Ephesians 4 Devotional

Forgiven People Who Forgive

“Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.”Ephesians 4:32 (BSB)

Ephesians 4 turns from what God has done to how his people should live. Paul urges believers to walk worthy of the calling they have already received (4:1). He does not tell them to create unity but to keep the unity the Spirit has given, because there is one body, one Spirit, one Lord, and one God and Father of all (4:3-6). The risen Christ gives gifts to his church, people who equip the rest so that the whole body grows up into him (4:11-16).

Then Paul gets concrete. Put off the old self and put on the new one, created to be like God (4:22-24). Tell the truth. Do not let anger linger past sundown. Work so that you can give. Every command flows from something already true. The chapter's last line makes that plain: be kind and tender toward one another, forgiving each other the way God forgave you in Christ (4:32). The forgiveness you extend is drawn from the forgiveness you have received.

To think about: Who do you need to forgive today, and how does remembering God's forgiveness of you make that possible?