self-protectiveness.

• Equated with Murder: Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that anger with one’s brother makes a person “just as guilty as a murderer”. Reviling others or calling them a “fool” can be enough to incur judgment.
• Forbidden Retaliation: Believers are explicitly commanded:
  • Bless those who persecute you and do not curse.
  • Never pay back evil for evil.
  • Never take your own revenge, but leave room for the wrath of God.
  • Overcome evil with good.
• Vengeance Belongs to God: The believer must commit retaliation and vengeance to God, the faithful Creator, allowing Him to bring about divine justice. God’s anger is always righteous, always just, and always measured appropriately.

The Deadline for Anger: Shutting it Down

Believers must not let the sun go down on their anger. This is the “first impulse toward murder”.

• Rest in Peace: The remedy is to follow the instruction from Psalm 4: “Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still,” and “In peace I will both lie down and sleep”.
• Trust in Safety: The believer can sleep peacefully, understanding that enemies cannot hurt them, because the Lord alone makes them dwell in safety.
• The Danger of Bitterness: Resentment, grudges, bitterness, and unforgiving attitudes devastate the believer, not the target of the anger, and they are sinful.

3. Exchanging Stealing for Sharing (Verse 28)

The believer must “steal no longer,” but instead “labor, performing with his own hands what is good”. The purpose of this labor is not self-enrichment, but so that the believer “will have something to share with the one who has need”.

4. Exchanging Unwholesome Words for Edifying Words (Verse 29)

Believers must let “no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth”. Speech must be good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will “give grace to those who hear”.