#DailyDevotion The Saints In Your Church Aren’t Perfect
Eph. 4:25-2825So don’t lie any more, but tell one another the truth, because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry but don’t sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. 27Don’t give the devil a chance to work. 28Anyone who has been stealing should not steal any more, but instead work hard, doing something good with his own hands so that he has something to share with anyone in need.
So the good news here is Paul is talking to saints of God, his chosen elect. The bad news is he is talking to saints of God, his chosen elect. If you ever thought you are going to have to be perfect, morally upright, never committing any sins ever in order to be accepted by God and get eternal life and enter the kingdom of heaven, these words of admonition to the member of the Church of God at Ephesus should wipe those thoughts from your minds.
Seriously, Paul is telling them to lie no more. Don’t sin when they’re angry. Don’t steal anymore. Does this sound like you’re congregation? Is everyone in your congregation perfect and holy not needing to hear the Law of God anymore? How about you? Do you have anything to confess at the beginning of the service or are you like, “Do we really have to do this? I don’t remember sinning at all this week.”
Paul gives the reason to cease such activities—because we are members of one another. Not only do members of the Ephesian church need to stop doing these activities, they need to stop doing them to one another. Ultimately though, these instructions go back to verse 20, “20But that is not what you learned when you got to know Christ, 21if you have heard Him and in Him have been taught the truth as it is in Jesus.” And what is that truth? We read that in chapter 2, “4But God, Who is rich in mercy, loved us with such a great love. 5He made us who were dead in sins alive with Christ. (You have been saved by grace.) 6And since we are in Christ Jesus, He raised us with Him and had us sit with Him in heaven 7to show in the coming ages the immeasurable riches of His grace by being kind to us in Christ Jesus. 8 Yes, by His grace you are saved through faith. It was not your own doing; it is God’s gift. 9It is not the result of anything you have done; and so no one may boast.”
So we are not to give the devil a chance to work through our lying, anger or stealing. Even the purpose for not stealing is not for the thief to take care of himself only. Paul tells him to work with his hands so he has something to share with those in need! Christianity is not to be a selfish faith. We are not called just to think about ourselves but first about other believers and secondly, to the people we meet who are in need if we have the ability to help them. Jesus saw us in need because we were spiritually bankrupt. Out of the riches of his great love for us he pulled us out of that bankruptcy and made us rich. We should do as much on a material plane if we can.
Heavenly Father, without your grace, even our good works are tinged with sin and selfishness, yet on account of our faith in Jesus you see them only a perfect and holy. Grant us your grace even further to not sin this day but look to the needs of our fellow Christians and neighbor’s. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.