In the final installment of the devotional series, “The Process of Change”, Dr. Greg Gifford focuses on the end of Ephesians 4 to share practical examples of how the process of change unfolds. Today, we look at what putting off, being renewed, and putting on looks like in the life of a believer.
Verse 25
Put Off: Falsehood
Paul calls the Ephesian church to put off falsehood. Falsehood extends far beyond the act of lying, but includes misrepresentations, exaggerations, evasions, half-truths, and more. When we speak falsehoods, we are ultimately injuring the body of Christ by lying to and tearing down other believers.
Put On: Truth
When is a liar no longer considered a liar? It is not when they stop lying, but when they have started speaking the truth. Once we put off falsehood, we must continue by also beginning to speak truth. Through being renewed, we should have a newfound desire to speak the truth to those around us in order not to break down and injure the body of Christ. As believers, we are called to love the body of Christ, and our words should reflect that. When the temptations to lie resurface, we must dwell on the fact that we are one in the body of Christ.
Verses 26-27, 31
Put Off: Unrighteous Anger
There is no place in the life of a believer for unrighteous anger. Unrighteous anger, in no way, accomplishes God’s purpose. It is a selfish response to wanting to accomplish our own purpose. Letting unrighteous anger fester leads to great resentment and bitterness in our own lives. It ultimately gives Satan a small seed, a foothold, that he can use in our lives to destroy and hurt us. Living in the sin of unrighteous anger leads to other sins such as violence, the use of hurtful words, and more.
Put On: Righteous Anger
This is the one place in all of Scripture where it says to be angry with a righteous anger, showing that it is possible to have an anger that is not sinful. Therefore, when dealing with any other kind of anger, it must be put to a stop. The focus here is on immediacy. Unrighteous anger must be dealt with immediately in order not to give Satan any opportunity.
Verse 28
Put Off: Stealing/Thievery
The sin of thievery is addressed all the way back in the Ten Commandments. It is a sin that is pretty universally seen as wrong, and yet people still fall into the act of stealing.
Put On: Hard Work
The antidote to being a thief is labor, working hard unto the LORD. A thief is not only called to stop taking from people, but to start giving to people, which is made possible through hard labor. When both the putting off and the putting on take place, that is when it is clear that the process of change is complete.
We hope that this devotional series was an encouragement to you over the past few weeks. This blog post captures the essence of Dr. Greg Gifford’s series on the process of change. You may click on the video above to hear more insightful details about not just how we change, but the process of that change. Dr. Gifford is the Chair of the Undergraduate School of Biblical Counseling as well as a Biblical Counseling Professor for The Master’s University traditional on-campus program.
