Ephesians 4:17-32

FIRST THOUGHTS

What might we be able to determine about people based on how they walk?

One of my favorite pass times is to take a seat at the mall while my wife is shopping and people watch. You can learn a lot about a person from the way they are dressed, how they walk and talk.

The way we walk speaks volumes about us. Gait is a strong indicator of health, age, and personality. A person’s stride can reveal confidence, pain, insecurity, anger, extroversion, or introversion.

Paul had already urged believers to walk worthy by walking forward together. Now he urged Christians to walk worthy by walking differently. Unlike Paul’s time, believers today have the have a walk that is different from the culture we live in.

THE OLD

Ephesians 4:17–19 (ESV)

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.

Complete this sentence: “Believers need to walk differently than …”

Before a person can walk a new walk, they must first understand what the old walk was. In this passage Paul reminds believers of the walk they had before coming to know Christ as Lord and Savior.

Paul gives us four characteristics of the ungodly lifestyles which believers are to forsake.

unbelievers are intellectually unproductive.(Eph 4:17)   A lost person does not know the truth as it comes to spiritual and moral issues. They see good as evil and evil as good. Their rational processes are distorted and inadequate, leading them to be unable to produce godly understanding or moral living.

unbelievers are spiritually separated from God, thus ignorant of God’s truth (Eph 4:18  1 Cor 2:14 ).  Because they lack understanding of God’ truth they are spiritually blind and have a hard heart. Lives separated from God’s holiness are ignorant lives.

 unbelievers are morally insensitive(Eph 4:19). One who refuses or does not understand the truth of God will life an immoral lifestyle. They see no wrong in living immorality, because to them there are no rules.

unbelievers are behaviorally depraved (Rom. 1:28). As they willingly keep succumbing to sensuality and licentiousness, they increasingly lose moral restraint, especially in the area of sexual sins. Impurity is inseparable from greediness, which is a form of idolatry.

Paul is giving us a picture of all mankind without Christ. If we look at our culture through the lens of this passage, it becomes very clear why the culture is so opposed to the things of God.

THE CHANGE

Ephesians 4:20–24 (ESV)

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.

What transformation occurs as believers are being renewed in the attitude of our minds?

The great news is that we do not have to walk like a lost person. There is another way to walk…Christ’s way. Paul turns from addressing the unbeliever’s’ past, non-Christian mindset and focuses on the difference that finding Christ makes.

Paul says we have learned, we have heads and we have been taught the truth. the truth of salvation leads the believer to the fullness of the truth about God, man, creation, history, life, purpose, relationships, heaven, hell, judgement, and everything else that is truly important.

We a person comes to Christ, they become a new man. Paul describes it as taking off dirty filthy rags and putting on fresh new clothes. Once you have become a Christian, you are to leave behind the attitudes, habits, values, and actions that you had before being born again similar to taking off an old work coat and putting on a new coat to go out for the evening.

Paul reminds us in verse 23 that when you are saved, we are “renewed in the spirit of your mind” The battle for your behavior is really a battle for the control of your mind. This renewal of the mind began at conversion and continues daily as you seek to walk in righteousness and holiness, based on the truth of God.

We cannot make ourselves new. That is God’s work through the Holy Spirit. Our task is to cooperate with God and consciously work toward change each day.

THE NEW

Ephesians 4:25–32 (ESV)

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.

In this passage Paul gives commands reflecting several contrasts between the old life and the new. Based on their newness of life, believers are to change from:

lying to speaking the truth (Eph 4:25)- Speaking the truth would resolve most of the problems in the average church. In our old life, lying was easy but, in our renewed life we to make truth telling a habit of life. We must create unity in the body with one truth because we are members of one another.

unrighteous anger to righteous anger (Eph 4:26-27)- Sometimes we may legitimately become angry. Jesus became angry at times. In those times we must be extra careful how we act, for anger gives no excuse to sin. Sinning in anger would include things such as saying unkind things or acting in harmful ways toward others. We may not always be able to keep from getting angry, but we can keep from sinning when we do. When we do get angry, we should deal with it before the day is through.

stealing to sharing – (Eph 4:28) Stealing in any form is a sin and has no part in the life of a believer. Rather, let him work, producing what is beneficial. The alternative to stealing is to provide for oneself, one’s family, and others what is God-honoring through honest, honorable means. A believer not only should harm no one but should continually endeavor to help those who are in need.

unwholesome words to edifying words – (Eph 4:29)  The word for “corrupt” refers to that which is foul or rotten, such as spoiled fruit or putrid meat. Foul language of any sort should never pass our lips, because it is totally out of character with our new life in Christ good for necessary edification. The Christian’s speech should be instructive, encouraging, uplifting, and suited for the moment. Because we have been saved by grace and kept by grace, they should live and speak with grace.

natural vices to supernatural virtues – (Eph 4:31-32) The natural man is full of bitterness, anger, and wrath. We can witness this in the news every day. The lost world is full of bitterness, anger, and wrath. Paul encouraged us to let go of those attitudes because they will harm our relationships with others.

Believers are to walk with compassion to one another in a forgiving attitude. We have been forgiven so much by God, we of all people should, forgive the relatively small offenses against them by others. That is why we must live a life of compassion and forgiveness.

“Grieve not the holy Spirit of God.” (Eph 4:30)The Holy Spirit is a person who can be grieved. What is it that grieves Him? It is the offenses that have been listed. When a Christian lies, it grieves the Holy Spirit. When a Christian has dirty thoughts, it grieves the Holy Spirit. What happens when a person is grieved? It breaks the fellowship. The Holy Spirit cannot work in your life when you have grieved Him, when fellowship with Him has been broken.

SUMMARIZE & CHALLENGE

How can Christians walk differently in a world that expects us to be like them?

• When we remember the futility of living in bondage to sin, we will be intent on living a radically different way.
• Seek satisfaction in Jesus alone.
• Strip away self and put on Jesus.
• Walking and talking differently is a daily lifestyle commitment to unity and purity.

Personal Challenge:  Pay attention to how you walk physically and spiritually. Make it your goal and prayer that people will notice you are different.

Bibliography

• Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999)
• David O. Dykes, General Editor, Explore the Bible: Leaders Guide, Fall 2019 (Nashville, TN: LifeWay, Christian Resources, 2019)
• David O. Dykes, General Editor, Explore the Bible: QuickSource, Fall 2019 (Nashville, TN: LifeWay, Christian Resources, 2019)
• John MacArthur Jr., ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997)
• John MacArthur, Ephesians, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986)
• J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Epistles (Ephesians), electronic ed., vol. 47 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991),
• Grant R. Osborne, Ephesians: Verse by Verse, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017), 141.