Ephesians 4:17-24 (NKJV)
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no
longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
having their understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is
in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves
over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ,
if indeed you have heard Him and
have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct,
the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
and that you put on the new man
which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
The Bible was written to be obeyed, and not simply studied, and this is why the words “therefore” and “wherefore” are repeated so often in the second half of Ephesians (4:1, 17, 25; 5:1, 7, 14, 17, 24). Paul was saying, “Here is what Christ has done for you. Now, in the light of this, here is what we ought to do for Christ.” We are to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only (James 1:22). The fact that we have been called in Christ (Ephesians 1:18) ought to motivate us to walk in unity (Ephesians 4:1-16). And the fact that we have been raised from the dead (Ephesians 2:1-10) should motivate us to walk in purity (Ephesians 4:17-5:17), or, as Paul told the Romans, “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). We are alive in Christ, not dead in sins; therefore “put off the old man… and put on the new man (Ephesians 4:22, 24).
“The Admonition” (Ephesians 4:17-19)
There are some negatives in the Christian life, and here is one of them: “Walk not as other Gentiles walk.” The Christian is not to imitate the life of the unsaved people around him or her. They are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), while they have been raised from the dead and been given eternal life in Christ. Paul explains the differences between the saved and the unsaved.
To begin with, Christians think differently from unsaved people. Note the emphasis here on thinking: mind (Ephesians 4:17, 23), understanding (Ephesians 4:18), ignorance (Ephesians 4:18), “learned Christ” (Ephesians 4:20). Salvation begins with repentance, which is a change of mind. The whole outlook of a person changes when he or she trust Christ, including their values, goals, and interpretation of life. What is wrong with the mind of the unsaved person? For one thing, his or her thinking is “vain” (futile). It leads to no substantial purpose. Since they do not know God, they cannot truly understand the world around them , nor can they understand their self. The sad story is told in Romans 1:21-25. Our world today possesses a great deal of knowledge, but very little wisdom.
The unsaved person’s thinking is futile because it is darkened. They think they’re enlightened because they reject the Bible, and believe the latest philosophies, when in reality they’re in the dark. “Professing themselves to be wise, they become fools” (Romans 1:22). But they think they are wise. Satan has blinded the minds of the unsaved (2 Corinthians 4:3-6) because he does not want them to see the truth in Jesus Christ. It is not simply that their eyes are blinded so they cannot see, but that their minds are darkened so that they cannot think straight about spiritual matters.
Of course, the unsaved person is dead because of their spiritual ignorance. The truth and the life go together. If you believe God’s truth, then you receive God’s life. But, you would think that the unbeliever would do their best to get out of this terrible spiritual plight. Unfortunately, the hardness of their heart enslaves them. They are “past feeling” because they have given themselves over to sin that sin controls them. (Read Romans 1:18-32 for a vivid expansion of these three brief verses)
The Christian cannot pattern their self after the unsaved person, because the Christian has experienced a miracle of being raised from the dead. Their life is not futile, but purposeful. Their mind is filled with the light of God’s Word, and their heart with the fullness of God’s life. They give their bodies to God as an instrument of righteousness (Romans 6:13), and not to sin for the satisfaction of their own selfish lusts. In every way, the believer is different from the unbeliever, and therefore the admonition: “Walk not.”
“The Argument” (Ephesians 4:20-24)
Paul reinforced his admonition with an argument from the spiritual experience of his readers. Again the emphasis is on the mind, or the outlook, of the believer. “But ye have not so learned Christ” (Ephesians 4:20). He did not say “learned about Christ,” because it is possible to learn about Christ and never be saved. To “learn Christ” means to have a personal relationship to Christ so that you get to know Him better each day. You can learn about Sir Winston Churchill by reading books and can secure books about his life. But you can never learn him because he is dead. Jesus Christ is alive! Therefore, I can “learn Christ” through a personal fellowship with Him.
This fellowship is based on the Word of God. You can be taught “the truth” as it is in Jesus Christ. The better you understand the Word of God, the better you know the Son of God, for the whole Bible is a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27; John 5:39). The unsaved person is spiritually ignorant, while the Christian is intelligent in the things of the Word. And the unsaved man or woman does not know Christ, while the believer grows in their personal knowledge of Christ day by day. We have believed the truth; we have received the life; therefore, we will walk “in the way” and not walk after the example of the unsaved world. But, this experience of salvation goes much deeper than this, for it has resulted in a whole new position before God.
The old man (the former life) has been put away, and we can now walk in newness of life through Christ. Ephesians 4:22-24 is a summary of Romans 5-8, where Paul explained the believer’s identification with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection. He also dealt with this in Ephesians 2:4-6, as well as in Colossians 3. As Christians, we have not simply changed our minds. We have totally changed our citizenship. We belong to God’s “new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and therefore, the ideas and desires of the old creation no longer should control our lives.
The simplest illustration of this great truth is given in John 11, the resurrection of Lazarus. Our Lord’s friend, Lazarus, had been in the grave four days when Jesus and His disciples arrived at Bethany, and even Martha admitted that, by now, the decaying body would smell (John 11:39). But Jesus spoke the word and Lazarus came forth alive, an illustration of John 5:24. Notice our Lord’s next words, “Loose him, and let him go” (John 11:44). Take off the graveclothes! Lazarus no longer belonged to the old dominion of death, for he was now alive. Why go about wearing graveclothes? Take off the old and put on the new! This was Paul’s argument; you no longer belong to the old corruption of sin; you belong to the new creation in Christ. Take off the graveclothes! How do we do this? “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4:23).
Conversion is a crisis that leads to a process. Through Christ, once and for all, we have been given a new position in His new creation, but day by day, we must by faith appropriate what He has given us. The Word of God renews the mind as we surrender our all to Him (Romans 12:1-2). “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17). As the mind understands the truth of God’s Word, it is gradually transformed by the Spirit, and this renewal leads to a changed life.
Physically, you are what you eat, but spiritually, you are what you think. “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). This is why it is important for us as Christians to spend time daily meditating on the Word, praying, and fellowshipping with Christ.
