In this passage there are two main sections. The first being what not to do and the second being what to do. But all of this is in accordance with knowledge. Now the Bible tells us that knowledge puffs up, but what we know affects what we do. What we believe affects how we live. Our beliefs drive our lives whether we realize it or not. Paul is calling the Ephesians to walk according to righteousness and holiness.
In verse 17 Paul begins by saying I and the Lord want you to no longer walk as the Gentiles. How did the Gentiles walk? Well, at that point most of the Gentile world had yet to hear the gospel so most of them would walk apart from God’s will. At the end of verse 17, Paul says in the futility of their mind. What does this mean? This is more than just the intellectual aspect of their mind. This includes the emotional aspects of their lives as well. The futility of their mind is their understanding darkened, excluded from the life of God, possessing ignorance, and having hardness in their hearts. Their understanding and enlightenment is darkened. They are not able to understand or comprehend because there is no light in them. They are excluded from the life of God because they are ignorant. In many ways ignorance is a tragedy. For so many, ignorance is an insult. It means you are uneducated and therefore do not know the basics that everyone should know. They do not know the basics of attaining salvation and therefore their ignorance is keeping them from salvation. Finally, futility of their mind is because of the hardness of their hearts. What do you understand that phrase to mean? Often times, as believers we miss great opportunities to see God and serve God in mighty ways because we have hardened our hearts. Often times, we as believers “know” the will of God and what we want him to be like and His word to say that we miss what he is really saying because we already know what he is going to say. That is a hardness of the heart. In verse 19, because of all of this they have given themselves over to sensuality. Because they were without direction or a secure foundation they drifted away from the truth. They needed the truth. They were without it, and they are now the example of being lost and perverseness. Are we as believers living in this way? Are we allowing the Lord to lead us rather than living according to the compass of our own desires? One of the worst phrases I have ever heard is a response to this statement, “The Bible tells us. . . .” Here is the worst statement, “Yes, the Bible says that, but. . . .” The Bible should be our guide in all aspects of life. What we believe directs the way we walk.
Beginning in verse 20 we that we should walk in truth. Verse 20 says, but you did not learn Christ in this way. What I just said, you did not learn Christ in that way. You did not learn Christ in carnality or in futileness of the mind. Look at verse 21, my translation reads, “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus.” Basically, you have not truly learned of Jesus if you have learned of him in the way I just described. Truth is in Jesus, and therefore, to learn of Jesus, he is not found in the things of this world. Verse 22 says, lay aside your old life. Well, pastor, I am a good person. I am sure you are but are you focused on Christ? No. Then lay aside your old self. Your old self is being corrupted with lusts of deceit. Verse 23, be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Be renewed in the seat of who you are. Your mind is the seat of who you are. Your mind is so intertwined with your spirit and emotions that if you are corrupted in your mind then you are corrupted in the spirit. Renew your mind through the Spirit and in your spirit. Verse 24 says, put on the new self. To put off and put on is an instruction to us. You who have been redeemed, regenerated do this. You have the Spirit so you can do it. Now do it. What is the new self? It is created in God. It is righteousness and holiness.
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