Ephesians 4:25 - "Let Each One of You Speak Truth..."

Wehave been studying Ephesians chapter 4, where the Apostle Paul teaches that weare to live differently than we once did. Why? Because a new man has enteredour lives. That new man is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, living in usthrough the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit now dwellswithin us, giving us a new life—a life that can walk in righteousness and dothe things that please God. Paulbecomes very practical in this section, telling us what it means to put off theold man. In Ephesians 4:25, he begins by saying: “Therefore, putting awaylying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for weare members of one another.”  Here,Paul emphasizes the importance of truth. Youmay remember the moment when Pilate stood before Jesus and asked, “What istruth?” Just before that question, Jesus had declared in John 18:37: “Pilatetherefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered,"You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for thiscause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." That brings to mind Johnchapter 10, where Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, andthey follow me.” To follow Jesus is to follow truth. To know the truth, wemust have a personal relationship with the truth—because Jesus is the truth. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Wordwas with God, and the Word was God… All things were made by him.” “And the Word was made flesh,and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begottenof the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Hereis John—a simple fisherman from the region of the Sea of Galilee—testifying, “Wehave met the truth. We have seen His glory.” He echoes this again in 1 Johnchapter 1, declaring that they had heard, seen, and touched the Word of life. Thistruth is none other than Jesus Christ—God in the flesh. John tells us that Hisglory was full of grace and truth. God reveals Himself as the source of alltruth. Jesus later said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and thelife.” When Pilate asked, “What is truth?” the answer, Jesus Christ,Truth Himself was standing right in front of him. TheBible teaches that we are born speaking lies. Psalm 58:3 says, “The wickedare estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speakinglies.” Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful above all thingsand desperately wicked. Our natural hearts are part of the old man, the oldnature, and “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew12:34). So how can you tell the difference between someone who follows Jesusand someone who does not? A follower of Jesus speaks the truth, believes thetruth, and loves the truth. Where is truth found? Truth is found in JesusChrist. Where is Christ found? In the Word of God.  Thegreatest lie ever told was spoken by Satan in the Garden of Eden, when he toldEve, “You shall not surely die… you shall be like God, knowing good andevil.” In other words, “Follow your heart.”  You hear that message everywhere today, but itis not biblical. The Bible does not say, “Follow your heart.” Jesus said,“Follow me.” And when you follow Jesus, you follow the truth. Satan is still whisperingthis lie in our ears today. “You can decide what is right or wrong. Do what makesyou feel good. You don’t need God”.   Thatis why Jesus said He was born, “to bear witness to the truth”. When you knowthe truth—when you know Jesus—you can speak the truth to your neighbor. Truthbuilds up; lies tear down. Truth strengthens fellowship; lies destroy it. MayGod help us understand this: Jesus is the Truth. Let us love Him, live for Him,and speak His Truth. When you speak the truth, you bear witness to JesusChrist! And if you have never received Him into your life, I encourage you todo so this Christmas Eve.