Efésios 4
Marvin Vincent · Citado em PreceptAustin
Efésios 4:31
Vincent - The word does not necessarily imply blasphemy against God. It is used of reviling, calumny, evil-speaking in general. (Ephesians 4 Word Studies) Blasphemia - 18x in 17v - Mt 12:31; 15:19; 26:65; Mk 3:28; 7:22; 14:64; Lk 5:21; Jn 10:33; Eph 4:31; Col 3:8-note; 1Ti 6:4; Jude 1:9; Rev 2:9+; Rev 13:1+, Rev 13:5+, Rev 13:6+; Rev 17:3+. NAS = abusive language(1), blasphemies(4), blasphemous(2), blasphemy(6), railing(1), slander(3), slanders(1). In the non-apocryphal Septuagint only in Ezekiel 35:12 Matthew 15:19+ (cp Mk 7:21, 22+) For out of the heart (the unregenerate, God hating, "black" heart is the source) come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. Mark 14:64+ “You have heard the blasphemy (false accusation against Jesus, cp Lk 5:21, Jn 10:33 = they were going to stone Him!); how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. Col 3:8+ But now you also, put (aorist imperative) them all aside (because you have been raised up with Christ, because Christ is your life, because you are looking for His appearance - see Col 3:1, 2, 3,4): anger, wrath, malice, slander (blasphemia), and abusive speech (aischrologia = foul-mouthed from aischros = filthy or improper + lego = say) from your mouth. Lawrence Richards - In the NT, blasphemy indicates a hostile attitude toward God that is expressed directly or indirectly in contemptuous or slanderous ways. The verb is found some thirty-five times of the fifty-nine occurrences of the word group. What we call swearing may be categorized as blasphemy in that it treats God's name contemptuously or lightly. But the hostility implied in the NT use of the word shows us that, biblically, blasphemy is far more than a casual curse. It is striking that one cause of the contempt in which unbelievers may hold the Lord is the actions of those who claim to believe. The Gentiles blasphemed God's name because of the hypocrisy they saw in the Jews (Ro 2:24-note). How important it is, then, that our lives honor the Lord so that we elicit praise, rather than contempt, for him. (Richards, L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency) The point of Richard's note is that not only one's speech but one's behavior (including believers) can be blasphemous! It is tragic that many Christians speak contemptuously of politicians and other public figures, not realizing that in doing so they hinder the work of redemption. David's prayer is apropos when we are tempted to speak inappropriately and in a malicious, demeaning way of others Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips. (Ps 141:3) (See Spurgeon's comment) You are writing a Gospel, A chapter each day, By the deeds that you do And the words that you say. Men read what you write, Whether faithful or true: Just what is the Gospel According to you? --- Author unknown Put away (142) (airo) means to lift up something, such as an anchor of a ship to that the ship could set sail (see Acts 27:13). What a great picture of saints as God's "ships" sailing through their life in the waters of time, and able to move out with power because they have lifted up the anchors of those sins in Ephesians 4:31! It is used figuratively here to picture taking up and carrying away (removing) these evil works just mentioned along with malice. It means to make a clean sweep of these vices! Imagine these vices as the worn out, filthy, dirty coat our old unregenerate self once wore continually, for it was the only "coat" we owned, having inherited it from our forefather Adam (Ro 5:12-note, 1Cor 15:22). Now, that the old self has been crucified with Christ and made effectively inoperative (it can still spring into action if "fed" or stimulated!), let us put off the old "coat" (put away) and put on the new garment of Christ-likeness, that the world might see Him in our words and works (His life lived out through us, a new life, a supernatural life, an aroma of life to some who see, and an aroma of death to others who see and reject Christ's offer of eternal life). In Eph 4:31 Paul uses the aorist imperative a command to be carried out posthaste, even with a sense of urgency - "Do it now! Don't delay!" As discussed in more detail below the passive voice means to let it BE put away - I get the idea that we have to yield to the Holy Spirit, so that He can exert the influence or effect on our hearts which allows us to carry out this command. And if you doubt that this is the sense, just try to put away one of these negative traits in your own natural power in the "heat of the moment!" THOUGHT - Note that put away is passive voice. You say "So what?" Well, the passive voice usually signifies that the subject is acted upon by an outside force. In the case of this small "vice list" while we are called to put away all of the items, the passive voice would support the premise that we cannot put them away by relying solely on our own strength but must rely on strength from outside ourselves, specifically the supernatural strength provided by the Holy Spirit. This is not to say that believers "get a pass" (so to speak) and can glibly say "Let go and let God." No, we must still make the volitional choice when each of these ugly "snakes" raises its ugly head and must pick up the hatchet and cut off its head (so to speak)! More accurately we could view this as "Let God and let's go!" We are 100% responsible to put away these vices, and yet at the same time are 100% dependent on the Spirit (giving us the desire or "want to" and the power to kill this sin - see Php 2:13NLT+). Is this mysterious? Is it even "bad mathematics" (100%/100%)? Yes, but (1) it is Biblically accurate and (2) it is wholly mysterious! So then "JUST DO IT!" (which is the sense of the aorist imperative) Kill these sins lest they be killing you! Kill them enabled by the Spirit - memorize, meditate and practice Romans 8:13+ - "for if you are living (present tense, active voice = habitually making the choice of will to live) according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body (ED: THE ROTTING GARMENT OF THE FALLEN FLESH), you will live." Martyn Lloyd-Jones - I must remind you that the Apostle is exhorting the Ephesians to put away all this evil. He does not say that because they have become Christian it has automatically dropped off. So any kind of evangelistic preaching that gives the impression that the moment you become a Christian all your problems are left behind is just not true, and the Apostle realised that the Ephesians were still subject to this kind of thing. And again we notice that he does not merely tell them to pray that these sins may be taken out of their lives. Pray by all means, but do not forget that Paul tells the Ephesians to put them off, to put them far from them, and we must do the same. It is not pleasant. It is not at all pleasant even to preach on these things; it is very unpleasant for us to face them, and to see if there is within our hearts any bitterness of spirit, or any malice or hatred or wrath or anger; but, says the Apostle, we must do it, and if we find any vestige or trace of these things within us, we must take hold of it and hurl it away from us, trample upon it, and bolt the door upon it, and never allow it to come back. We must do just that! Let it, he says, be put away from you! Put it away once and for ever, and realise that it is a denial, a complete denial of everything that you claim to be and to have as newborn people in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom the Holy Spirit of God has come to take up His blessed residence. If these things are in us the Holy Spirit is grieved, for the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. All that is contrary to this fruit must be put away, says Paul. But, thank God, he does not leave it at that! He goes on to his positive injunction. Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Thank God, I say, that the Apostle does not stop at the negative (put off's) but brings us on to the positive (put on). Indeed, as I have already said, you cannot truly deal with the negative unless you are at the same time doing the positive. (AMEN TO THAT - NOTICE THE ORDER - Col 3:1-4+ MUST BE "PUT ON" BEFORE YOU CAN EFFECTIVELY KILL SIN in Col 3:5+. IN Gal 5:16+ YOU ARE TO FIRST WALK BY THE SPIRIT AND THEN AND ONLY THEN WILL YOU BE ENABLED TO NOT CARRY OUT THE DEEDS OF THE FLESH! OUR FALLEN FLESH TRIES TO INVERT THE ORDER AND THE RESULT IS INVARIABLY FAILURE TO KILL SIN! IN Ro 8:13+ IT IS BY THE SPIRIT YOU PUT TO DEATH THE DEEDS OF THE BODY!) The way to get rid of the defects is to cultivate the virtues. To use a well-known phrase of Thomas Chalmers, what we need is to apply the “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection”. I use a simple illustration. The way the dead leaves of winter are removed from some trees is not that people go around plucking them off; no, it is the new life, the shoot that comes and pushes off the dead in order to make room for itself. In the same way the Christian gets rid of all such things as bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking and all malice. The new qualities develop and the others simply have no room; they are pushed out and they are pushed off. (From his sermon Forgiven and Forgiving) ALONG WITH ALL MALICE: sun pase kakia: Along with all malice Ge 4:8; 27:41; 37:4,21; Lv 19:17,18; 2Sa 13:22; Pr 10:12; 26:24,25; Eccl 7:9; Ro 1:29; 1Co 5:8; 14:20; Col 3:8; Titus 3:3; 1Jn 3:12,15 Ephesians 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Ephesians 4:17-32 Solving Conflicts - Steven Cole Ephesians 4:28-32 - Wayne Barber Ephesians 4:28-29: A Brand New Way of Life - 4 - Wayne Barber Ephesians 4:25–32 Principles of New Life - John MacArthur Ephesians 4:17-5:14 Study Guide (see dropdown menu) - John MacArthur THE EVIL "ICING" ON THE "VICE CAKE" Along with (sun/syn) all malice (kakia) - As the good doctor Martyn Lloyd-Jones said "And then, as if all this were not enough, the Apostle adds the word malice. Malice means wicked desires with respect to others, a determination to harm others, again a kind of settled spirit which so hates others that it thinks of ways of harming them, plots such ways, gloats over them, and then proceeds to put them into practice; it is a kind of malignity. Evil, malicious gossip and slander also form a part of this malice that he tells us all to put far from us." (From his sermon Forgiven and Forgiving) Harry A Ironside emphasizes "all" of "all malice" - “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all—a-l-l—malice.” Now, you see, if you do not live up to that, you are not living a real Christian life. This is Christianity in the power of the Holy Ghost. And we are not merely told to put these things away, there must be the positive side....I wish that as Christians we would be obedient to this word of God! Is there any bitterness in your heart against anyone on earth? Do you say, “but you don’t know how I have been tested, how I have been tried, insulted, offended?” If you had not been offended there would be no reason for the bitterness at all, but Paul said, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.” If you do not live up to that, you are not living a real Christian life. This is Christianity lived in the power of the Holy Ghost. (Ephesians 4 - Ironside's Notes) Skevington - The poisonous source of all these regrettable re-assertions of the "old self" (Ep 4:22+) is named as "malice" (kakia "bad feeling"). (Expositor's Bible Commentary) Even the non-theological definitions of malice in our English dictionaries paint a horrid picture of this evil vice = feeling a need to see others suffer; the quality of threatening evil; desire to cause pain, injury, suffering or distress to another! Not a pretty picture of our fallen, sinful flesh! And lest you might be saying "I never commit that sin," be aware (and wary) that this sinister "snake" lurks in your mortal body, ever ready to raise its ugly head to strike and sink it's "fangs" into your victim! Etymology Online has this telling derivation for the English word malice - "desire to hurt another, propensity to inflict injury or suffering, active ill-will," from Old French malice "ill will, spite, sinfulness, wickedness" (12c.), from Latin malitia "badness, ill will, spite," from malus "bad, unpleasant" (see mal-). In legal use, "a design or intention of doing mischief to another without justification or excuse" (1540s). With (sun/syn) is a conjunction signifying a closer, more intimate relationship than the other Greek word for "with" (meta), and here indicates the intimate association of all previous 5 vices into one evil bundle with malice. All (3956) (pas) means all without exception, every form of. We are called to be holy and holy is practically related to wholly, necessitating that we put all malice wholly away that we might be holy as He is holy! Malice (2549) (kakia) is the general term for evil that is the root of all vices. In general terms it speaks of ill will, wishing and probably plotting evil against people. Kakia is synonymous with the quality of wickedness and thus in a moral sense means depravity, vice or baseness. It is the opposite of arete (note) and all virtue and therefore lacks social value. In reference to behavior kakia conveys the idea of a mean-spirited or vicious attitude or disposition as indicated by words such as malice, ill-will, hatefulness, and dislike. It is an attitude of wickedness as an evil habit of one's mind. Kakia is used in NT to describe the wickedness which comes from within a person. Malice desires to hurt another and rejoices in it! One Greek scholar terms malice “the vicious character generally.” Trench says that kakia is “that peculiar form of evil which manifests itself in a malignant interpretation of the actions of others, an attributing of them all to the worst motive” Webster says that "malice" is a desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another and implies a deep-seated often unexplainable desire to see another suffer. Malice is not only a moral deficiency but destroys fellowship which is significant for Ephesians 4 begins with a call to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That cannot be accomplished when malice is loose in a congregation! To varying degrees, the unsaved spend their life maliciously. In Romans Paul describes those who have refused to acknowledge God and are given over by God to a depraved mind as "being filled (REMEMBER WHAT "FILLS" YOU CONTROLS YOU!) with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips." (Ro 1:29+). Kakia - 11x in 11v - evil(3), malice(5), trouble(1), wickedness(2). Mt. 6:34 = trouble; Acts 8:22; Ro. 1:29; 1 Co. 5:8; 1 Co. 14:20; Eph. 4:31; Col. 3:8; Titus 3:3; Jas. 1:21; 1 Pet. 2:1; 1 Pet. 2:16 - Note that malice must be put away in order to receive the Holy Word (Jas 1:21) and hunger from the Holy Word (1 Pet. 2:1). It follows that if you are not hungering for the Holy Word, there is likely to be some unholy thought, word or deed that needs to be thrown off (confessed and repented). Wayne
Efésios 4:32
Vincent says chrestos is "Actively benignant, “as distinguished from other adjectives which describe goodness on the side of its sterling worth and its gentleness” (Salmond). (Commenting on the use of chrestos to describe Jesus' yoke in Mt 11:30 Vincent writes) In Luke 5:39, chrestos is used of old wine, where the true reading, instead of better, is good (chrestos), mellowed with age. Plato (“Republic,” 424) applies the word to education. “Good nurture and education, implant good (agathos) constitutions; and these good (chrestos) constitutions improve more and more;” thus evidently using chrestos and agathos as synonymous. The three meanings combine in the word, though it is impossible to find an English word which combines them all. Christ’s yoke is wholesome, serviceable, kindly. (Ephesians 4 Word Studies) Chrestos is used 8 times (twice in Romans 2:4) in the NT... Matthew 11:30+ "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light." Comment: Here chrestos refers to that which causes no discomfort or does not chafe [rub so as to cause irritation]. It is that which is well-fitting. In Palestine ox-yokes were made of wood; the ox was brought, and the measurements were taken. The yoke was then roughed out, and the ox was brought back to have the yoke tried on. The yoke was carefully adjusted, so that it would fit well, and not gall the neck of the patient beast. The yoke was tailor-made to fit the ox. Ponder that thought for a moment! Christ’s yoke is wholesome, serviceable, kindly. “Christ’s yoke is like feathers to a bird; not loads, but helps to motion” -- Jeremy Taylor. Chrestos can also mean "pleasant" so that wearing Christ's easy yoke is actually pleasant! Luke 5:39+ "And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is good enough.'" Comment: Here chrestos refers to that which meets a relatively high standard of value. The nuance here in the context of wine would also include the idea of wine that is mellow, well aged, pleasingly mild. Luke 6:35+ But love (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey all three of these commands) your enemies, and do good (present imperative), and lend (present imperative), expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind (chrestos) to ungrateful and evil men. Romans 2:4+ Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? Comment: Here chrestos refers to the beneficent nature of God, His desire to perform acts of kindness and charity. This meaning also applies to His children in Ephesians 4:32 who perform acts of charity because of His life in them and flowing through them. 1 Corinthians 15:33+ Do not be deceived (stop being deceived): "Bad company corrupts good morals." Comment: Here chrestos refers to that which morally good and thus which is reputable. Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Comment: In experiencing the kindness of the Lord, men are to be like Him in showing kindness towards others. 1 Peter 2:3+ if (since) you have tasted (Peter is addressing believers) the kindness of the Lord. Comment: Plato used chrestos for food. There also may be a play on words between “kindness” (chrestos) and “Christ” (Christos), two words which were probably pronounced the same at that time. The believers have therefore tasted chrestos, that is, Christ Himself, the Living Word Chrestos is used 25 times in the Septuagint (LXX) Job 31:31; Ps. 25:8; 34:8; 52:9; 69:16; 86:5; 100:5; 105:45; 106:48; 109:21; 112:5; 119:39, 68; 135:21; 145:9; Prov. 2:21; Jer. 24:2f, 5; 33:11; 44:17; 52:32; Ezek. 27:22; 28:13; Da 2:32; Nah. 1:7 Here are a few representative uses of chrestos to meditate upon... Psalm 25:8+ Good (chrestos) and upright is the LORD. Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. Psalm 34:8+ O taste and see that the LORD is good (chrestos); How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 86:5+ For Thou, Lord, art good (chrestos), and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon Thee. Psalm 100:5+ For the LORD is good (chrestos); His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 119:39+ Turn away my reproach which I dread, for Thine ordinances are good (chrestos) Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good (chrestos), a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him. Boles notes that chrestos in this context... is more than gentle and polite; the word also means “useful” and “serviceable.” It has the flavor of action and productivity. God showed his “kindness” to us (Ep 2:7+) when he took steps to save us. (Boles, K. L.. Galatians & Ephesians. The College Press NIV commentary. Joplin, Mo.: College Press) Lehman Strauss - Kindness should characterize believers in their relationships with one another. Kindness is that gentle, gracious, easy-to-be-entreated manner that permits others to be at ease in our presence. The word “kind” comes from such words as “kin” and “kindred,” so that to deal kindly with others is to deal with them as our own kin. And after all, believers are brethren. Kindness and tender-heartedness go together. They express a warm sympathy and love for all men, both the righteous and evil doers. I fear that sometimes we are not very pitiful and compassionate toward others. Kindness and compassion find expression in forgiveness (The Conduct and Duty of the Church Ephesians 4-6) One another (240) (allelon from állos = another) means just what it says. It is like the sequoia trees of California which tower as high as 300 feet above the ground. You might be surprised to discover that these giant trees have unusually shallow root systems that reach out in all directions to capture the greatest amount of surface moisture. Their intertwining roots also provide support for each other against the storms. That's why they usually grow in clusters. Seldom will you see a redwood standing alone, because high winds would quickly uproot it! That's what "one another" means! Related Resource: Study the "one anothers" - most positive, some negative ILLUSTRATION - Kindness of a Great President - Despite his busy schedule during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln often visited the hospitals to cheer the wounded. On one occasion he saw a young fellow who was near death. “Is there anything I can do for you?” asked the compassionate President. “Please write a letter to my mother,” came the reply. Unrecognized by the soldier, the Chief Executive sat down and wrote as the youth told him what to say. The letter read, “My Dearest Mother, I was badly hurt while doing my duty, and I won’t recover. Don’t sorrow too much for me. May God bless you and Father. Kiss Mary and John for me.” The young man was too weak to go on, so Lincoln signed the letter for him and then added this postscript: “Written for your son by Abraham Lincoln.” Asking to see the note, the soldier was astonished to discover who had shown him such kindness. “Are you really our President?” he asked. “Yes,” was the quiet answer. “Now, is there anything else I can do?” The lad feebly replied, “Will you please hold my hand? I think it would help to see me through to the end.” The tall, gaunt man granted his request, offering warm words of encouragement until death stole in with the dawn. TENDER-HEARTED: eusplagchnoi: Tender-hearted - Ps 145:9; Proverbs 12:10; Luke 1:78; James 5:11 Ephesians 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Ephesians 4:17-32 Solving Conflicts - Steven Cole Ephesians 4:28-32 - Wayne Barber Ephesians 4:28-29: A Brand New Way of Life - 4 - Wayne Barber Ephesians 4:25–32 Principles of New Life - John MacArthur Ephesians 4:17-5:14 Study Guide (see dropdown menu) - John MacArthur George Morrison gives us a wise reminder that "the great secret of the tender heart lies in the fellowship of Jesus Christ (Ed: E.g., the root splagchnizomai is used of Jesus in Mt 9:36 = "felt compassion", cp similar uses of Mt 14:14, 15:32, 20:34 ). It is a continual wonder about Jesus that He was so strong and yet so tenderhearted. No authority could make Him fearful; no array of power could ever daunt Him, and yet a bruised reed he would not break, and smoking flax He would not quench. He was not tender because He knew so little. He was tender because He knew so much. All that was hidden from duller eyes He saw--all that men had to bear and battle through. Their helplessness, their crying in the night, their inarticulate appeal to heaven--all this was ever audible to Jesus and kept His heart as tender as a child's. And He never lost this tenderheartedness even in the darkness of the cross. Men scorned Him, and they spat on Him, and crucified Him, yet "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." And what I say is that when that mind of Christ is given by the Spirit to you and me, then whatever happens, however we are treated, we shall be kind one to another, tenderhearted." (George Morrison. Glasgow Pulpit New Testament Commentary) Tender hearted (2155) (eusplagchnos from eú = well + splagchnon = bowel) literally means "having strong, healthy bowels" (as used once literally in a medical sense by Hippocrates, 430BC). The inward organs were considered the seat of emotion and intention. The word then means compassionate, easily (quickly) moved to love, pity, or sorrow. It describes one having tender feeling for someone else. UBS Handbook comments that eusplagchnos "may often be expressed idiomatically as “show how your heart feels toward others” or “let your heart go out to others” or “feel sorrow in your heart for others” The root word splagchnon was used by the Greeks to refer to the upper abdominal viscera, the heart, lungs, liver and upper bowels, which the ancients regarded as the seat of affections and emotions, such as anger and love. The phrase "I feel it in the pit of my stomach" is a modern parallel. And we all know how that feels! So splagchnon refers to that deep, internal caring comparable to the modern expressions of deep feeling such as “broken-hearted” or “gut-wrenching”. Splagchnon is the strongest Greek word for expressing compassionate love or tender mercy and involves one’s entire being. It describes the compassion which moves a man to the deepest depths of his being. In the gospels, apart from its use in some of the parables, it is used only of Jesus John Eadie - So far from being churlish or waspish, Christians are to be noted for their tenderness of heart. They are to be full of deep and mellow affection, in opposition to that wrath and anger which they are summoned to abandon. A rich and genial sympathy should ever characterize all their intercourse. (Ephesians 4 Commentary) Eusplagchnos not a word about conduct but about your insides -- literally, your innards, your belly. Be well-disposed to each other in your deepest parts. It's exactly the opposite of hypocrisy that acts tender and feels malice. Webster says that the English word tender hearted means easily moved to love, pity, or sorrow The only other Biblical use of eusplagchnos is 1Pe 3:8+ "To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit." FORGIVING EACH OTHER, JUST AS GOD IN CHRIST ALSO HAS FORGIVEN YOU: charizomenoi (PMPMPN) heautois kathos kai o theos en Christo echarisato (3SAMI) humin: Forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you - Ep 5:1; Ge 50:17,18; Mt 6:12,14,15; 18:21-35; Mk 11:25,26; Lk 6:37; 11:4; 17:4; Ro 12:20,21; 2Co 2:7,10; Col 3:12,13; 1Pe 3:8,9; 1Jn 1:9; 2:12 Ephesians 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Ephesians 4:17-32 Solving Conflicts - Steven Cole Ephesians 4:28-32 - Wayne Barber Ephesians 4:28-29: A Brand New Way of Life - 4 - Wayne Barber Ephesians 4:25–32 Principles of New Life - John MacArthur Ephesians 4:17-5:14 Study Guide (see dropdown menu) - John MacArthur THE DESTRUCTIVE SPECTRUM OF AN UNFORGIVING SPIRIT Forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you - The spectrum of unforgiveness includes all manner of insults and injuries we receive that result in reactions varying from resentment to grudges to bitterness to overt anger. All of these self-destructive feelings (eg, bitterness is an "acid" that damages the "container" as much or more than those it is poured on) need to be dealt with at the Cross where our forgiveness was paid for in full (Jn 19:30+ where "It is finished" = "Paid in full" = Tetelestai!). It follows that the mighty Cross is the fountain head of ALL supernatural (true) forgiveness. While forgiveness may entail just one act on our part, often forgiveness is a process as the painful thoughts and feelings recur and we find ourselves needing to repeat this divinely enabled act of forgiveness "seven times seventy". It is vital that we as the body of Christ deal with the poison of an unforgiving spirit for this is one of the most common problems in evangelical churches today, which produces the putrid "fruits" of disunity, divorce, disappointment, etc (according to Bryon Paulus, director of Life Action Ministries, a revival focused ministry). Jesus presumably addressed believers in Matthew 18:21-35 in the parable of the unforgiving steward. Believers are implied by the fact that Jesus called for "seven times seventy" forgiveness in Mt 18:22, a quality only possible in one energized by the Holy Spirit. In the parable our Lord concluded that the unforgiving person is the one who shows no mercy (Mt 18:33, cp Jas 2:13, Mt 5:7) and who would be turned over the torturers "until he should repay all that was owed" (Mt 18:34, read the entire parable Mt 18:21-35). Note the "time phrase" until. Until can be a few minutes, a few months or many years, even a lifetime. How often we hear stories of unresolved relationships lasting a lifetime, only to be dealt with (or not dealt with) on one's death bed! Unforgiveness is a topic with which the body of Christ must seriously address. John