December 23 2025

Tuesday December 23

“Therefore, Putting Away Lying…”

Ephesians 4:25-32

25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. 26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

Today we are moving into a new section of Ephesians 4:25-32. In these verses, the Apostle Paul gives us very practical applications for how to live out what he has already taught in the earlier part of the chapter. That is why verse 25 begins with the word “therefore.” This is the fourth “therefore” in this chapter. Paul follows a familiar pattern: he establishes a spiritual principle, reminds us of our position in Christ, and then says, because of this, here is how you are now to live. Since we are no longer to walk as the Gentiles walk, and since we have been taught to put off the old man and put on the new man in verses 20 through 24, Paul now shows us what that looks like in everyday life.

Paul always applies truth to specific areas where the power of the Word and Truth must be worked out. And in this passage, he is not afraid to name sins—specific sins. Can you imagine a pastor or preacher naming sins that people in the congregation might actually be committing? Paul was not afraid to do that, and neither was God. These things are in Scripture for our instruction.

In Ephesians 4:25–32, Paul identifies five specific sins: Lying, Anger, Stealing, Corrupt Speech, and Bitterness. These are serious sins because they destroy unity, damage fellowship, and ruin a church’s witness. Paul names them plainly because they must be dealt with honestly.

The first sin he addresses is lying and is found in verse 25: “Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.” Now, what is a lie? A lie is a statement that is contrary to fact and is spoken with the intent to deceive. Some people lie so regularly that all you have to do is see their lips moving to know deception is taking place. In some cases, people believe their own lies because they themselves have been deceived by the evil one.

Let me give you an example. If I tell you it is noon, and later discover that my watch was wrong, I did not lie—I was mistaken. But if I tell you the wrong time because I want to deceive you, perhaps to make you late for a meeting so it benefits me, then I have told a lie. The difference is intent. My friend, Satan is a liar. In John 8:44, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth… for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

What is interesting is that Satan wants us to believe that God is the liar. The very first lie in the Bible appears in Genesis chapter 3, when Satan said to Eve, “Yea, hath God said?” He implied that God did not really mean what He said and was holding something back. Satan was saying, in effect, “God is the liar, not me.” That was a lie. And Satan continues to deceive people into believing that God cannot be trusted.

Whenever we speak the truth—to others or even to ourselves—the Holy Spirit is at work. But whenever we speak a lie, Satan goes to work, using that deception to lead people into sin and destruction. Sometimes people think they are helping others by lying, but that is never true. The consequences may not show up immediately, but they will come. Deception always leads to trouble. That is why it is so important that we know—and live—the truth.

Years ago, I read a helpful book titled “Telling Yourself the Truth” by William Backus. He later wrote another companion book called “Telling Each Other the Truth”. Both emphasize the importance of truth grounded in the Word of God. It all begins with telling ourselves the truth as God defines it.

Oh, my friend, when you know the truth—who is Jesus Christ—and when you live that truth, it makes all the difference in the world. We will continue our study on lying tomorrow, because there are many powerful Scriptures that go along with this subject. Until then, God bless you and may you have a wonderful day as you live in the truth of God’s Word.

God bless!