Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. 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. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

THIS PASSAGE USES A FORM COMMON IN the letters of Paul and other New Testament writings: a “catalogue” of vices and virtues. The list of desirable behaviors for Christians is not much different from similar lists found in Jewish and pagan writings. We don’t need Jesus to know that “thieves must give up stealing.” “Be kind to one another” would be considered good advice by all the world religions.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT occurs in the closing verses, where the writer calls us to a radical forgiveness for which there is no Jewish or pagan precedent. “…forgive…one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”

IT IS ALSO UNIQUE IN THE BIBLE for this author to say “be imitators of God.” Christ is to be the role model, the template, and the standard which is to inform all our ethical decision-making. This carries us far beyond prudential ethics, cost/benefit analysis, or any sort of quantifiable moral calculus. “Walk in love, as Christ loved us,” calls for a transformation in human nature, and can only be accomplished by God’s grace.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE CLOSING SENTENCE suggests that St. Paul may have been quoting a commonly used hymn used in Christian worship. It summarizes the work of Christ in salvation, who “gives himself up for us.” The language here is that of sacrifice as carried out by the Jewish priesthood in the temple before its destruction in 70 B.C.E. . Instead of animal and other sacrifices, Christians are to offer their own lives in union with Christ, which, to translate literally, will smell good to God.

NOTES FROM THE ANCHOR BIBLE: EPHESIANS 4-6, by Markus Barth (1974) pp.550-557