Ephesians 4:25-32; ; Ephesians 5:1-2
It is truly sad that God has to give such simple instructions to those who are seated in heavenly places: not to lie – not to steal – not to get drunk (Ephesians 5:18 . . .). But He knows what our poor fleshly hearts are capable of, and the Devil, who knows that too, will miss no opportunity that we give him (v. 27).
Let us notice that each exhortation is accompanied by a particularly high and touching motive. The three divine Persons are involved here:1. the Holy Spirit is within us; let us be careful not to grieve Him (v. 30).2. we are the beloved children of God, and our Father wants to see His likeness in us (Ephesians 5:1). "Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you", we read in v. 32. This goes much further than the prayer taught to the Jewish disciples: "forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us . . ." (Luke 11:4).3. the Lord Jesus Himself is our example (Ephesians 5:2; John 13:14). He has taught us what true love is by loving us unto death (1 John 3:16). Yet let us never forget it was first of all to God that He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice, an odour of an infinitely sweet savour.