Made New | Ephesians 4:17-32  

Ephesians 4:17-24

¹⁷So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. ¹⁸They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. ¹⁹Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

²⁰That, however, is not the way of life you learned ²¹when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²²You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:1-16 – Paul’s admonition on Unity in the church.

Ephesians 4:17-24 – The need for a changed mindset.

Ephesians 4:25-32 – Some moral principles that need to be evident in the church to ensure that unity becomes real in the church.

Ephesians 4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

I tell you this, and insist on it – I like you to pay close attention to this in the Lord.

..that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do:

Here when he uses the word gentiles, it refers to outsiders. People of God, no longer live your life as the outsiders. It talks about the obligations involved in belonging to the people of God and living a life that befits the people of God.

..that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

What differentiates a believer and outsider is their thinking. Paul is challenging their mindset.

He goes on to challenge them to first look at their mindset with all seriousness.

He said, “No longer live like the gentiles in the futility of their minds.”

The word translated futility can be rendered idle, fruitless, useless, lacking truth

This is a language that is similar to what we find in Romans 1:21 about the mind of the outsider/nonbeliever.

Romans 1:21-22 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claim to be wise, they became fools…

Here Paul uses the following words for the mind of a nonbeliever: Darkness, futile, foolish hearts.

You are part of the people of God. The Spirit of God is in you, 1:14. You have the knowledge (1:17) and wisdom of God (1:17). We have been made alive with Christ, 2:5. Your inner man has been strengthen by the power of the Spirit, 3:16. So, do not have the mindset that outsiders have in the futility of their minds. Do not live like the ungodly outsiders.

Mind Of An Outsider

What is the problem with the mind of an outsider?

Ephesians 4:17-18 ¹⁷So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. ¹⁸They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

• Darkened In Their Understanding. The reasoning is full of darkness. Paul earlier said that life without Christ is a life of darkness and it is also the domain where the principalities and powers exist. Their minds are filled with darkness.
• Separated From The Life Of God.
• The Cause For Their Separation/Alienation From God Is Ignorance & Stubbornness.
• Their Hearts Are Hard, Callous. The Spirit works in the life of a believer in their inner man, in the heart, 3:16-17. God is not work in the heart of a nonbeliever. Their heart is hardened. Do not live like them.

Result Of Separation From God; Eph. 4:19

Ephesians 4:17-19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

• They Have No Sensitivity.
• They Have Given Themselves Over To Sensuality.
• They Indulge In Every Kind Of Impurity.
• They Are Full Of Greed.

With their darkened understanding and futile mindset, they have ushered themselves out into all kinds of sensual evil behaviour. People who give themselves to all kinds of sexual lifestyles.

ILLUSTRATION

Brother in sin

They indulge in every kind of impurity and are full of greed.

Impurity: The word impurity comes is used in association with sexual behaviours referring to all kinds of sexual deviance that is impure

Greed: Greed in sexual ethics often carries the connotations of someone who is greedy to try to take somebody’s wife or jealous about somebody’s partner. They are trying to go and get that person. Lust driven by greed will make one do everything they could to try to be with someone else’s partner or someone else. That sense of compulsion that is driven sexually with greed. Look at where sexual desires and greed meets. The word is sometimes used to carry that sense.

Transition: In the formation of the mindset now he says this is what you should no longer be, but now he moves on to try to get them to form the mindset that is Christ like and so he is going to show them specific things that should make that radicle shift to live a life no longer as gentiles.

Formation Of Christian Mindset

Ephesians 4:20-24 ²⁰ That, however, is not the way of life you learned ²¹ when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

How Does One’s Mind Change?

The Way Of Life You Learned, When You Heard, When And You Were Taught About Christ, v20-21

Christianity is not learning from a book but learning from Christ. You are experiencing the person of Christ. It is a personal experience. You process it, embody it and experience it then a radical mindset has taken place and you no longer live as those gentiles in the futility of their minds.

When you learn about Jesus, hear about Jesus and are taught about the truth that is in Jesus; you experience Christ personally. Then a radical transformation of the mind happens.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Radical change of outlook; Ephesians 4:22-24

Ephesians 4:22-24 ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Here he is asking for personal responsibility, now that they have learned, they know and they have been taught the truth about Jesus; they have the responsibility to “take off/strip off,” “Renew your mind,” and “put on.”

Take off the ‘old’

• The former way of life.
• The former way of life is corrupt through deceitful desires.

It is their responsibility to take that off, to let those embarrassing behaviour like torn apart cloth on them, ragged clothes be taken off. They should take off.

Be renewed – in the attitude of your mind

Take off the old and be renewed in the mind. Do not be transformed but be renewed in the mind. Let God work in your mind, avail yourself for the Spirit of God to transform your mind so that it can reflect your behaviour and then you go on to say, this renewal takes place in your mind.

Put on the New, v24

• Created after the likeness of God
• Created in true righteousness & holiness.

Paul uses the word “created” earlier:

We are created in Christ to do good works.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:15 His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace.

Ephesians 4:24 created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

You are created after the likeness of God to live a certain life that befits God. Your identity is linked to God. Your character should reflect that identity.

Sinful desires are deceitful lusts; they promise men happiness, but render them more miserable; and bring them to destruction, if not subdued and mortified. These therefore must be put off, as an old garment, a filthy garment; they must be subdued and mortified. But it is not enough to shake off corrupt principles; we must have gracious ones. By the new man, is meant the new nature, the new creature, directed by a new principle, even regenerating grace, enabling a man to lead a new life of righteousness and holiness. –Matthew Henry, Commentary of Ephesians 4:17-24

Believers in Christ have a personal responsibility to take off the old, be renewed in the mind, put on the new which is created after the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness.

Reflect The Character Of God In Two Essential Areas:

Righteousness: A right relationship with God, reflecting on right relationship with fellow human beings.

Holiness: Being set apart for God’s use. Being set apart for sacred purposes. The character of God that should be reflected in the people of God.

In Eph. 4:17-24, Paul says that the lives of readers should reflect the dramatic transformation that has taken place in them at their conversion. They should no longer live in a way that speaks of their confusion, demonic control and despair that characterizes those who are estranged from the life God provides. They should instead live in ways that show their thinking is continually being renewed spiritually and that reveal their recreation in the image of a God who is righteous and holy. – Thielman, Ephesians, 307

Transition: Paul ends that note by recalling how they have been created for righteousness and holiness. Then, he moves on to talk specifically about some virtues and vices that need to be dealt with in their midst.

Life Application

When one about Jesus, hears about Jesus and is taught about the truth that is in Jesus; one experiences Christ personally. This results in a radical transformation of the mind.

We are created in the likeness of God to live a certain life that befits God. Our identity is linked to God. Our character should reflect that identity.

Believers in Christ have a personal responsibility to take off the old, be renewed in the mind, and put on the new which is created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness.

Believers are obliged to belong to the community of God and live a life that befits the people of God.

Questions to Ponder:

How is my living? Am I living like an outsider?

I there any trace of immoral behaviour in me?

Am I full of greed and sensuality?

Decide to be learn the truth that is in Jesus.

Ask God the continual help to put off the old man and put on the new self.