Ephesians 4:17-24

17: So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
18: being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
19: and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
20: But you did not learn Christ in this way,
21: if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,
22: that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
23: and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24: and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

*** 

Paul encouraged the Ephesians not to live the lifestyle they previously did as Gentiles. He had just spoken about the gifts Jesus distributed when He ascended—gifts given to bring the body of Christ into maturity in Him. And here he said to move away from the old life which was led by a mind without understanding of God. A life excluded from the life of God due to their ignorance and hardness of heart. Those who were in this condition were calloused—insensitive to spiritual things—and had given themselves over to all kinds of sin, which is the result of a life without God.

However, Paul said, this is not the way of Christ and they’d not learned this in Him. They’d been taught of the Lord and that truth is in Him. Truth is found in Jesus. They’d been taught to lay aside the old life—the old self—which was corrupted—and be renewed in the spirit of their mind. He said to put on the new self which was created like God—in righteousness, holiness, and truth.

This is more than “putting on” new behavior. This is putting on a new self. As believers in Christ, we have become new creatures in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). We have become new spirits—who are created in the image of Jesus, not after the likeness of fallen Adam. However, we must seek to learn the ways of Christ, renewing our mind so we think like Him, understand His ways, and make choices in accordance with that. If we don’t pursue Him this way, we’ll be swayed by the many trending, worldly thoughts, concepts, and appeals to the flesh that continually confront us.

Once we believe in Jesus, and receive His lordship over our lives, there is more. This is just the beginning—the birth into His family. At the point of our new birth, we are just beginning this new life and need to grow into maturity in order to experience the fulness of life He has for provided for us. We won’t find this fulness of life if we stay on the same path we were on. We are on a new path, one that is full of new discoveries in Christ that fulfill us far beyond any fleshly pursuits could.

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