有一個人擅長用謊言來逃避他收到的交通罰單。在法庭上面對不同的法官時，他都會編造相同的故事：「我跟女友分手了，她在我不知情的狀況下，把我的車開走了。」此外，他也多次在工作中因行為不當而遭到訓斥。檢察官最終指控他犯了四項偽證罪跟五項偽造罪，罪名是涉嫌向法官做偽證，以及提供假造的警方報告。對這個人而言，撒謊儼然成了他一輩子的生活習慣。

相反地，使徒保羅指出，說實話是基督徒生活中一個重要的習慣。他提醒以弗所的眾信徒，他們已經藉著將生命獻給基督，擺脫過去舊有的生活方式（以弗所書2章1-5節）。如今，他們已成為全新的人，就要活得像個新造的人，在生活中要有相稱的行為。其中一項是要摒棄，就是「棄絕謊言」；另一項是要實踐，就是「與鄰舍說實話」（4章25節）。這麼做能使教會保持合一，因此保羅提醒以弗所的眾信徒，總要讓自己的言行能「造就人」（29節）。

藉著聖靈的幫助（3-4節），基督徒能在言行上務求真實。如此教會便能合一，上帝能得榮耀。

A man was adept at beating his personal traffic tickets by lying. When he appeared before various judges in court, he would tell the same tale: “I broke up with my girlfriend and she took my car without my knowledge.” In addition, he had been repeatedly reprimanded for misconduct while on the job. Prosecutors finally charged him with four counts of perjury and five counts of forgery for allegedly lying to judges under oath and providing fictitious police reports. For this man, lying had become a lifelong habit.

In contrast, the apostle Paul said that telling the truth is a vital habit for believers in Jesus to live out. He reminded the Ephesians that they’d put away their old way of living through surrendering their lives to Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5). Now, they needed to live like the new people they’d become, incorporating specific actions into their lives. One such action was something to cease—“put off falsehood”—and the other action something to practice—“speak truthfully to your neighbor” (4:25). Because it protected the unity of the church, the Ephesians were to always have their words and actions be about “building others up” (v. 29).

As the Holy Spirit helps us (vv. 3-4), believers in Jesus can strive for truth in their words and actions. Then the church will be unified, and God will be honored.