Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 4:31-5:2)
In Ephesians 4:31, Paul returns to a couple of themes he stated earlier in the chapter. A few verses earlier, Paul tells us that when we’re angry, we should not sin; he tells us to put away several related sins in verse thirty-one. We must remove bitterness from our spirit and language. Wrath is anger boiling over or swelling up; we must put it away. Clamor is like wrath: it would include shouting in anger. Evil speaking comes from the Greek word for blasphemy: it means to slander or to speak with the intent to harm.
Additionally, malice harbors ill will or a desire to harm. We must completely eliminate all attitudes associated with anger. These sins will inevitably follow when we do not resolve what has made us angry. Anger is the root cause of far more severe sins. Allowing anger to fester leads to harboring ill feelings, which ultimately leads to slander, shouting, or physical violence. We may find ourselves in much worse territory when we do not resolve our anger.
Putting Away Anger and Bitterness
Having put off anger and its related sins, Paul encourages us to put on Christian virtues. “Be kind to one another,” the apostle says. Be “tenderhearted” and have compassion for one another. Forgive your fellow Christian as God has forgiven you, echoing “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” So, rather than resorting to shouting or physical violence, Christians should resolve their anger quickly and work toward kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. By doing this, we will successfully imitate our heavenly Father.
As Paul says in Ephesians 5:1-2, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Love is the foundational attribute of Christian character. The apostle John says, “God is love,” showing us that love is God’s most essential trait. In Ephesians 3:17, Paul prays that the Ephesians be “rooted and grounded in love,” comparing love to a tree’s roots.
What It Truly Means to Walk in Love
Love is the first part of the Spirit’s fruit; if the Holy Spirit lives in us and we let His influence prevail, we will become more loving. Thus, we become like God if we integrate love into our lives. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to discern what exactly love means from how we use the word today. For example, I love chocolate chip cookies, but I also love my children. I love my wife and my friends. But in each of those examples, I’m using love differently.
I don’t love my wife the same way I love chocolate chip cookies, and I don’t love my children like I love my friends. Each use has a different shade of meaning. That’s why the Greeks used four words to represent our single English word, love. As you may know, the Holy Spirit chose the Greek noun “agape” or the verb “agapao” to represent the Christian concept of love. The Greeks had words for family love, love for one’s spouse, and love for friends.
Sacrificial Agape: How to Walk in Love Daily
But agape meant something different. Affection, benevolence, goodwill, generosity, and devotion are all shades of this word. But ultimately, at its core, Christian love means doing what is best for another person, even at the expense of what is best for oneself. No matter what it costs me, I will make sure this other person’s needs are met. That’s why Paul encourages us to walk in love, because Christ has loved us and given Himself for us.
In John 3:16, Jesus says God’s love compelled Him to sacrifice His only begotten Son for the world’s sins. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep,” Jesus says in John 10:11. Jesus tells His apostles a few chapters later in John 15:12-13, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Here, we see God and Jesus sacrificing their best for us.
Jesus offering Himself out of love for the world pleased His Father: Paul calls it “an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Several times in the Old Testament, Scripture tells us how God smelled man’s sacrifices and was pleased. When Noah exited the ark and offered a burnt offering in Genesis 8:21, the Lord smelled a soothing aroma and promised never again to curse the ground for man’s sake, although man’s heart is evil from his youth.
Nor would He again destroy every living thing. In Leviticus 1:9, Moses says the priest shall burn all on the altar as a sweet aroma to the Lord. Paul likens Jesus ‘ crucifixion to these Old Testament sacrifices. It was the Father’s will for Jesus to lay down His life. Jesus obeyed His Father’s will and sacrificed Himself for the world’s sins. The obedient sacrifice of Jesus pleased His Father, satisfying God’s need for atonement.
Learning from Jesus: What It Means to “Be Angry and Do Not Sin”
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