Written ~ 12-04-2023
Ephesians 4:17-24
17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.
21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
Here we have Paul giving believers from the church in Ephesus advice about how they are to live as followers of Jesus Christ. This advice is something each of us need to listen to today. Paul makes it clear that he speaks only with the authority given to him from the Lord Himself, that way no one can try to accuse Paul of making up his own rules.
As we go through each verse let’s ask the Lord to bring clarity to our own hearts as we study these important verses.
Verse 4:17,
17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.
In the Bible, when we see the word Gentile the easiest way to understand who that is talking about, will be to define them as the non-believer, someone who has not given their lives to the Lord and have turned their hearts completely away from accepting Him. From the Jewish person’s standpoint, it is anyone who is not of Jewish decent, that even includes Christians. In our passage today we are going to treat the Gentile as the person who does not believe in Jesus and has not accepted the fact that He is the Savior and Son of God.
Verse 17 starts us off with a bit of a warning, “Don’t live like the Gentiles, they are hopelessly confused…” When you came to Christ, from what you heard about Him and through your faith, it caused you accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Because of that one decision, you no longer live in confusion like a non-believer.
Look at verses 4:18-19, the description of the non-believer in these verses gives us a clear picture as to how we no longer should be conducting our lives once we have given our hearts to the Lord.
18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
If you find yourself still doing the things you did before you accepted Jesus, it might be a good idea to make some hard changes in your lifestyle. When you accept Jesus as your Savior, your mind is no longer closed and your heart is no longer hardened. You shouldn’t have the “…lack of shame or the desire to live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity…” as a non-believer. There has been a change to your heart, mind and soul and your behavior should begin to reflect that change. If it hasn’t you may want to examine your lifestyle and remember what brought you to the place of giving your life over to Jesus. Look at what verse 4:20 says, 20 “…that isn’t what you learned about Christ.” The evidence is in your behavior, your lifestyle will show that your heart has been changed.
Verses 4:21-22,
21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
Once you have come to know the Truth of Jesus Christ, it’s time to “…throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life…” You may be thinking that you don’t want to give up your lifestyle and that’s what hinders you from turning your heart over to the Lord. But keep in mind that the life of the non-believer “…is corrupted by lust and deception…” my prayer is that you do not want corruption, lust and deception to be a part of your own life. By hearing and learning about Jesus and believing with faith in the Truth you have heard, it will draw you away from the deception that has corrupted your mind for so long. This is a great visual “…throw off your old sinful nature…” like an old, dirty, smelly jacket that is stained and falling apart, you throw it off your shoulders and get rid of it for good! When you can do that for good, you are stepping out of “…your former way of life…” and leaping into something brand new and wonderful! Do not continue in “…lust and deception…”
Verse 4:23-24,
23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
As soon as you have entrusted your life into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes into your heart, into your mind and into your very soul. And it is life altering! You have discarded the old way of life and have now “…put on your new nature…” Your life has been renewed inside and out! As soon as the Holy Spirit enters in, your new nature is created into something that is now “…truly righteous and holy…” The Message Bible says, “…you take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces His character in you.” Awesome!
Each day, as we grow and learn, as we apply these life changing attitudes to our daily lives, our outlook on everything will be seen from a completely new and different light. Instead of being eager to do wrong, we will be eager to please the Lord in everything we do and say.
I pray that each of you reading this today have made the decision to follow Jesus, if you haven’t, I will add a prayer of Salvation at the end of this page. If you have given your heart to Jesus but you haven’t seen a change in your lifestyle for a long while, consider praying for the renewing of your spirit today, ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life and do some “house cleaning.” Get your thoughts and attitudes aligned with the Word of God. We should all be mindful of our actions, our new nature should be radiant and filled with the light of Jesus!
~AMEN~
For those of you who would like to give your heart, mind and soul over to the Lord Jesus Christ… pray this prayer of Salvation!
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me, fill me with Your light. Thank You Jesus! Amen.
If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you!
It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.