The Summation of All Things in Christ

Studies in Ephesians with a Local Church Emphasis

Lesson 102 : Practical Injunctions About the Old and New Life – Evil Talk (4:29-30)

LINKS WITH THE PASSAGE – WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE FOR ‘ALL OUR WORDS,’ NOT JUST THE ‘IMPORTANT’ WORDS – EVIL, UNWHOLESOME, ROTTEN, DECAYING SPOILED SPEECH – PROBABLY BORROWED FROM JUDAISM – THE SECOND CLAUSE DOES NOT CONTAIN A VERB – GOOD WORDS USED TO BUILD UP THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY – BUILDING UP THOSE IN NEED – PURPOSE CLAUSE: TO GIVE GRACE TO THOSE WHO HEAR – HOW DO WE BUILD UP OTHERS? – VERSE 30 DIFFERS FROM THE OTHERS IN THIS SECTION – HOW DOES THIS VERSE FIT IN THE CONTEXT? – PAUL ECHOS ISAIAH 63:10 – AN UNUSUAL FULL TERM FOR THE SPIRIT – THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – THERE SHOULD BE GROWTH – WHEN FIRST SAVED, ‘I BETTER NOT SIN OR GOD WILL JUDGE ME,’ BUT AS WE MATURE OUR FIRST THOUGHT SHOULD BE ‘MY SIN GRIEVES MY FATHER’ – THE SPIRIT IS BOTH THE SEAL AND THE INSTRUMENT OF SEALING – THE ‘DAY OF REDEMPTION’ IS ONLY USED HERE, WITH THE EMPHASIS BEING UPON BELIEVERS AND NOT UNBELIEVERS – IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE GOD DOES NOT THREATEN TO TAKE AWAY HIS SPIRIT