neighbour, because we are members one of another' (Eph. 4:25 author's

The reference here to Zechariah 8:16 shows that mere speaking will not

satisfy the demands of love to our neighbour, for the passage continues thus:

`execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates'.  `The lie' has brought

in its train misery, oppression, death.  `The truth' reverses all this and

manifests itself in deed as well as in word.

The verses that follow expand and apply this exhortation to the whole

range of earth's relationships.

Let us seek a tender conscience regarding these things, keeping steadily

before us the intimate and vital association that has been revealed to exist

between the high calling of the One Body and the walk that is worthy.

The conflict of the ages is reflected in the epistle to the Ephesians.  It

is summed up in the antagonism that is seen between the truth and the lie, and

expressed by the new and the old man.

The church of the Mystery has b

een delivered from the authority of darkness and translated into the kingdom of

God's dear Son.  That is the repudiation of the lie.  This church has been

lifted up from earth and earthly things, quickened, raised and seated in the

heavenlies.  That is the repudiation of the lie.  The members of this church,

once energized by the prince of the power of the air, are now energized by the

selfsame power that raised Christ from the dead.  That is the repudiation of the

But what of ourselves?  Do we remain passive after grace, as perforce we

were compelled to do before?  Have we no walk that is to be worthy?  Have we no

old man to put off?  No new man to put on?  We have, and doctrinal truth

standing alone can no more save, sanctify and bless, than that kind of faith

exercised by demons.

`Wherefore putting away lying' should read `Wherefore putting away the

lie'.  `To put away' (apotithemi) is used of putting aside clothing (Acts 7:58),

weight (Heb. 12:1), and occurs in Romans 13:12; Ephesians 4:22,25; Colossians

3:8; James 1:21 and 1 Peter 2:1.  Ephesians 4:25 is the only place where we read

of putting away the lie.  All other passages deal with some of the smaller

subdivisions into which the lie falls such as `the works of darkness', `the old

man and his manner of life' and such individual manifestations as `anger',

`malice', `blasphemy', etc.

In Ephesians 4:25-32 this putting

away of the lie is dealt with, and the

Spirit of God condescends to details in

order that we may be made sensible that

in the words of our mouth, the works of

our hands, the very tone of our voices,

we may manifest the truth and repudiate

the lie.  Two expressions seem to stand

out in this passage as index figures on

a dial:

The Lie --`Give place to the devil' and `Grieve the Holy Spirit of God'.

The Truth --`Even as God for Christ's sake hath acted graciously to you'.