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THEREFORE, LAYING ASIDE
FALSEHOOD: Dio apothemenoi (AMPMPN) to pseudos: (Leviticus
19:11;
1 Kings 13:18;
Psalms 52:3;
119:29;
Proverbs 6:17;
12:19,22;
21:6;
Isaiah 9:15;
59:3,4;
63:8;
Jeremiah 9:3-5;
Hosea 4:2;
John 8:44;
Acts 5:3,4;
Colossians 3:9;
1 Timothy 1:10;
4:2;
Titus 1:2,12;
Revelation 21:8;
22:15)
Therefore (1352)
(dio) is a relatively emphatic marker of a result, usually
denoting that the inference is self-evident. Synonyms - So then.
Consequently. For that reason. On which account.
Laying aside
(659)
(apotithemi
from apo =
away from, marker of dissociation, implying a rupture from a former
association, separation, departure, cessation, any separation of one
thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is
destroyed + tithemi = put, place) (Click
word study on
apotithemi)
means literally to put or take something away from its normal location
and put it out of the way. It was used literally of runners who
participated in the Olympic games who cast off their clothes and running
nearly completely naked in the stadium.
Figuratively the idea is to cease doing what one is accustomed to doing.
Stop doing it. "Throw" it off like you would dirty, foul smelling
clothes! Be done with it! The
aorist tense
calls for a once and for all, definite, concluding action. The stripping
off is to be done at once and for good.
In this verse the verb signifies that the
saved readers are to take an action (their practice) that is in
agreement with their change in identity (their position), from the
old man (who practiced lying) to the new man who is called to
speak truth (in love).
Apotithemi means we as new men in Christ are to discard, strip off
or
cast away lies and falsehood. Note that we are to lay aside every form
of dishonesty, including shading the truth, exaggerating, failure to
keep a promise, betrayal of a confidence, etc. There is no such thing as
a "little white lie" for those who are positionally holy and blameless.
The believer's word is to be totally trustworthy and yes should mean
yes and no should mean no. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus called his
hearers to the same high standard declaring...
Again, you have heard that the
ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL
YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.' 34 "But I say to you, make no oath at all,
either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for
it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF
THE GREAT KING. 36 "Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you
cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your statement be, 'Yes,
yes' or 'No, no'; and anything beyond these is of evil. (See notes
Matthew 5:33-35,
5:36-37)
Paul used apotithemi in his
exhortation to the saints at Rome, writing that...
The night
is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside
the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (See note
Romans 13:12)
In his letter to the predominantly Gentile
saints at Colossae Paul exhorting them based on their new
position in Christ (and no longer in Adam)...
But now you
also,
put them all
aside: (aorist
imperative = do this now! do it effectively! it is
urgent!) anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your
mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self
(man) with its evil practices, (See note
Colossians 3:8;
3:9)
The writer of Hebrews used
apotithemi in his great exhortation writing...
Therefore,
since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also
lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily
entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before
us, (See note
Hebrews 12:1)
Peter addressing his believing
readers exhorted them writing...
Therefore, putting aside (apotithemi) all malice and all guile
and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babes, long for
the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to
salvation (See note
1 Peter 2:1;
2:2)
Luke gives us a literal use of
apotithemi to describe the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem who
"began stoning (Stephen), and the
witnesses laid aside (apotithemi) their robes at the feet of a
young man named Saul. " (Acts
7:58).
They
laid aside their outer garments so they could more freely do their
wicked work. The Christian lays aside the following attitudes, so he can
be free to do the righteous work of the Lord.
Falsehood
(5579)
(pseudos
pseudos from pseúdomai = to lie) describes an untrue
statement, an intentional violation of the truth, a lie or a deception. Falsehood is that which is in the
state of being untrue. Pseudos is the content of a false
utterance. Pseudos is conscious and intentional falsehood. In a broad
sense, pseudos is whatever is not what it seems to be or
professes to be (the antithesis of truth).
Webster says a lie
is an assertion of something known or believed by the speaker to be
untrue with intent to deceive. It is an intentionally false statement.
A lie is
any statement or act designed to deceive another person. The motivation
for most lying is a desire either to hurt the one against whom the lie
is directed or to protect oneself, usually out of fear or pride.
The Evangelical
Dictionary of Biblical Theology says that...
The sanctity of truth is fundamental
in biblical teaching since it is based on the nature and character of
God. Therefore, to despise truth is to despise God, and the
Scriptures treat this topic with profound seriousness. In the garden of
Eden the serpent denied the truth of God’s pronouncement and encouraged
the woman to act in defiance of divine truth (Ge 3:4)... Lying
undermines moral standards and is, therefore, often associated with even
more glaring sins (Elwell, W. A., & Elwell, W. A. Evangelical
Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House)
As an aside
someone has well said that he most dangerous of all falsehoods is a
slightly distorted truth. A half truth is a whole lie.
There are 10 uses
of pseudos in the NT...
John 8:44 "You are of your
father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was
a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks
from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.
Romans 1:25 (note)
For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and
served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen. (Comment: Literally "the lie" and here stands by metonymy
for an idol. See Isaiah 44:20 below.)
Ephesians 4:25 Therefore,
laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his
neighbor, for we are members of one another.
2Thessalonians 2:9 that is,
the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all
power and signs and false wonders, (Comment: Literally
"signs and wonders of a lie". Both bear the stamp of fraud. Here
pseudos refers to false, fictitious, pretended miracles calculated
to deceive - in this case to deceive people into the acknowledgement of
the false claim that the Antichrist is deity.)
2Thessalonians 2:11 And for
this reason (because of their willful rejection) God will send upon them
a deluding influence (literally a working -- energeia -- of error) so
that they might believe what is false, (literally "the lie" in
this case deluding men to believe Satan and not God)
1John 2:21 I have not written
to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it,
and because no lie is of the truth.
1John 2:27 And as for you, the
anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no
need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all
things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught
you, you abide in Him.
Revelation 14:5 And no lie
was found in their mouth; they are blameless.
Revelation 21:27 and nothing
unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall
ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's
book of life.
Revelation 22:15 Outside are
the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and
the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. (Comment:
How serious is lying? Look at the company God places it with and the
reward it secures!)
There are 34 uses
of pseudos in the
Septuagint (LXX)
(Job 16:8; Ps. 4:2; 5:6; 58:3; 59:12; 62:4; Prov. 9:12; 14:5, 25; 24:2,
22; Isa. 28:15, 17; 30:12; 44:20; Jer. 3:10, 23; 5:2; 9:3; 13:25; 23:14,
32; 37:14; 43:2; Ezek. 33:31; Dan. 8:25; 11:23; Hos. 4:2; 7:3, 13;
11:12; Mic. 2:11; Zech. 5:4; Mal. 3:5) Here is an interesting use of
pseudos in the OT...
Isaiah 44:20 He (referring to
overt idol worshipers) feeds on ashes (what a picture! Practicing
idolatry is like feeding on ashes! It will never satisfy, is ever
disgusting and in the end results in death!); a deceived heart has
turned him aside (idolatry promises but does not follow through). And he
cannot deliver himself (from bondage to idolatry. He is like a drug
addict trapped by the drug, in this case a godless idol!), nor say, "Is
there not a lie (Lxx = pseudos) (an idol) in my right hand" (Comment:
Pseudos in this use refers to an idol or idolatry)
Psalm 5:6 Thou dost destroy
those who speak (habitually, as their lifestyle) falsehood (Lxx =
pseudos). The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
SPEAK
TRUTH EACH ONE OF YOU WITH
HIS NEIGHBOR: laleite (2PPAM) aletheian hekastos meta tou plesion
autou:
(15;
Proverbs 8:7;
12:17;
Zechariah 8:16,19;
2 Corinthians 7:14;
Colossians 3:9)
Speak
(2980)
(laleo)
(Click
word study on
laleo)
is
the Greek verb meaning to make a sound and then to utter words.
Paul is not
suggesting we speak truth but commanding it by using the
present imperative
which calls for this to
be the believer's habitual way of speaking (i.e., not lying), the action which characterizes his or
her life.
Vincent
says that laleo is
"used of speaking, in contrast with
or as a breaking of silence, voluntary or imposed. Thus the dumb man,
after he was healed, spake (Mt
9:33 "And after the demon was cast out, the dumb man spoke;
and the multitudes marveled, saying (lego), "Nothing like this was ever
seen in Israel.") and Zacharias, when his tongue was loosed, began to
speak (Lu
1:64 "And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed,
and he began to speak in praise of God") The use of the word
laleo ...contemplates the fact rather than the substance of speech.
Hence it is used of God (Heb
1:1), the point being, not what God said, but the fact that
he spake to men. On the contrary, lego refers to the matter of
speech. The verb originally means to pick out, and hence to use words
selected as appropriate expressions of thought, and to put such words
together in orderly discourse." (Vincent, M. R. Word studies in the New
Testament).
Kenneth Wuest
adds that
"Laleo (was) used originally
just of sounds like the chatter of birds, the prattling of children,
(but was also used) of the most serious kind of speech. It takes note of
the sound and the manner of speaking. One thinks of the words in the
song In the Garden; “He speaks, and the sound of His voice is so sweet,
the birds hush their singing.” (Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)
Speak truth
- Paul had repetitively emphasized truth in this section - He had
just explained that "truth was in Jesus" (see note
Ephesians 4:21),
that these Gentile believers had put on a new garment, the new self or
new man (see note
Ephesians 4:24),
having been "created in righteousness and holiness of the truth"
and that they were to be "speaking the truth in love" (see note
Ephesians 4:15)
which would facilitate growing up in all aspects into Christ the Head of
the Body, the source of all Truth.
Truth
(225)
(aletheia from a = without + lêthô = that which is
hidden or concealed, the combination meaning out in open) is the the
unconcealed reality lying at the basis of and agreeing with an
appearance; the manifested, the veritable essence of matter.
TDNT
explains the origin of this word this way...
Etymologically aletheia means “nonconcealment.” It thus denotes
what is seen, indicated, expressed, or disclosed, i.e., a thing as it
really is, not as it is concealed or falsified. aletheia is “the real
state of affairs,” e.g., the truth in law, or real events in history, or
true being in philosophy... aletheia is “that which has certainty and
force”... aletheia is “that on which one can rely”...aletheia is “the
state of affairs as disclosed”... aletheia is “truth of statement” used
with speaking (Lk. 4:25) or teaching (Mk. 12:14).... aletheia is “true
teaching or faith” (2 Cor. 13:8; 4:2; Gal. 5:7;
1 Peter 1:22 [note])
(Kittel,
G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament. Eerdmans)
Truth then is the
correspondence between a reality and a declaration which professes to
set it forth. To say it another way, words are true when they correspond
with objective reality. Persons and things are true when they correspond
with their profession. Hence a truth is a declaration which has
corresponding reality, or a reality which is correctly set forth. Since
God is Himself the great reality, that which correctly sets forth His
nature is pre-eminently the Truth.
Truth is the
property of being in accord with fact or reality as defined by God.
Whatever God says is Truth. Truth is a person, Christ Jesus.
Each one
(1538)
(hekastos from hékas = separate) every single one. This
idea of separation or singling out is expressed still more strongly by
heís hékastos.
Neighbor
(4139)
(plesion from pélas = near, near to) literally means near,
quite near, nearby = position quite close to another position.
Figuratively, plesion means to be near someone and thus be a neighbor.
FOR WE ARE MEMBERS OF ONE
ANOTHER: hoti esmen (1PPAI) allelon mele: (5:30;
Romans 12:5;
1 Corinthians 10:17;
12:12-27)
Members
(3196)
(melos) is literally a limb or member of the body. Here
melos is used metaphorically of "members" ("limbs") of the Church of
which Christ is the Head.
Paul is speaking of the members of
the spiritual body of Christ in this context but by way of application,
how important is this practice of speaking truth in a marriage covenant,
where the two are one flesh! For covenant partners to lie to the one
another is in a sense to lie to one's self! How foolish and deceived we
are we when we walk in the darkness of falsehood in our marriages.
Darkness is also a dangerous place because the Evil One rules over this
realm and when we traffic in his kingdom by lying to one another in our
marriage, we give the devil an opportunity, just as we do when we have
unresolved anger (See note
Ephesians 4:27).
One another
(240)
(allelon from állos = another) means just what it says. It
is like the sequoia trees of California which tower as high as 300 feet
above the ground. You might be surprised to discover that these giant
trees have unusually shallow root systems that reach out in all
directions to capture the greatest amount of surface moisture. Their
intertwining roots also provide support for each other against the
storms. That's why they usually grow in clusters. Seldom will you see a
redwood standing alone, because high winds would quickly uproot it!
That's what "one another" means!
Wayne Barber explains that the new garment displays a
transformed tongue noting that..
Paul moves on and begins to show us,
with the fourth point, what the new garment looks like.
"Therefore, laying aside falsehood,
speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of
one another."
The first characteristic of this
garment is we are going to have a transformed tongue. The
Bible tells us that what the mouth speaks identifies what is on the
inside of the heart. James 3:8 says
"no one can tame the tongue; it is a
restless evil and full of deadly poison."
If you ever see somebody in control
of their tongue, they must be under the control of the Holy Spirit of
God.
The first thing Paul says about the characteristics of the garment is,
speak truth and stop speaking falsehood.
Let’s identify here why it is a characteristic of this new garment.
If you go back to John 8:44, the same
word truth is used to identify its source. Remember Ephesians 2
says we were once dead in our trespasses and in our sins. Of course,
then we were of our father the devil.
"You mean to tell me that lost people
have a father who is called the devil?"
That is exactly right. If you don’t
know Christ, may I just encourage you to realize that you are already in
that downward spiral, in that trap of being deceived by the devil
himself. This comes right out of the devil himself. People who lie find
their roots in the devil himself. Look at John 8:44:
"You are of your father the devil,
and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from
the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no
truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature,
for he is a liar, and the father of lies."
When you find a person who does not
tell the truth, who lies in any area of his life, you find a person who
is no longer being controlled by the Spirit of God. He has now subjected
himself under the influence of the devil who is the father of all lies.
If you will look in
Colossians 3:9
it documents that we were once like that. It was part of the fabric of
the old man. It certainly isn’t a fabric of the new man.
Colossians 3:9
says,
"Do not lie to one another, since you
laid aside the old self with its evil practices."
We know the root of a lying tongue is
the devil and we also know that it is seen and manifested in the old
man, the old garment. When I take off the garment of Christ, when I put
on those wrong clothes, immediately I am going to see lies and deceit
come out of my mouth.
Look in 1 John 2:27:
"And as for you, the anointing which
you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to
teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is
true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him."
Folks, listen, there is no lie, there
is no deceit in truth. There is no deceit in the written truth, the
living truth. There is no lie in that. Where do lies come from? They
come from the pit of hell. What is it representative of? The
Old Man,
the way we used to live. It was a characteristic of man to just simply
lie. But when you come into the truth, there can be no lie in your life.
Look at
1 Peter 2:22.
Jesus lives in us in the person of His Spirit. We find the word again,
and it speaks directly of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a prophecy of Him
which was fulfilled in Him. In the Lord Jesus there was no deceit. Peter
says,
"WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY
DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH." (note)
That tells me two things. First of
all, the truthfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ and His inability to lie,
but secondly the truthfulness of His Word, for in what He spoke there
was no lie.
LIES ALWAYS PROTECT THE FLESH
Folks, you can’t lie when Christ is
in your heart because lying is something that is a nature of Adam and
the nature of the devil himself. He is the father of it. It came in
through Adam. When God came to Adam he called out,
"Adam, where are you? What have you
done?"
Adam replied,
"It is her fault."
I mean, it is immediate. I don’t know
why Paul started with this as the first characteristic of the garment. I
think it is because all lying and all deceit protect the flesh rather
than confess the flesh. It is so easy to tell a lie, isn’t it? Just tell
a partial truth. You can’t do it when Jesus Christ is in your life.
You see, lies always protect the flesh. The flesh is filled up with
lustful deceit and doesn’t want to be exposed. So when you come and bow
down before Christ and begin to put that brand new garment on, it won’t
let you lie. If you do, immediately you know you have grieved the Holy
Spirit of God. Isn’t it amazing, he starts right there?
I want you to see something in Ephesians 6. Ephesians 4 and 6 are saying
the same thing!
In Ephesians 4, Christ's life is your garment. In Ephesians 6 Christ is
your armor. It is the same thing.
The whole book of Ephesians is like a fabric that is so woven together.
You can’t disassociate chapter 6 from chapters 3 and 4. It all blends
together. It says over in chapter 6 concerning the armor,
"having girded your loins with
truth."
How many times have you heard that
preached that that is the Word of God? There is no definite article
there. God is trying to say,
"A person who is wearing the garment
of Christ is transparent and open and honest and does not lie about
anything, especially with his lips. He doesn’t speak deceit."
First of all then, we have a
transformed tongue. (Ephesians 4:22-27: A Brand New Way of Life
- 3)
><> ><> ><>
Our Daily Bread
has the following
devotional related to speaking truth rather than falsehood...
No Lie (based on "Do not lie
to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds. — see
notes
Colossians 3:9")
A college football coach resigns
after admitting he falsified his academic and athletic credentials. A
career military officer confesses to wearing combat decorations he did
not earn. A job applicant acknowledges that her stated experience in
"food and beverage oversight" was actually making coffee each morning at
the office.
Within each of us is a tendency to embellish the truth in order to
impress others. Whether on a job résumé or in casual conversation,
exaggeration comes naturally—but we pay a price. Small lies usually grow
larger as we try to avoid discovery. Then we wonder how we ever got
ourselves into such a predicament.
The Bible says, "Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the
old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in
knowledge according to the image of Him who created him" (see notes
Colossians 3:9
Colossians 3:10).
In other words, if we've placed our faith in Jesus as our Savior, lying
is inconsistent with what God expects us to be. The antidote to the
poison of self-promotion is a growing Christlikeness—a spirit of mercy,
kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, and love (see notes
Colossians 3:12;
3:13;
3:14).
If we genuinely care about people, we won't need to try to impress them
at any cost. —David C. McCasland
(Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Lord, help me to please You by
telling the truth,
Being honest in words and in deeds;
And help me to conquer my selfish desires,
To love others and care for their needs. —Fitzhugh
Honesty means never having to look
over your shoulder. |
