What does Ephesian Chapter 4 verse 25 mean?

Answer 1

Ephesians 4:25 - Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.

Part of the practicality of being a new creation, Christians must completely eradicate any deceit or lying as part of their new life. The body of Christ (all Christians) is damaged by allowing these sins to remain within it.

Lying is one of the first bad habits many fall into. It's one of the first "wrong" things a child will deliberately choose to do, and one of the first toeholds Satan gets as he tries to influence our behavior. Lying can become so habitual that it's very hard to quit doing. It's understandable that Paul would tell Christians to "put away" (stop) that habit and develop the habit of telling one another only the truth. The phrase "for we are members one of another" reflects back on a mental image Paul established early in the letter: that of the church as a body with Christ as its head. Back in chapter 1:22, 23 he wrote, "And He [God] put all things under His [Jesus'] feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." In Eph. 4:4 he had just written, "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;" and goes on to talk at some length about the "body," reinforcing the image. Like various parts of the physical body, vastly different from each other yet all parts of one whole and all working toward the same purpose (the overall good of the body, including the head), Christians "are members of one another," all parts of one body. If physical body parts "lie" to each other (think in terms of something like a thyroid problem), the whole body suffers. Things get "out of whack," and "just not right." That's what happens within a church congregation if members lie to one another; spiritually, things get "out of whack" and "just not right."