17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
- Verse 17-ff clearly demonstrate for us that identity and actions are inseparably linked.
- The sinfulness of Ephesus; Diana worship.
- “you must no longer walk” – Paul shifts from this theology of the unity and diversity of the mystical body of Christ to spell out behavioral patterns that he expects to see in the church and in the lives of the saints.
- “futility of their minds” – Having really attained a mature understanding of the things of God, then, a believer is not going to live like the Gentiles, who are ignorant of the things of God and who don’t have God in their thinking. Their thinking is not informed by divine revelation and they don’t have the perspective of eternity that is given to Christians in the word of God. The pagan mind is never theocentric (God-centred); the Christian mind must be theocentric. God must be at the center, informing the understanding and shaping opinions about everything.
- “They have become callous and have given themselves up” – Because God isn’t in their mind, he is not displayed in their actions.
20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- But that is not the way you learned Christ” – We are to march to a different drumbeat, for we are to live according to the commandments of Christ.
- APP: The instruction of verses 22-24 are largely missing from today’s discipleship processes and strategies.
- “as the truth is in Jesus” – God’s Word changes lives.
- “put off” – emphasizing our responsibility in this endeavor. The word means, to put away, to put aside, to keep in prison, to take off clothing, to stow away.
- Paul gives us two very important motives to put off our old self – 1. It belongs to our old self 2. It is corrupt.
- Christianity is not receiving something new, but is about being something new.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Points to Ponder
- What are some ways the “futility of mind” and “darkened understanding” show up in modern manhood?
- Paul speaks of being “renewed in the spirit of your minds.” What does that look like practically for you?
- What’s the difference between suppressing sin and replacing it with righteousness?
- What role does community (like this men’s group) play in helping each other pursue the new life?
- What would change in your home, workplace, or friendships if we truly lived out this passage?