Ephesians 4.27-The Believer Must Not Allow an Opportunity Benefiting the Devil
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday November 1, 2025
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:27-The Believer Must Not Allow an Opportunity Benefiting the Devil
Lesson # 291
Ephesians 4:26 Each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of permitting yourselves to be justifiably angry with the result that each and every one of you as a corporate unit continue to make it your habit of not committing sin. Each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of not letting the sun go down when justifiably angered. 27 Each and every one of you as a corporate unity must continue to make it your habit of not allowing an opportunity which benefits the devil. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 4:27 is composed of a solemn prohibition, which required the recipients of this epistle who we noted were Gentile Christians in the Roman province of Asia, to continue making it their habit of not allowing an opportunity, which benefits the devil.
It is a solemn prohibition because like all the commands and prohibitions found in Ephesians 4:26-6:20, it is designed to conform the conduct of the Gentile Christian community to that of the conduct of the holy character of Jesus Christ.
It is solemn because of obedience to this prohibition will result in their spiritual growth and Christ-likeness as well as unity with each other.
Correspondingly, failure to obey this prohibition will hinder their spiritual growth and
The articular form of the noun diabolos (διάβολος), “the devil” refers to God’s greatest enemy among the fallen angels or evil spirit beings.
The noun diabolos (διάβολος) functions as a dative of advantage, which expresses the idea of the devil “benefiting from” an opportunity to disrupt their fellowship and unity.
The verb didōmi (δίδωμι) pertains to granting or allowing someone the opportunity or occasion to do something.
The referent of the second person plural form of this verb is the recipients of this letter, who were Gentile Christian community living throughout the Roman province of Asia.
The word is not only referring to the recipients of this letter as a corporate unit but also as individuals.
The meaning of the verb didōmi (δίδωμι) is negated by the negative disjunctive particle mēde (μηδέ).
Together, they form a prohibition and form a disjunctive clause, which is used in conjunction with the final prohibition in Ephesians 4:26.
The noun topos (τόπος) pertains to a favorable circumstance for doing something.
In context, it speaks of a favorable set of circumstances which would enable the devil to disrupt the unity in the Christian community.
The prohibition in Ephesians 4:27 presents an alternative to the prohibition in Ephesians 4:26, which is composed of a command and two prohibitions.
All of which refer to church discipline.
Specifically, they address the importance of the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia in administering church discipline immediately with regards to those in their community who are guilty of unrepentant sinful behavior.
The command required that the recipients of this epistle must continue to make it their habit of permitting themselves to be justifiably angry because of the unrepentant sinful activity of a member of their community.
The first prohibition presents the result of obedience to the command and required that they must continue to make it their habit of not sinning by administering church discipline immediately to those in the Christian community who are guilty of unrepentant sinful behavior.
The second prohibition required that they continue to make it their habit of not letting the sun go down when justifiably angered by those in the Christian community who are guilty of unrepentant sinful behavior.
This prohibition is figurative language for not procrastinating when administering church discipline.
The prohibition in Ephesians 4:27 requires that they make it their habit of never allowing the devil an opportunity which benefits him and which opportunity would be to disrupt the unity of the Christian community.
Now, as we noted Ephesians 4:27 is a disjunctive clause, which is composed of a prohibition, which required that the recipients of this epistle continue to make it their habit of never allowing an opportunity, which benefits the devil.
Therefore, the prohibition in Ephesians 4:27 presents an alternative reason as to why the recipients of this epistle were to not let the sun go down on their justified anger, which is the result of the unrepentant sinful behavior of a member of their community.
The alternative reason is that they must not give the devil an opportunity to disrupt the unity in the Christian community by failing to administer church discipline promptly.
In other words, Paul wants them to address the problem immediately in order that the devil might not have an opportunity to disrupt the unity in their community.
By failing to administer church discipline promptly would give Satan and opportunity to ruin their testimony.
Furthermore, failing to administer church discipline will result in the Lord administering dying discipline to the guilty party.
Lastly, it will result in the Lord disciplining the church for failing to administer discipline to the guilty party (cf. 1 Cor. 5; 11:30; 1 John 5:16).
The Lord Jesus Christ created angels who are moral rational creatures like mankind and the greatest of these angels was Satan and so therefore, Satan is a creature (cf. John 1:1 with Psa. 148:1-5; Col. 1:16; Ezek. 28:13) and he is also a spirit being.
Hebrews 1:14 describes angels as spirits and demons are called unclean spirits (Matt. 8:16; 12:45; Luke 7:21; 8:2; 11:26; Acts 19:12; Rev. 16:14).
Furthermore, the fact we are told that “we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12) also suggest that Satan and his demons are spirit beings.
Finally, the fact that Paul describes them as invisible also shows they are spirit beings (Col. 1:16).
Satan is not omniscient, omnipotent or omnipresent like God but rather he has limitations and he simply cannot be everywhere at once and nor can he read your mind.
Angels, though spirit beings and very powerful, are not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent and they cannot be everywhere at once and this is true of Satan.
However, as the chief of his demon forces or as the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), he is chief of a vast host of demons who are so numerous as to make Satan’s power and presence seem to be practically ubiquitous or everywhere at once (cf. Mark 5:9).
Ephesians 4:27 is not the first time Paul has discussed the devil since he does so in Ephesians 2:1-2.
Ephesians 2:1 Now, correspondingly, even though, each and every one of you as a corporate unit were spiritually dead ones because of your transgressions, in other words, because of your sins. 2 Each and every one of you formerly lived by means of these in agreement with the standard of the unregenerate people of this age, which is the production of the cosmic world system, in agreement with the standard of the sovereign ruler, namely the sovereign governmental authority ruling over the evil spirits residing in the earth’s atmosphere. Specifically the spirit who is presently working in the lives of those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience. (Lecturer’s translation)
