In October 2023 I created a Twitter/X account specifically for interacting with other Christians on theological and political topics. It had been several years since I had been on that platform under the former handle @votblog, which I used to primarily promote blog posts. I cancelled that account because of overwhelming influx of bots and troll accounts. This latest attempt has been a mixed bag. There have been a few accounts that I enjoy interacting with, but largely my experience has been one of shock at the doctrinal beliefs of those who claim to be Christians and the way that professing Christians interact with one another. There is no way that a non-Christian would ever find this appealing, let alone be drawn to hear the gospel from those whom they have witnessed to have such vitriolic interactions with other professing believers. Not only has this been shocking, and to my own admission I’m sure my interactions haven’t been completely filled with love, so I fall under this rebuke as well, but these interactions go completely against Scripture and is grievous to the Holy Spirit.
In Ephesians chapter 4, after laying out the gospel indicatives in the first three chapters Paul shifts to gospel imperatives which are built on this earlier foundation. He begins with unity, a point that he developed throughout the opening chapters, and which is grounded in the believer’s union with Christ. He then moves to the significant gifts that Christ gave, which we find out are those whom He has gifted as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. Their purpose, contrary to modern evangelical beliefs, is not to do the work of ministry (diakonia), rather it is to equip the saints to do the work of ministry, resulting in the building up of the body and the unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God (Ephesians 4:11-13). This is the preventative against believers being as children “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Ephesians 4:14) So we see then that there is a purpose within the gatherings and congregations of believers of an expected maturity as those whom Christ has gifted build up the body to do the work of ministry, being united in faith and knowledge of God. There is a doctrinal foundation, a doctrinal maturity, and an expected doctrinal unity.
Contrasted with the doctrinal immaturity and subjection to instability with every doctrine that then wind and waves might bring, believers are called to speak the truth in love, uncoincidentally the tagline of this blog. Let’s look at this again. Culminating the previous verses and contrasting doctrinal instability is the command to speak or confess the truth in love. Contextually, there is no reason to push the inclusion of agape to the next phrase, it simply belongs with the confession of truth, which is the support structure for believer’s mutual edification (building up) and unity. We ought to note that there is not a hint of bludgeoning one another into doctrinal submission, nor is the confession of truth to one another marked with bitterness, disrespect, impatience, let alone anger. It is marked by love. I’m reminded of the older song lyric, “and they’ll know we are Christians by our love”, which is drawn from Jesus’ words in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” This is simply not the case in the vast majority of online interactions that I’ve seen. In fact, the medium all but prevents loving interactions with a stranger with whom you cannot look in the eye with genuine Christian love. It’s anonymous, which makes vile speech that much easier to devolve into.
As the chapter continues, Paul gives a series of negative and positive behaviors which are to mark the Christian life, particularly their gatherings, built on the foundation of union in Christ, unity among one another, and the doctrinal stability which was just mentioned. What the apostle is aiming for in Ephesians 4:17ff is a practical stability in the Christian life which flows out of and from the doctrinal stability both of which are to be fully engulfed with unity among the body. In introducing this, we read of a familiar Pauline concept of putting off the old self and putting on the new self, which is after the likeness of God. It is a great exchange that marks the Christian life. In keeping with this throwing off and putting on, the apostle then addresses several behaviors, which apparently the believers in Ephesus had fallen into or at least were exhibiting towards one another. A summary of the negative behavior and its positive replacement is listed below.
- Falsehood –> Speak the truth w/one another
- Do not sin in your anger –> Righteous anger (implied)
- Do not steal –> Labor with your own hands
- No corrupting speech –> Grace-filled speech that edifies (builds up)
While this list is certainly meant to call the believer to put off these particular sins, the implication is that they will positively affect the body of believers when it is done so. The last one mentioned, corrupting speech, is particularly interesting in that it has an additional comment attached to it. In Ephesians 4:30 we read, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” The question arises as to how this particular statement fits within the contextual flow of Paul’s argument. The answer seems to be that it is especially emphasizing not the previous list as a whole, rather the last point in the list concerning corrupting speech. If we combine the negative, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths” with the positive, ” but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” with the additional command to not grieve the Holy Spirit, we have a better picture of God’s concern with how we speak to one another, contextually with other believers. How we communicate truth, how we correct one another, just the general tenor of our overall speech with one another matters to God. So much so that when our speech is corrupt, literally like a rotten fish, it grieves the Holy Spirit.
Why?
Elsewhere in Scripture we are reminded of the dangers of how we speak to our fellow man, though how much more so those to whom we are united in Christ by faith and are to witness the gospel to the world by means of our love for each other. Perhaps no other book in the Bible highlights the dangers of our speech more than James. In chapter 1 we are exhorted to “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” clearly paralleling some of the ideas we have seen above from Ephesians 4. Additionally, we have the following:
James 1:26If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
And
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
James 3:1-12
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Specifically, I want to draw our attention to the last verses in this section from James 3 which instruct us on the impossibility of bringing fresh water and salt water out of the same spring, an analogy for our tongues speaking both curses to those likewise created in the Imago Dei and blessings to God our Father. In other words, the mouth cannot, indeed should not, be duplicitous in our communication. The same mouth that blesses, gives praise and thanksgiving to God cannot be the same mouth that curses others. If this is true for those who are made in the image and likeness of God, how much truer is it of those who have put on the new self in the image and likeness of the holy Christ? Violating this, being careless and condemning with our words, particularly with other believers is grievous to the Holy Spirit.
Returning to our context from Ephesians and an additional reason why tearing down other believers, even if we feel our motivation in correcting doctrine is pure, is especially grievous to the Holy Spirit is again the point of unity. As individuals our bodies are temples in which the Spirit of God dwells, therefore we are to honor God in and with our bodies. Collectively and corporately when we gather as believers Christ has promised that He is present and this congregation is representative of the body of Christ, made up of different members, but is no less where the Spirit of God dwells. Therefore, to use our tongues to tear down rather than build up, divides the body and subsequently grieves the Spirit.
As for our online behavior and speech to other believers, the world is watching. The Holy Spirit is watching. How we conduct ourselves with other believers has an impact, either positively or negatively. If we “bite and devour one another” then we likewise need to “watch out that [we] are not consumed by one another.” Galatians 5:15
