The Message bible gives a little more insight:
“What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.” Ephesians 4:25 (Message)
“What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.” Ephesians 4:25 (Message)
I especially like the phrase “no more pretenses”. Given the context in which Paul is writing here
in chapter 4. Pretense's seems to be the best word to describe what falsehood is in
today’s culture.; and specifically we are not to engage in pretense within the body
of Christ, the church.
Unfortunately our church is not immune to followers of Jesus Christ who fail to put off falsehood at times. I know what a lot of you are thinking right now. I would never lie to, or deceive my Christian brothers or sisters. A little righteous indignation might be rising up inside you. Let me give you a little food for thought.
• Are you a different person when you’re at church than you are the rest of the week? If you’re trying to live several different lives depending on your setting, then you might still be walking in falsehood.
• When people ask you how you’re doing, do you just say “fine”, or are you honest about how you’re really doing?
Unfortunately our church is not immune to followers of Jesus Christ who fail to put off falsehood at times. I know what a lot of you are thinking right now. I would never lie to, or deceive my Christian brothers or sisters. A little righteous indignation might be rising up inside you. Let me give you a little food for thought.
• Are you a different person when you’re at church than you are the rest of the week? If you’re trying to live several different lives depending on your setting, then you might still be walking in falsehood.
• When people ask you how you’re doing, do you just say “fine”, or are you honest about how you’re really doing?
• Have you ever
told someone that you would pray for him or her and then not followed through?
• Have you ever
made a commitment to a ministry in the church and then not followed through?
These are all forms of falsehoods or pretense's. Remember the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount: “Simply let your ’Yes’ be ’Yes,’ and your ’No,’ ’No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37 (NIV) That's a scripture we have to take seriously or we may find ourselves speaking a non truth.
Remember the story of Ananias & Sapphria?
These are all forms of falsehoods or pretense's. Remember the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount: “Simply let your ’Yes’ be ’Yes,’ and your ’No,’ ’No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37 (NIV) That's a scripture we have to take seriously or we may find ourselves speaking a non truth.
Remember the story of Ananias & Sapphria?
Acts 5:1-11
Act 5:2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.
Act 5:3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
Act 5:4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God."
Act 5:5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.
Act 5:6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
Act 5:7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
Act 5:8 Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price."
Act 5:9 Peter said to her, "How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."
Act 5:10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
Act 5:11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
This is an amazing example of the pretense of falsehood. It has greed, fear,
acceptance issues, and habitual repetition. It’s a soap opera.
•
Greed is a subtle thing: Ananias and Sapphria engaged in falsehood
because they believed it would help them get something they wanted – power,
money, and social status. What brought this all on is what happened in (Acts 4:32-36). They
wanted to be like everyone else but they just couldn’t do it, give it all away.
So they put on the pretense that they were giving it all. Life ends up
being a roadway on which your choices and God’s choices merge–the intersection
of choice. If Christ is in you then, truly, the mind of Christ is in you. This
interplay lies on a continuum, and there are times when an event tilts more
toward your decision and the Lord simply says, “I approve that or I don’t.” At
other times, events represent His decision—when He is divinely guiding through
circumstances. When we live this way falsehood is an afterthought. It’s
not a part of who we are. More tomorrow...you are loved!
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