Ephesians 04(17)–05(02)

Introduction

In the first three chapters of Ephesians Paul was teaching his readers what to believe about God and about our salvation in Christ and about God’s great cosmic plan to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under Christ. And God has begun to bring all things together under Christ in the church, because in the church people who were once divided from one another have been brought together under Christ. God has called us together into Christ’s church.

So, that’s what Paul has been doing in the first three chapters. And from chapter 4 until the end of the letter, he’s teaching his readers what to do and how to live as God’s people. And so, do you remember last week’s passage? It began with Paul urging his readers to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. And that means we need to be humble and gentle and patient. We need to bear with one another. We need to make every effort to maintain the unity of the church.

And then he went on to write about the growth of the church. But he wasn’t thinking about numerical growth. He wasn’t thinking about increasing our membership. He was thinking about growing up and about becoming mature. And that means being united in what we believe and know about God; and it also means growing up in love. And to enable us to grow up in these ways, Christ our Saviour–King has given the church teachers to teach his people what we’re to know about the faith and how we’re to love one another.

And in today’s passage Paul continues to write about what we’re to do and how we’re to live as God’s people. And the passage can be divided into two main parts: verses 17 to 24 of chapter 4 and then verse 25 of chapter 4 to verse 2 of chapter 5. In the first part he contrasts the life of unbelievers with the life of believers. And in the second part he writes about the sins we’re to get rid of and the good things we’re to do.

And so, let’s turn to the first part which you’ll find in verses 17 to 24 of Ephesians 4 where Paul contrasts the life of unbelievers with the life of believers.

4:17–19

He tells his readers — and therefore he’s telling us — that we must no longer live as the Gentiles do. And he’s not only telling us, but he’s insisting on it in the Lord. The words ‘in the Lord’ are to remind us that Paul has been appointed an apostle by Christ the Lord. And therefore, Paul is speaking to us with all the authority of Christ. And therefore, we mustn’t disregard what Paul is saying, because it’s not really Paul who is saying this to us. It’s the Lord Jesus who is saying this to us. Christ the Lord is speaking to us through his apostle.

And Christ the Lord is telling us and he’s insisting on it that we must no longer live as the Gentiles do. Now, Paul was writing to Gentile believers. And so, he’s really saying to them that they must no longer live as their unbelieving neighbours do. We’re not to be like our unbelieving neighbours.

And then he goes on to describe our unbelieving neighbours. And he mentions first the futility of their thinking. And he’s really referring to their way of thinking. He’s referring to their mindset or to their worldview: to how they make sense of the world and how they think about life in the world. And he describes their way of thinking, or their worldview, as futile. The Greek word Paul uses can mean frustration and he uses the same word in Romans 8:20 where he says that, because of Adam’s sin the beginning, the creation has been subjected to frustration. There in Romans Paul meant that the creation is not the way it’s supposed to be. And so, here in Ephesians, he means that their way of thinking about life in the world is not the way it’s supposed to be. And in verse 18 he says that they are darkened in their understanding. Whenever they try to make sense of the world, there’s only darkness instead of light. And he says that they’re separated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them.

Now, people who don’t believe know lots of things, don’t they? Unbelievers know lots of things about the world; and every day we rely on the results of all their research into all areas of life. Or, when my car needs serviced, I know the car mechanic knows what to do even though he may not be a believer. And so, Paul is speaking of a special kind of ignorance. He’s not talking about a general ignorance, but an ignorance of God and of his will. And this ignorance that is in them is due, says Paul, to the hardening of their hearts. And that’s interesting, isn’t it? This ignorance, this darkness, this futile and frustrated way of thinking begins, not in the mind, but in the heart. There’s something wrong with their hearts which affects how they think about the world. And what’s wrong with their hearts? Well, their hearts are hard towards God. So, instead of responding to God with love and devotion, their hearts are hard towards him. And because their hearts are hard towards God, the way they think about the world and the way they think about life in the world is broken. It’s faulty. It’s not the way it’s supposed to be.

And in what way is their thinking not the way it’s supposed to be? Well, they’re supposed to believe in God, aren’t they? They’re supposed to worship him and to give thanks to him. They’re supposed to believe in him and to live their lives for him. But instead of believing in him, they deny him.

And Paul goes on to say about unbelievers that they have lost all sensitivity. The Greek word he uses is normally used to refer to skin that has become calloused or hard. The finger tips of a person who plays the guitar regularly become hard. And that’s good, because before their finger tips were hard, it was sometimes painful when they played because the strings would dig into them. Sometimes it’s good to have hardened skin. But Paul is not referring to hardened skin, but to a kind of moral or ethical hardening. He’s talking about people who are unable to feel, not pain, but shame. And because they’re unable to feel shame, they give themselves over to sensuality. That is, they have given themselves over to sinful behaviour, so that they indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. Someone who feels shame is held back by their shame and they’re kept from giving in to their sinful desires. But if someone feels no shame, then there’s nothing to stop them. So, think about the things which people do now in public which only a few years ago they would be ashamed to do.

And, of course, did you notice what Paul said right in the middle of these verses? He said about unbelievers that they are separated from the life of God. In other words, they are dead. They are spiritually dead. And do you remember what I said when we were studying the beginning of Ephesians 2? I said that because unbelievers are spiritually dead, a kind of moral rottenness can take over them so that their life is a life of transgressions and sins. And it just goes on and on, because of this continual lust for more.

4:20–24

And the Lord tells us through the Apostle Paul, and he insists on it, that we must not be like them. We must not live as our unbelieving neighbours do. And in verses 20 to 24 he goes on to remind his readers of what they learned when they first believed in Christ.

And so, his readers have already come to know Christ. And when they first believed, they were taught that believers put off their old self and they put on the new self. Do you see that in verses 22 and 24? Although the NIV refers to putting off ‘the old self’ and putting on ‘the new self’, the Greek word which Paul uses means ‘man’. So, they were taught that, when we believe in Christ, we take off the old man and we put on the new man. But even that doesn’t capture what Paul means, because he’s really talking about taking off one kind of humanity and putting on a new kind of humanity. And the old humanity we take off is our old, sinful humanity which we inherited from Adam. And the new humanity we put on is our new, Christlike humanity which we receive from God.

So, you can think of the whole population of the world as belonging to Adam by birth. And when we’re born, we inherit from him his fallen human nature so that sinning against God comes naturally to us. By birth, we are sinfully inclined to do what’s wrong. And Paul says about our old humanity in verse 22 that it is corrupted by its sinful desires. So, we’re born into this world with a fallen human nature and we have all these sinful desires and inclinations in us which result in all kinds of sinful actions.

And so, think about what this means for a moment. People sometimes say that if they hadn’t been tempted to do evil, then they wouldn’t have done it. And so, they excuse themselves, don’t they? They say: ‘He made me do it. She made me do it. If it weren’t for that person tempting me, I wouldn’t have done it.’ That’s how people often think. But the Bible is clear: the inclination to do evil is inside us. The desire to do evil is in me. My desires are sinful.

But when someone believes in the Lord Jesus, a change takes place. They take off their old, sinful humanity with its sinful desires; and they put on a new humanity, which, says Paul, is created by God in true righteousness and holiness. Righteousness here means doing what is right. Holiness here means being devoted to God. So, once we were naturally inclined to do what was wrong and not right. And once we were naturally devoted to doing what our sinful desires wanted. That’s how we once lived. But now we have taken off that old, fallen humanity and we have put on a new, Christlike humanity, so that we want to do what’s right and not wrong; and we’re now devoted to God and to doing what he desires.

And Paul also says in verse 23 that his readers were taught that believing in Christ means being made new or being renewed in the attitude of their minds. In other words, it’s an inner renewal first and foremost. God begins to work in us in the inside. One day our bodies will be renewed when Christ comes again and these old, tired, broken bodies will be perfectly restored. But for now, God renews us inwardly. This inner renewal begins when we first believe and God continues to work in us and to renew us day by day. And, of course, this then affects what we do, because the way we think and what we think about affects what we say and do.

The commentators discuss whether Paul is commanding us to do something in these verses or whether he’s describing what God has done in us. So, is he commanding us to take off our old, sinful humanity and to put on the new, Christlike humanity? Or is he describing something which God has already done in us? Is he saying to his readers: ‘This is something you need to do yourself. You need to take off your old humanity and you need to put on your new humanity’? Or is he saying: ‘This is something God did in you when you first believed’?

It seems to me that he’s saying to us that this is something God did in you when you first believed. And I think this is the case, because, just as we received our old, fallen humanity from Adam, so we receive our new, Christlike humanity from God. Paul is saying to his readers that when they first believed in Christ, they were instructed that becoming a believer means being made new. And we’re make new because God the Holy Spirit works in us to make us new people. He makes us part of God’s new humanity, re-created in Christ Jesus in righteousness and holiness to do what’s right in the sight of God and to be devoted to doing his will.

4:25–5:2

Paul wrote something similar to this in his letter to the Colossians which we studied together last year on Sunday evenings. He wrote to the Colossians about how we’ve taken off the old humanity and we’ve put on the new humanity. And when we were studying that part of his letter to the Colossians I used the illustration of a uniform. So, whenever someone becomes a postman, he’s given the appropriate uniform to wear. Whenever a schoolgirl becomes a pupil of a new school, she’s given the appropriate uniform to wear. And whenever we became a Christian, we were given a kind of uniform to wear. It’s the uniform of Christ’s new humanity. It’s the uniform of a godly life. It’s the uniform of Christlikeness.

And just as the postman and schoolgirl must take off anything that doesn’t go with their uniform, so we must take off anything that doesn’t go with our uniform of Christlikeness. We must take it off. And that’s the point Paul is making in the second main part of today’s passage, which begins with the words, ‘Therefore each of you must put off falsehood….’ You see, even though we have put off Adam’s old humanity and we have put on Christ’s new humanity, our old sins can linger on. They stick around. Since we’ve been renewed in righteousness and holiness, we don’t want these old sins to linger around. We now hate them and want rid of them. However, they have a habit of sticking around and we must be constantly vigilant, watching out for them in our lives and uprooting them whenever we see them. Or to use the illustration of the uniform again, we must take off whatever doesn’t go with our uniform of Christlikeness.

And so, Paul tells us to put off falsehood. So, no more telling lies to one another. No more deceit. Instead we’re to speak truthfully to one another. And we should speak truthfully to one another, not only because lying is wrong, but also because we’re members of one body. We’re not enemies, but we’re fellow members of Christ’s body, the church. And so, we should be truthful with one another.

Then Paul says: ‘In your anger do not sin’. That seems to suggest that it’s possible to be angry over some things without sinning. But, of course, we all know that when we become angry, we easily lose control. And then sin is not far off. Think of an angry dog which needs a leash around its neck and even a muzzle around its mouth to control it and to prevent it from hurting anyone. That’s what we need to do to ourselves: we need to control ourselves and to restrain ourselves so that we do not hurt or attack anyone because we’re angry. And then Paul adds: ‘Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry’. That means we shouldn’t let anger simmer and fester. We know people who will harbour a grudge for days, if not for months and even years. But we mustn’t be like that, because to do so gives the devil a foothold. If you want to move a heavy object, then you need a firm foothold: somewhere to place your feet so that you can attack the object with all your strength. And an angry man or woman provides just the sort of foothold the devil needs in order to push and shove and smash apart the fellowship of any church. So we’re commanded: do not give the devil a foothold. Control your temper.

Next we’re commanded to steal no longer. We’re not to steal anything at all. And this not only includes taking other people’s possessions, but it also includes being honest with our income tax returns and all the other taxes we’re expected to pay. It prohibits stealing from our employer by taking company property or by stealing our employer’s time by slacking off when we should be working. There are all kinds of ways we can steal. But instead of stealing, we ought to work, says Paul, doing something useful with our own hands. Paul doesn’t mean that we should only do manual labour. He means that, if once you used your hands to steal, now you should use them for doing what is right. And the reason we’re to do this is what? So that we can spend what we earn on ourselves? That’s what lots of people think. They spend their pay on themselves only. But what does Paul say? He says that we should work so that we might have something to share with those in need. Instead of being selfish and stealing from one another, we should be generous and share with one another.

‘Unwholesome talk’ in verse 29 is the kind of conversation that has a harmful influence on others. It does no good at all and it benefits no one. How many times have you gone away from speaking with someone and you’ve felt weary because the person you were with couldn’t say anything good about anyone? Or how many times have you gone away from a conversation feeling ashamed because of something you said? Instead of unwholesome talk, our conversation should build people up. Our conversation should be wholesome: good and healthy and nourishing. And the reason Paul gives for this instruction is reverence for the Holy Spirit. Look at verse 30. Paul says: ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.’ So, we’re to remember that the Holy Spirit dwells in us and that he overhears everything we say to one another. And if my speech is unwholesome and harmful, then not only does my fellow-Christian hear it, but the Holy Spirit, living inside me, also hears it. And it grieves him whenever we speak to one another in a corrupting or harmful way. In other words, he regards it as wrong.

In verse 31 Paul lists a series of really unpleasant attitudes and actions which must be removed completely. We must get rid of bitterness, because it’s like a poison which makes all our thoughts and feelings bitter and unkind and unpleasant. ‘Rage’ refers to a passionate outburst and ‘anger’ to a long-lasting hostility. ‘Brawling’ describes those who like to argue and quarrel. So, the brawling person is the person who always has to raise his voice in any discussion and who turns every debate into an argument. We all know what a slanderer does and we also know how easy it is for us to ruin someone’s reputation by slandering them. And the phrase ‘every form of malice’ at the end of verse 31 sums up the whole of Paul’s list. But instead of practicing every form of malice, we must be kind and compassionate to one another. And if someone offends us, or hurts us, or annoys us, or does anything that might provoke us or upset us, instead of becoming angry or bitter or malicious, we must forgive. And we must forgive one another for the very simple reason that we are people who have been forgiven by God through Jesus Christ. Since we expect God to forgive us, then we must forgive one another.

And finally, we must learn to be like God in all things, imitating him. Children will often bear a resemblance to their parents. It might be a physical resemblance so that they look similar. Or it may be that they have the same character as one of their parents or the same mannerisms or interests. They resemble one another. And we are called to resemble our Heavenly Father in what we do and in what we say and in the way we treat one another. And we must not only be like our Heavenly Father, because according to verse 2 of chapter 5, we must also be like the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and who gave up his life as a sacrifice for us for the forgiveness of our sins. And so, the Lord Jesus loved us. And we want to be like him, don’t we? And that means living a life of love. It means loving one another.

Conclusion

We all know ourselves, don’t we? We know ourselves and we know our own sins and shortcomings. Although we’ve been made new and are now part of Christ’s new humanity, although we’ve been given the uniform of Christlikeness to wear, we know that our old sins linger on and stick around.

The good news is that, because we’re united through faith to Christ our Saviour, God pardons us. He pardons us, because Christ has already taken the blame for us. He suffered the punishment we deserve when he died on the cross so that we would never have to suffer it. And therefore forgiveness is available to everyone who trusts in Christ for salvation.

And there’s even more good news, isn’t there? The Lord Jesus who died for us was raised from the dead. And from his throne in heaven, he gives us his Spirit. And his Spirit, working inside us, helps us to love one another as Christ loved us. And he helps us to remove all the old sins that stick around in our life, but which do not go with our new uniform and which are not fitting for those who belong to Christ’s new humanity. He doesn’t do it all at once, but he does it bit by bit over time, as he renews us more and more in the likeness of God our Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour–King.