LET IT GO (part 3)


A TENDER HEART

Look at Paul’s admonition to the Ephesian church. “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).

1. Why are some believers so unforgiving and so hardhearted? This answer is SIN! Sin will cool off the believer’s fire and passion for Jesus Christ. Are you on fire for God? If not, you have permitted sin to cool off your relationship with Him.

2. Instead of burning with zeal and fervor for Christ we have become frigid and cold. We appear to be God’s chosen frozen! Some attend the first church of the deep freeze Pastored by Jack Frost. Our churches are so cold you can skate up and down the isles. The typical church member appears to be chiseled ice that’s frozen in the pew. The spiritual temperature of the average congregation is so chilly that it has become a religious igloo. What has happened? Sin happened! Sin will paralyze and polarize the heart of the believer. Notice the course of action prescribed by Paul in verse 31.

I. First of all, we must put off gross vices (v. 31). Notice the first two words of our text, “Let all.” We are commanded to forsake “all” the sins of animosity, hostility, rage, slander, and malice. Skevington Wood expands the translation of “let all” to: “Get rid of (artheto) is ‘let it be removed’ and therefore ‘have no more to do with it.’ Every kind of or any trace (pasa, ‘all’) of these blemishes are to be forsaken.”[1] The word “all” indicates that not even a hint of these sins will be tolerated. Each one of these vulgar vices must be eliminated and removed from the believer’s life.

Notice the sins that must be extracted from the believer’s life.

1. He begins with the sin of bitterness. The Greek word pikria {bitterness} refers to resentment that leads to revenge. This individual holds a grudge and a personal vendetta. He lives in a continual state of animosity and hostility. Vengeance and retaliation consumes his heart. Paul told the Ephesian church that there is no place for bitterness in the life of a spirit-filled believer.

2. Next, Paul dealt with the sin of wrath. This thumos {wrath} is an inflaming, boiling, and heated rage. A sudden outburst of uncontrolled frustration.

3. Then he referred to anger. This orge {anger} is wrath that is revealed when a person becomes agitated or roused.

4. The word krauge {clamour} means shouting or an outcry. Clamour is often associated with public outburst that results into chaos and confusion.

5. Then he explained that the believer must remove blasphemia {evil speaking} or slander from his life. Slander is typically exhibited by those who have a bitter spirit. Thus, they frequently engage in smearing campaigns that often involves character assassination.

6. Finally, Paul included the sin of kakia {malice} which is ill-will or a desire to injure. Malice is taking pleasure in the failures of our enemies. For this reason, Paul fervently urged the believer to “put away” all of these gross sins of the flesh. Upon examining verse 31, we must conclude that the heinous features of the old nature are repulsive and nauseous to the Spirit-filled, child of God. It is horrendous for the believer to act like an unbeliever! For the Christian to revert back to the sins of the flesh is like a dog returning to his vomit (2 Peter 2:22). May God help us rid our lives of “all” the sins of the flesh. After we put off our gross vices we must put on godly virtues.

II. Secondly, we must put on godly virtues (v. 32).

1. Paul began his description of these godly virtues by using the expression ginomai {be ye} or to become. A. T. Robertson said, “Be ye kind to one another (ginesthe eis allelous chrestio) is the present middle imperative of ginomai, keep on becoming kind (chrestos, used of God in Rom. 2:4) toward one another. See Col. 3:12f.”[2] In other words, Paul gave the believers at Ephesus room to grow in their personal walk. To become what God wants me to be simply means I must reach my full potential for Christ. Paul urged the Ephesian believers to become spiritually mature in their Christian life. He began with the quality of chrestos {kindness} or goodness. In dealing with others, the believer must not be harsh, unkind, or malicious. But on the contrary, the child of God must be pleasant, gracious, and benevolent. There is no room for mean-spirited Christianity in the body of Christ. Therefore, Paul commanded the believer to become a person of genuine kindness and generosity.

2. Paul continued with the godly quality of eusplagchnos {tenderheartedness} or compassion. This unusual Greek word is found only one other time in the New Testament and is translated “pity” in 1 Peter 3:8. With reference to this word, Wood says, “Compassionate (eusplangchnoi) is a rare word. It was used by Hippocrates to describe the healthy function of the intestines. The Greeks located the seat of the emotions in the splangchna or internal organs – liver, kidneys, and larger viscera.”[3] Tenderheartedness is the inward emotion of compassion that flows from the heart of the believer. The child of God must possess a sincere sympathy for his brothers and sisters in Christ. On the other hand, a hard heart produces anger, bitterness, and revenge. Stouthearted individuals are unsympathetic, uncaring, and unkind. The coldhearted Christian can be ruthless and calloused. This type of testimony is detrimental to the cause of Christ. May God give us a tender heart.

3. Subsequently, Paul shared some thoughts on charizomai {forgiveness}. This Greek expression means to graciously pardon or to restore. The compassionate, Christ-like believer has a tender heart that’s quick to forgive. Paul reminded us that the sacrificial death of Christ liberates the believer from condemnation. In the same way our loving Lord is eager to forgive, we must be willing to pardon those who offend us.It is ludicrous for Christian’s to holdgrudges against each other when Christ has freely forgiven all men.

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Be quick to forgive! Let it go! Move on! Life is full of disagreements, yet we can learn to disagree disagreeably. We can be kind and considerate. While we may not agree with everyone in every situation we can still love and respect each other. Different ideas and opinions make life interesting. Nonetheless, longsuffering, kindness, tenderheartedness, compassion, and forgiveness can help us as we work through the various issues of life. A gracious spirit and a gentle heart can go a long way in resolving conflict. Qualities like forbearance, love, sensitivity, and a sweet spirit can overcome revenge, grudges, and animosity. We must refuse to embrace ill-feelings toward a fellow brother in Christ. It is absolutely wrong for the believer to be held hostage to satanic emotions like revenge, hate, and hostility. Therefore, the child of God must be swift to forgive and pardon those who offend him.



[1]Skevington Wood, Ephesians, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978), 65.

[2]A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1931), IV:541.

[3]Skevington Wood, Ephesians, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 66.