No Corrupt Communication Ephesians 4:29

Paul the apostle continued to give instructions to the Ephesian church members concerning “putting off the old man” and “putting on the new man” which were references to their old way of worldly living and their new way which followed in the steps of Jesus Christ. In chapter four and verse twenty-nine of his letter, Paul shared concerning the Ephesians “communication” where we read:

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,

but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

The verse begins, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,...” Paul began with the words, “Let no corrupt” which in the Greek is “sapros mē pas sapros” which means “do not allow, permit or license rotten, putrefied, worn out, poor quality, bad, unfit for use and worthless” “communication” which means “speech, a word, uttered by a living voice, what someone has said, a decree, mandate or order” “proceed” or “go forth, depart, issue and proceed” “out of your mouth” which means “the part of the body which conveys speech”. The Ephesian Christians were not to say anything that is “bad, rotten, putrefied and of pour quality”.

The verse goes on to say, “...but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Paul continued with the word, “But” which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written takes precedence over what was previously stated, “moreover, nonetheless or nevertheless” “that which is good” or “of useful, salutary, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy, excellent and distinguished benefit” “to the use” which means “necessity, need, duty and business” “of edifying” or “building up and promoting Christian wisdom, piety, happiness and holiness”, “that it may minister” or “give, reach out, bestow, let have, supply, furnish and deliver” “grace” which means “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, goodwill, lovingkindness and unmerited favor” “unto the hearers” which refers to “those who are endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf, and able to attend to, consider, understand and perceive the sense of what is said”. Rather than speaking “corrupt” things, the Ephesian church members were to use their words to “build up” others so they would receive “unmerited favor” from those who share with them.

When we think through these words of Paul, we understand how important our words are. Our words can be used for “corruption” and destruction, and they can be used to “edify” others. Jesus Christ demonstrated the way we should speak, and with the help of Him and the Holy Spirit, may those who are Christians use their voices to “bless” and not “curse” others.

Next time Paul instructs the Ephesian church members to “grieve not the Holy Spirit”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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