Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

In verse 22 of Ephesians 4, Paul tells us to put off our old self which belongs to our former way of living. The Gentile believers manner of life was corrupt through deceitful minds and they were integrating with the Jewish Christians who come from a long line of laws and commands for holy living. Since they have now put on the new self, they are to put away falsehood as well. Paul tells them earlier to speak the truth in love. Since we are all members of the same body, we should speak truth to one another. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, this verse is of vital importance to us. I wonder if the Apostle Paul had some of the old testament in mind when he wrote this to the people of Ephesus. There are so many places that speak of dealing with one another without falsehood which were contrary to the heathens of their day.

As I read this verse today I imagine a person’s body. The head and the arms, the eyes and the ears. Our hands, and feet, and legs… They all must work together and send the right messages to each other in order for the body to function properly. If the message from the hand was to “let go” when it needed to grasp something, then the hand would be useless. If the foot told the leg to stop when the rest of the body was needing to go, the foot would become useless as well to the body.

I know this is a silly analogy, but as members of the Christian body we are to speak the truth to one another so we can function together the way the Lord intended us to. When I look at the definition of falsehood I see words like deceitfulness, lying, treachery, and even flattery fits into this context. The thought of falsehood being among believers is as foreign as civility at a presidential debate. We should, of all people, be the ones who are most trustworthy. We almost expect falsehood from the world anymore, and when we receive honesty we are greatly blessed.

If you struggle with the sin of falsehood today I encourage you to turn to the Lord for a renewed mind. Repent and walk towards the ways of Christ rather than the ways of the world remembering that we are all members one of another.

Be Blessed,
Keith