“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32.
In this verse, Paul is telling the Church in Corinth it was necessary to be in unity, not having any anger, slander, bitterness or outcries within the church. In the beginning of this chapter, Paul explains it another way in verses 1-6 of the same chapter.
“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:1-6.
And we see in the Book of Psalms that this is what God counts as good.
“A Song of Ascents, of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Coming down upon the beard, Even Aaron’s beard, Coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forever.” Psalm 133:1-3.
Pastor Chuck Smith commented on this Psalm.
How sad and tragic it is for brothers to dwell together in disunity. Oh, how we need to strive to maintain the unity of the body of Christ. It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments Now, the anointing with oil in the Old Testament when they sanctified Aaron towards the priesthood, they took oil and they poured it over him. And as they poured it over him, it ran down him, ran down his beard, dripped on down and on his skirts. It just… the anointing with oil was just taking a jar and dumping it out. Now in the New Testament it says, “Is there any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James_5:14). And now if we did it like they did in Bible days, we just come out with a pitcher of oil and pour it over the head of the sick. You’d really get then the implication of the anointing with oil. The oil in here is kicking back to the precious ointment that was upon the head, poured upon the head of Aaron. Ran down on his beard, even down to the skirts of his garments. As the dew of Hermon, as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore (Psalm_133:3). What is so good? I mean, what is all of these pictures? It’s just picturesque of the goodness of men who dwell together in unity. How glorious it is to be able to gather together in love and in unity and just hey, all part of the family. What a beautiful experience. It’s incomparable. It’s fresh. It’s anointing. It’s alive.”
Have you ever been in a church where it seemed unity was an impossible goal to reach? I have several times. When I contrast them with what Paul taught in our focus verse, it saddens me. In all instances, it was not positive for the individual church, the individuals in the church, and how it was seen by the surrounding community. We, the Church, are to be a light in this world. When anger, division, slander and gossip are seen within the body, it essentially is hiding our light under a basket. If there is any light, it is hidden, and the world is unable to see it because of the darkness that exists within. Moreover, whoever is involved in this division is definitely not obeying Christ’s calling to the body. See what Jesus prayed in what is known as the High Priestly Prayer.
“I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.” John 17:11.
We, the church, are to be one as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one.
There will no doubt be differences in how we see some scriptures, what ministries the church partakes in, how the money is allocated, who should make key decisions, etc. Thinking about this, can we not discuss these things in an attitude of kindness and not get angry because we do not get our way? Before any discussions are started, there should be intense prayer that the decisions made are of God, and He would speak to each one of them, that each will listen to what God says to them. There should not be any boasting in the sense that someone believes they know more, and their opinion is the way it must be. Let’s look at our focus verses and relate them to this discussion.
The first thing is there should be no bitterness, wrath or anger. Let nothing that is discussed or settled on cause anyone to be bitter and/or angry. If you find yourself feeling this way, pray these negative feelings are removed. Submit to the Holy Spirit and let Him bring peace, contentment and unity to all. It is totally acceptable to have a different opinion and to voice it before those who are present. However, do it with love and kindness, being tender-hearted so there will be no fracture within the body. Maybe, you are not hearing God due to your bias. However, if you are correct, let God bring it to pass. Let Him cause what is best to happen.
Second, there should be no slander of individuals or groups simply because they disagree with you. The word in the Greek translated slander here is blasphēmia. It in essence is defined as speech that is injurious to another’s good name. Along with slander, there should be no gossiping about individuals or groups. In the Cambridge English Dictionary, gossip is defined as ‘conversation or reports about other people’s private lives that might be unkind, disapproving, or not true.’ We cannot participate in either slander or gossip without committing sin. Think about the damage these two things can cause to the Church and its members. Remember what Christ said,
“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12.
And finally, we are to be kind and tender-hearted to one another, forgiving each other as God in Christ has forgiven us. We may differ in what we think should happen, and we may differ in how we interpret scripture. But instead of getting angry, spend time discussing the issues. And again, pray that God will guide the discussions and enlighten all parties as to what the truth really is. But do not get antagonistic. It will only bring division which results in sin.
Very well said. How sad the body of Christ does not uphold thesr teachings.