The Summation of All Things in Christ

Studies in Ephesians with a Local Church Emphasis

Lesson 101 : Practical Injunctions About the Old and New Life – Stealing (4:28)

WHILE THE PREVIOUS INJUNCTIONS WERE IN THE PLURAL, THIS IS IN THE MASCULINE SINGULAR – THE GRAMMAR SUGGESTS THIS IS NOT SPEAKING OF FORMER THIEVES BUT CHRISTIANS WHO WERE CONTINUING TO STEAL – A PICTURE OF THE TIMES PAUL LIVED IN – THEFT RECOGNIZED EARLY IN JUDAISM AS SIN – AS WITH OTHER NEW TESTAMENT COMMANDS, THIS TRANSCENDS THE CIVIL LAWS – SHARP CONTRAST – NOT JUST ‘WORK’ BUT ‘WORK HARD’ – WORK VALUED, IDLENESS DENOUNCED – ‘THAT WHICH IS GOOD’ – PAUL’S REASON IS AGAIN DIRECTED TOWARDS THE GOOD OF OTHER BELIEVERS WITHIN THEIR CHURCHES – ‘SHARING’ BALANCES HOARDING AND RECKLESSLY GIVING IT ALL AWAY – TO HIM IN NEED – CONCLUSION: PAUL’S ADMONITION AGAIN EMPHASIZES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OLD LIFE AND THE NEW