City Life Starter

By Blesson C. Selvanesan

The Word: ₃₁ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ₃₂ And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32, NKJV).

Interpretation: Once a person is born again in Christ, that person becomes a new creation rejecting all the old self and worldly ways by becoming a brand new person with new qualities. Paul exhorts the believers of Ephesus to become new creations. Ephesus was a diverse church and many Gentiles who followed worldly and pagan ways repented and came to worship. Paul urged them to get rid of their old habits and qualities that are destructive. He instructed them to get rid of bitterness, a quality that ferments ill will in one’s heart and causes self-destruction. Wrath and anger are powerful emotions but when they are misdirected causes serious harm to self and others. Clamor is the uproar caused with malicious intent causing protests and unrest. He also warns then against slander and malice as these qualities destroy relationships in a fellowship and society.

Paul argues that since Christ forgave all, one needs to be transformed and regenerated with good qualities that are pleasing fellow humans and will glorify God. He urged them to be kind to one another, tenderhearted and compassionate. Kindness and compassion are divine qualities that build one another. He also exhorted them to forgive one another just like Christ forgave. These positive qualities not just transform a person, but also their Church and will seep into the society leading to a harmonious society with Christ as its head.  

Application: This teaching of Paul is fundamental to any relationship, within a family, church or society and is apt for today’s day and age. Unfortunately, we got it all wrong and upside down these days as we run our society with anger and outrage. Slanderous evil words with malicious intent is all we hear all day and is being amplified by the media and social media leading to bitterness, anger and rage. We want revenge and we camouflage it as justice. Justice without kindness, grace and forgiveness will be brutal. We forget the importance of kindness and forgiveness in our daily lives. Forgiveness brings healing and leads to repentance. We need to understand that eye for an eye sounds good, but it will lead to a blind nation. We have forgotten noble virtues. We need God and Christ is our model.  

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Help us to get rid of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking and malice. Clothe us with kindness, gentleness and meekness. Let us forgive one another just as you did. Help us not to be riled up with bitterness but to be sober minded with joy. In Jesus Name, Amen.