"Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his
neighbor: for we are members one of another."
19. Lest there might be one who failed to understand the meaning of
the old and the new man, or of true and false righteousness and
holiness, the apostle now proceeds to give an example or two, making
it easier for us to grasp the idea. All sin comes under one of two
classes: First, that of the devil's own making, such as murder and
deceit; for by lies he establishes all idolatry, error, false faith
and holiness, and among men he creates faithlessness, deceit, malice,
etc. Secondly, those sins which he instigates man to commit against
man; deeds of wrath, hatred, vengeance and murder. Paul combines
these two classes.
20. Now, when a man does not deal fairly with his neighbor, but
practices dishonesty and deceit, be it in matters spiritual or
temporal (and the world is ever deceitful in all transactions), then
certainly the old man holds sway and not righteousness nor holiness,
however much the man may effect a good appearance and evade the
courts. For such conduct does not reflect God's image, but the
devil's. For the heart does not rely on God and his truth, otherwise
it would war with fraud and deception; but its object is to clothe
itself with a misleading garb, even assuming the name of God, and
thus to deceive, belie, betray and forsake its neighbor at the
bidding of every fiendish whim, and all for the satisfaction of its
avarice, selfishness and pride.
21. In contrast thereto you can recognize the new man. He speaks the
truth and hates lies, not only those momentous lies against the first
table of the Ten Commandments, but also those against the second
table; for he deals faithfully and in a brotherly way with others,
doing as he would be done by himself. Thus should Christians live
with each other, as members of one body, according to the apostle,
and as having in Christ all things common and alike.
"Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath."
22. Half the sins which the world has learned of its lord and master,
the devil, consist in lying and deceiving, and that in the name and
appearance of truth. No one wants to be called a liar, and even the
devil covers his lies with the name of truth. The other half, which
is easier to recognize, consists in wrath and its fruits. And this
class is usually the result of the other. The world, for its own
advantage, lies and deceives; and when it sees mankind acting in
opposition to its wishes, or beholds its lies exposed and its schemes
thwarted, it begins to rage in wrath against God, endeavoring to
avenge itself and inflict harm, but fraudulently disguising its
wicked motive under the plea of having good and abundant reasons for
its action.
23. Therefore Paul admonishes the Christians as new creatures, to
guard against this vice of wrath, adducing the fourth verse of the
fourth Psalm: "Stand in awe and sin not." The repetition of this
passage sounds, in Paul's rendering, as if permission to be angry
were given; he says: "Be ye angry, and sin not." But Paul is taking
into consideration the way of the world. Men are tempted and moved to
anger. There are no clean records. Under sudden provocation the heart
swells with ire, while the devil busily fans the flame; for he is
ever alert to stamp upon us his seal and image and make us like unto
him, either through error and false doctrine, or through wrath and
murder in conflict with love and patience. These two forms of evil
you will encounter, especially if you make an effort to be a godly
Christian, to defend the truth and to live uprightly in the sight of
all. You will meet with all manner of malice aforethought and deceit,
and with faithlessness and malignity on the part of those you have
benefited; again, with unmasked violence and injustice on the part of
those who should protect you and see to your interests. This will
hurt and move you to wrath. Yea, in your own house and among your
dear Christian brethren you will often meet with that which vexes
you; again, a word of yours may hurt their feelings. And it will not
be otherwise. This life of ours is so constituted that such
conditions must be. Flesh and blood cannot but be stirred at times by
wrath and impatience, especially when it receives evil for good; and
the devil is ever at hand kindling your anger and endeavoring to fan
into a blaze the wrath and ill humor between yourself and your
neighbor.
24. But right here, says the apostle, you should beware and not sin;
not give rein, nor yield to the impulse and promptings of wrath. That
you may indeed be moved, the apostle would say, I well know, and you
may fancy to have the best of reasons for exhibiting anger and
vengeance; but beware of doing what your wrath would have you do: and
if overcome by wrath and led to rashness, do not continue in it, do
not harbor it, but subdue and restrain it, the sooner the better; do
not suffer it to take root or to remain with you over night.
25. If followed, wrath will not suffer you to do a single right
thing, as James affirms (ch. 1, 20). It causes man to fall and sin
against God and his neighbor. Even the heathen have seen that wrath
gets the better of reason and is never the source of good counsel. In
line with this, we read that St. Ambrose reproved the emperor
Theodosius for having, while in a rage, caused the execution of many
persons in Thessalonica; and that he succeeded in having the emperor
issue a rescript to the effect that no one should be executed, even
on his imperial order and command, until a full month had passed by,
thus affording an opportunity to rescind the order if given in haste
and wrath.
26. Therefore the Psalm says: When wrath attacks and moves you, do
not at once give it leave to do its will. Therein you would certainly
commit sin. But go into your chamber, commune and take counsel with
yourself, pray the Lord's Prayer, repeat some good passages from
God's Word, curb yourself and confide in God; he will uphold your
rights.
27. It is this the apostle has in mind when saying: "Let not the sun
go down upon your wrath." A Christian must not entertain wrath; he
should instantly quench and stifle it. It is the part of the new man
to control anger, that the devil may not move him from his new-found
faith and make him lose what he has received. If he yields to these
instigations of his flesh, he thereby returns to the error and
condemnation in the old man and loses control of himself, following
his own desires. Then he adorns a lie with the appearance of truth,
claiming the right to be angry and take revenge; just as the world
does when it asserts: This fellow has done me infinite violence and
injustice; am I to suffer it? I have a just cause and shall not
recline my head in ease until he is repaid! By such talk it loses its
case before both God and men; as the saying goes: He that strikes
back has the most unjust cause.
28. Both divine and human justice forbids that a man be judge in his
own case. For this very reason God has established governmental and
judicial authority, in his stead to punish transgressions,
which--when properly administered--is not man's but God's judgment.
He therefore that invades such judgment, invades the authority of God
himself; he commits a double wrong and merits double condemnation. If
you desire to seek and obtain redress in the courts, you are at
liberty to do so, provided you proceed in the proper way, at the
proper place and with those to whom God has entrusted authority. To
these authorities you may appeal for redress. If you obtain it
according to law, well and good; if not, you must suffer wrong and
commit your case to God, as we have explained more fully elsewhere.
29. In short, we find in this unique passage a statement to the
effect that he who curbs not his wrath but retains it longer than a
day, or over night, cannot be a Christian. Where then do they stand
who entertain wrath and hatred indefinitely, for one, two, three,
seven, ten years? Such is no longer human wrath but fiendish wrath
from hell; it will not be satisfied nor extinguished, but when it
once takes possession of a man he would, if able, destroy everything
in a moment with his hellish fire. Even so the arch-fiend is not
satisfied with having cast the whole human race into sin and death,
but will not rest content unless he can drag all human beings into
eternal damnation.
30. A Christian therefore has ample cause to carefully guard against
this vice. God may have patience with you when wrath wells up in your
heart--although that, too, is sinful--but take heed that wrath does
not overcome you and cause you to fall. Rather take serious counsel
with yourself and extinguish and expel your anger by applying
passages of Holy Writ and calling upon your faith. When alone or
about to retire, repeat the Lord's Prayer, ask for forgiveness and
confess that God daily forgives you much oftener than your neighbor
sins against you.
"Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more:
but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is
good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need."
31. This thought is brought out also in the next Epistle, namely,
that a Christian should guard against giving offense to anybody by
his life, lest God's name be blasphemed. It is a grand thing to be a
Christian, who, as has been stated, is a new man created after God
and a true image of God, wherein God himself desires to be reflected.
Therefore, whatever of good a Christian does, or whatever of evil he
does, under the name of a Christian, either honors or disgraces God's
name. Now, says Paul, whenever you follow your lusts, in obedience to
your old Adam, you do naught but give occasion to the slanderers--the
devil and his troop--to blaspheme the name of God. For the devil,
even without your assistance, at all times seeks opportunity--nor can
he desist--to befoul our dear Gospel and the name of God with his
slanderous tales, composed, if need be, entirely of lies. But where
he finds the semblance of occasion he knows how to profit by it. He
will then open his mouth wide and cry: Behold, these are your Gospel
people! Here you have the fruits of this new doctrine! Is their
Christ such a one as they honor by their lives?
32. So then a Christian should be exceedingly careful and cautious
for this reason, if for no other: to protect the name and honor of
his dear God and Saviour and not to do the devil the favor of letting
him whet his slanderous tongue on Christ's name. How shall we stand
and answer in his sight when we cannot deny the fact that our life
gives just cause for complaint and offense? By such a life we
intentionally bring disgrace and shame upon God's name and Word,
which things should be our highest treasures and most valuable
possessions.
33. When the apostle says, "Let him that stole steal no more: but
rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good,
that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need," he indicates
the true fruit of repentance, which consists in abandoning and
utterly abstaining from evil and in doing good. He at the same time
attacks and reproves the sin of theft so common in all walks of life.
And them who idle away their time and neglect their duty of serving
and helping their fellow-beings, he calls--and rightfully--thieves in
God's sight.
34. For the right interpretation of the commandment, Thou shalt not
steal, is this: Thou shalt live of thine own work, that thou mayest
have to give to the needy. This is your bounden duty, and if you do
not so God will pronounce you not a Christian but a thief and robber.
In the first place, because you are an idler and do not support
yourself, but live by the sweat and toil of others; in the second
place, because you withhold from your neighbor what you plainly owe
him. Where now shall we find those who keep this commandment? Indeed,
where should we dare look for them except where no people live? But
such a class of people should Christians be. Therefore, let each of
us beware lest he deceive himself; for God will not be mocked nor
deceived. Gal 6, 7.
_Twentieth Sunday After Trinity_
Text: Ephesians 5, 15-21.
15 Look therefore carefully how ye walk [See then that ye walk
circumspectly], not as unwise, but as wise; 16 redeeming the time,
because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not foolish, but
understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunken with
wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; 19 speaking one
to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 giving thanks always
for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the
Father; 21 subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of
Christ.