What does it mean to give no place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27)?

Answer

In Ephesians 4, Paul encourages the believers in Ephesus to live as redeemed Christians. Since they have a new life in Christ, they should behave as new individuals, not as they did before their salvation (Ephesians 4:20-24). In Ephesians 4:25–32, Paul provides various examples of what it means to live in Christian community. One of these examples pertains to our anger and its connection to the devil. “‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27;NKJV). Some translations render the word for “place” as “foothold” (NIV) or “opportunity” (ESV).

The term “place” or “foothold” originally denotes a physical location. In the Greek-speaking world, it evolved to symbolize “opportunity.” The implication in Ephesians 4:27 is metaphorical. We are not to provide the devil with any chance to influence our lives. He should not find any place in our lives because he is an adversary of God and seeks to harm God’s people (John 8:44;1 Peter 5:8).

In the context of this passage, it is our anger that has the potential to offer the devil an opportunity «Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: », (Ephesians 4:26). Even righteous anger, if harbored for too long, can turn into bitterness and division. The longer we hold onto anger, the more chances we give the devil to sow hatred and discontent. This is why Paul instructs the Ephesian Christians not to let the sun set on their anger, so that they do not provide the devil with any opportunities to distort the situation with his falsehoods and deceit. We

It is essential to promptly address our anger to prevent giving any opportunity to the devil.

How can we implement this teaching? We need to understand that holding onto anger towards others allows the devil to cause chaos in our lives. Any situation that enables the devil to impact our lives is inherently harmful. We should heed Paul’s guidance, just a few verses later, to show kindness and compassion, forgiving one another, as God forgave us in Christ «and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.», (Ephesians 4:32).