Efésios 4

Efésios 4:31

Hendriksen - Bitterness is the disposition of the person with a tongue sharp as an arrow, keen as a razor. He resents his neighbor, and so he “needles” him, is ever ready to “fly off the handle” with a reply that bites or stings. (Ephesians) Eadie - Pikria in this verse denotes that fretted and irritable state of mind that keeps a man in perpetual animosity, that inclines him to harsh and uncharitable opinions of men and things, that makes him sour, crabby, repulsive in his general demeanor, that brings a scowl over his face and infuses the words of his tongue with venom. (Ephesians 4 Commentary) Lehman Strauss - Bitter words and actions show that the heart is not right, for only the mouth of the unrighteous is full of bitterness (Ro 3:14+). Believers must take heed “lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled” (Heb 12:15+). No fountain can send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter. Therefore, if we have bitter envying and strife in our hearts, it is earthly, sensual and devilish (James 3:11-15+). Clamour is the audible expression of anger, wrath, and bitterness in the heart. It is the cry of one’s passions in railing against others while asserting one’s own rights. All evil speaking must be put away, with all malice. “Speak not evil one of another, brethren” (James 4:11). Yes, dear Christian, let it all be put away from you. Put away bitterness. Put away wrath. Put away anger. Put away clamour. Put away evil speaking. Put away all malice. These things defile the believer even as commercialism defiled the temple in our Lord’s day, so that He said to them that sold doves: “Take (airo in aorist imperative ) these things hence” (John 2:16+). Bitterness reflects a smoldering resentment, a harsh feeling, a brooding grudge–filled attitude, an unwillingness to forgive or a harsh feeling. Bitterness is the opposite of sweetness and kindness (cf. husbands toward wives in Col 3:19+, where we see the "preventative" or antithesis of bitterness is to love one's wife unconditionally!). The bitter person harbors resentment and even "keeps score" of wrongs (cf 1Co 13:5+)! ILLUSTRATION - Don't be like the man who literally kept a book in which he recorded the wrongs done against him - needless to say he was miserable! Love doesn’t keep score because love has a bad memory. Supernatural Spirit wrought love (Gal 5:22+) seeks to cover a multitude of sins. (1Pe 4:8+) Bitterness does not have to do with how we taste but how we react! Skevington rightly says that "Pikria is the opposite not only of sweetness (gleuketes) but of kindness (chrestotes). It is the spite that harbors resentment and keeps a score of wrongs. Aristotle defined those who display it as "hard to be reconciled" (Nicomachean Ethics 4.11). (Expositor's Bible Commentary) POSB on bitterness - There is bitterness (pikria): resentment, harshness. A man who is bitter is often sharp, resentful, cynical, cold, harsh, stressful, intense, relentless, distasteful, unpleasant. Any expression involving any of these is sin to God. God desires men to be filled with love and joy and peace and to express such. Anything less than the expression of these three is sin. (See Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible-KJV-Galatians-Colossians) Bitterness is the curse of life, it is the main cause of trouble in all relationships. -- Martyn Lloyd-Jones Martyn Lloyd-Jones astutely observes that "Bitterness is the curse of life, it is the main cause of trouble in all relationships. All men’s efforts to solve the problems are hampered by bitterness. It is found on both sides of the disputes. You find it in the demagogue who often represents the servants. He desires to improve conditions, and rightly so, but he rarely attempts to do so without producing a great deal of bitterness. And there is equal bitterness on the other side. Men can never solve these problems because each man is out for himself, and sees his own side only. Bitterness arises because of selfishness: that is the very opposite of being filled with the Spirit. But when men are filled with the Spirit on both sides of a dispute there is hope of solving it because both are animated and governed by a common desire. (Our Master in Heaven: A sermon on Ephesians 6:5-9) Steven