The New Self in Real Life

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview 

Live out your new nature by doing purposeful good to one another.

1. Be truthful with one another (v. 25)

2. Do not sin in anger against one another (vv. 26-27)

3. Work hard to share with one another (v. 28)

4. Speak to build up one another (vv. 29-30)

Ice Breaker

What are some ways your life has changed from before you were a Christian to after you became one? If you’re not a Chrisitan, what are some changes you hope would happen in your life?

Digging Deeper    

This week’s questions are divided up based on the four commands Paul gives in the passage. Each command has a handful of questions. You likely won’t have time to get through all the questions, so it may be helpful at the beginning to see if there are one or two commands that the group would like to discuss. The commands and corresponding question numbers are as follows:

Command #1: Be Truthful = Questions 1-4

Command #2: Be angry and do not sin = Questions 5-8

Command #3: Work and be generous = Questions 9-11

Command #4: Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit = Questions 12-13 

It’s critical to remember the larger context of the letter as we work through Ephesians chapters 4-6 which are filled with specific commands and instructions. We are to receive these commands in light of all that God in Christ has already done for us and for our salvation. What might be the consequences of not remembering Christ’s work for us as we consider the commands of 4:25-30? How can we best guard against these consequences?

The gospel changes us; it transforms our lives. It does so in very concrete ways, like our speech (v. 25). What are some of the ways gospel-transformed speech among us honors God?  

In what contexts are you most tempted to speak something other than the truth?  What are some of the subtle ways we can manipulate words such that we haven’t told a bald-faced lie, and yet (if we are honest!) we haven’t been truthful either?

Why should being members with one another (Eph. 4:25b) be a motivation to speak the truth with one another?

Verses 26-27 describe a way to be angry without sinning. What is the difference between righteous anger and sinful anger?

Have you ever experienced anger without sin (either in yourself or someone else)? If so, what was it like? 

What sort of “opportunity” are we giving the devil, by clinging to our anger and thus failing to resolve it in a timely manner?

In what context(s) do you find yourself most tempted toward sinful anger? How can this community help with this?

Work is God’s idea. He calls us to “labor” so that, instead of stealing what belongs to others, we might be in a position to show generosity (v. 28). What are ways we can (perhaps subtly) be tempted to take that which does not belong to us?  

What does it look like (in the year 2024), to do “honest work with (our) own hands”? 

 What are some practical ways we can show generosity to those around us and those in need? 

What might it look like practically to speak life-giving words to one another on a regular basis?  How can we help one another grow in this? 

Does your heart ache at the thought of grieving the Holy Spirit (v. 30)? Why or why not?  How might being on guard against grieving the Holy Spirit, help us resist sin and temptation in times of testing?    

Prayer