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POSTED
02 DECEMBER, 2008
Ephesians
4:29:
How Are Messianics to Properly Communicate?
by
J.K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net
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EPHESIANS 4:29 ―
MULTIPLE VERSIONS |
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Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it
may minister grace unto the hearers (KJV).
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but
only such a word as is good for edification
according to the need of the moment, so that it
will give grace to those who hear (NASU).
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful for building others up
according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen (NIV).
Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what
is useful for building up, as there is need, so that
your words may give grace to those who hear (NRSV).
Let no harmful language come from your mouth, only good
words that are helpful in meeting the need, words that
will benefit those who hear them (CJB).
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EPHESIANS 4:29 ―
GREEK |
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pas logos sapros ek tou stomatos humōn mē ekporeuesthō,
alla ei tis agathos pros oikodomēn tēs chreias, hina dō
charin tois akouousin.
paß logoß saproß ek tou stomatoß umwn mh ekporeuesqw
alla ei tiß agaqoß proß oikodomhn thß creiaß ina dw
carin toiß akouousin
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Ephesians 4:29 may not seem to be that important a verse in the
Bible for some of us (at least right now), but
considering some of the challenges faced by
today’s emerging Messianic movement, it is a
very important verse for us to examine.
Writing a diverse group of non-Jewish Believers
in Asia Minor,[1]
many of whom he had never met in person (1:15;
3:2; 4:21),
the Apostle Paul’s words about proper speech or
communication appear as he substantiated what it
meant to “put
on the new self” (4:24). Born again Believers
are to have different and distinguishable
behavior than those of the world, as they each
function as a part of God’s corporate
Temple (2:20-22; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). How
do we properly apply Paul’s instruction for
ancient times, considering the development of
our own faith community and how the Lord would
have us be men and women who communicate
properly for the betterment of others?[2]
The Significance of Ephesians 4:29: The New Self
Paul’s admonishment to his audience to speak properly occurs within
a series of instructions where they are to “lay
aside the old self, which is being corrupted in
accordance with the lusts of deceit” (4:22).
This old person is a reflection only of their
previous way of life as former pagans, where
their mind was darkened and their heart was
hardened (4:17-18). This was a lifestyle marked
with ignorance of the One True God and with
sexual immorality (4:19; cf. Romans
1:24-28), concurrent with ancient Jewish
stereotypes of the heathen (i.e., Wisdom of
Solomon 14:12).[3]
The new self requires that Paul’s readers “be
renewed in the spirit of your mind” (4:23),
being transformed by the Lord to think and
perform actions that were contrary to the way
they used to think and act prior to salvation.
This new self “has been created in the
righteousness and holiness of the truth” (4:24),
and is to involve the full restoration of the
image of God upon the individual (Colossians
3:10; Genesis 1:26), being a reflection of His
perfect ethical character.
Substantiating some of the major features that constitute the new
self, Paul instructs his readers to lay aside
falsehood (4:25; cf. Zechariah 8:16), to not let
the sun go down on one’s anger (4:26; cf. Psalm
4:4), and to not give the Devil any kind of
opportunity among them (4:27). He tells his
audience also, “He who steals must steal no
longer” (4:28a). Of all the commandments that
could have been singled out here, why is the
ordinance against stealing referred to? While
this is certainly a reaffirmation of the Eighth
Commandment (Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19), it
gives us a very important clue as to the social
strata from which they originate. Peter T.
O’Brien indicates, “it is likely that this
exhortation informs us about the kind of people
who became Christians in the first century, not
least in Asia Minor.”[4]
Maxie D. Dunnam further describes, that many of
the early non-Jewish Believers “came from the
dregs of society (cf. 1 Cor. 1:28-29; 1 Pet.
4:16). Many of them were slaves, and among
slaves, stealing was regarded as normal.”[5]
Slaves were commonly accused of theft (Titus 2:10; Philemon 18),
and thievery was one of the high sins listed not
only in the Torah, but in the Ten Commandments
themselves. Knowing about this is an excellent
clue for us as Messianic Believers as to why
Paul’s epistles seem to deal more with the
ethical and moral issues of the Torah, as
opposed to some of the finer points that we
believe God is restoring to His people today.
When we take into consideration the social
circumstances of his audience(s)—especially if
many of them were former slaves who were used to
stealing—we do see the obvious fact that some
issues are more important than others. After
stealing is targeted by Paul as unacceptable
behavior for the people of God, it is then that
he can say “Let no unwholesome word proceed
from your mouth…” This may have been a
common trait of the slave class as well, ranging
from the use of profanity to speaking against
others, particularly those with greater means,
education, and/or social standing.
Unlike Ephesians’ likely audience, most Messianics today do not
come from some kind of “slave class” where
stealing is the norm, but instead largely come
from the varied strata of a Western middle class
that is looking for greater refinement and
enrichment for their Christian faith, or Jews
from the same social strata who have met their
Messiah and who want to rightly maintain their
Jewish heritage. Yet within such people,
especially in the zeal of many to recapture a
Torah obedient lifestyle and live as “Israel,”
there has become a distinct tendency to ignore
or even disregard key ethical and moral
features of the Tanach.
One of those key ethical and moral features is the requirement for
God’s people to communicate properly and
graciously—being a reflection of His love and
who He is in the world—a love that should change
sinners into saints! Not letting impure speech
come forth from our lips is a significant part
of being a new person in the Lord, and
Ephesians 4:29 is a significant Scripture we
must pay heed to as we consider our future
development as a movement and especially how we
should try to work with others who know and
serve the same Messiah that we do. How does our
communication style affect how Messianics have
an influence on their brothers and sisters in
either the Synagogue or the Church?
End of sample excerpt.
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J.K. McKee
(B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.A., Asbury
Theological Seminary) is the editor of TNN
Online (www.tnnonline.net) and is a Messianic
apologist.
He is a 2009 recipient of the Zondervan Biblical
Languages Award for Greek.
He
is author of
numerous books, dealing with a wide range of
topics that are important for today’s
Messianic Believers. He has also written many articles on
theological issues,
and is presently focusing his attention on Messianic commentaries
of various books of the Bible.
NOTES
[1]
Of important note here
would be how en Ephesō (en
Efesw)
or “in Ephesus” is missing from the
oldest manuscripts of the letter
Ephesians 1:1 (Nestle
and Aland, GNT, 503; Aland,
GNT, 655). As the
1952 Revised Standard Version notably
rendered Ephesians 1:1, “Paul, an
apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of
God, to the saints who are also faithful
in Christ Jesus.” This gives credence to
Ephesians being a general letter written
to Believers in Asia Minor, and not a
specific epistle written to those in
Ephesus.
For a further discussion
on Ephesians’ intended audience (as well
as its relationship to Colossians),
consult the Introduction to the author’s
commentary
Ephesians for the
Practical Messianic;
Carson and Moo, pp 488-490.
[2]
Sections of this article have been
adapted and significantly expanded from
the author’s commentary
Ephesians for the
Practical Messianic
(Kissimmee, FL: TNN Press, 2008).
[3]
There is a mass of
ancient literature on the subject which
substantiates this Jewish view of the
nations. Consult Andrew T. Lincoln,
Word Biblical Commentary: Ephesians,
Vol. 42 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson,
1990), 279.
[4]
Peter T. O’Brien,
Pillar New Testament Commentary: The
Letter to the Ephesians (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 342.
[5]
Maxie D. Dunnam,
The
Preacher’s Commentary: Galatians,
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,
Philemon, Vol 31 (Nashville: Thomas
Nelson, 1982), 214.
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