Walk Like a Christian (Eph. 4:17–24)

Series: Ephesians: Building the ChurchText: Ephesians 4:17–24

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: April 2, 2023

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: PM Service

Introduction

What does Christian living look like? There are many ideas within the Evangelical community as to what may mark the Christian life. Within this passage this week and next, though, we’re reading the heart of what it means to be saved. Of course, I don’t mean how we’re saved — Paul already said in 2:1–10 that salvation is by God’s grace alone through faith. Rather, we’re talking about the result of salvation, the biblical living that follows. God’s grace results in the total transformation of a person, cleaning both the inside and the outside the cup. As a result of the gospel and the instruction of His grace, we should be able to walk differently than those around us.

Consider where we’ve been. We are now well into the practical section of this letter. The first three chapters of this letter focus on, among other things, how completely God saves us. The remaining three chapters focus on the practical results of that salvation, with this practical section reminding us of pertinent theology. Through it all, God is shaping His church.

This passage appears in the practical section. Verse seventeen begins, “So this I say” (akin to “therefore”), harkening back to the first sixteen verses of this chapter. Those verses call a local church to walk in unity (vv. 1–3), but they also give the basis for that unity — a theological core built around God (vv. 4–6). They also explain the empowerment for that unity: the work of Christ (vv. 7–10) and the gifts He gives (v. 11). It’s only through what God has ordained and performed in Christ that a church can be equipped and mature (vv. 12–16), mature enough to walk worthy of the salvation call (vv. 1, 17).

So, in one sense, we are returning to the call of the first three verses to walk properly as a believer, and it starts with the gospel found in Jesus Christ. We read of God’s principles from here through the rest of the chapter, an exhortation to live in holiness that the gospel supplies (vv. 17–32). It’s only in understanding the gospel that we can know what it means to walk like a Christian. Yet, because we don’t want to move too quickly through this, we’ll break this thought up into two sermons. As such, today, we’ll focus on how salvation affects our walk, discussing Paul’s examples of a gospel gait next week (vv. 25–32).

Today, then, we’re looking at how the gospel prepares us for a new walk. In zeroing in on how the gospel transforms us for this task, though, Paul switches illustrations. He now speaks of changing clothes, perhaps after a hard day of labor or play — put off the old and stained, be renewed, and put on the new. In reminding us of the gospel, he’s likening it perhaps to a parent getting a child properly dressed for an evening stroll. We will need to learn of the appearance of the old that’s taken off (vv. 17–19) and the new attire to put on (vv. 20–24) to be readied for our Christian walk.

The Appearance of the Old Man Walking (vv. 17–19)

Before we dig in, perhaps these verses seem familiar. That’s because, back in 2:1–3, Paul also described the separation the Ephesians once experienced from God and His promises. He says something similar in an extended passage; Paul warns three times that those rebelling against God will find that He gives them over (Rm 1:24, 26, 28). Here, Paul says the Gentile unbelievers “have given themselves over” (v. 19). They’re willfully alienated from God and His ways.

We must recognize the nature of the nonbeliever. In doing so, we better understand where we were before God saved us. This is why Paul identifies the markers of the unbeliever as those belonging to “the old man” or “old self” in v. 22. So, as we proceed, you as a believer must recognize that this passage no longer describes you.

Instead, again, Paul’s talking about walking in a manner worthy of the gospel (vv. 1, 17). He’s giving here a negative version of the command — don’t walk according to the former manner of life (cf. 2:2; 4:22). Only then will you be able to walk differently with gospel-driven confidence.

The Nature of the Old Man (vv. 17–18)

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, 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;

Paul starts with a solemn injunction here, “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord.” It’s almost as though Paul and Jesus are giving this command (not inaccurate considering the inspiration of this letter). Perhaps Paul is underlining his insistence by reminding them of his status as an apostle of Jesus Christ. This isn’t just Paul’s idea for holiness, but the Word of the Lord.

Considering the Christian walk is supposed to be unified, is Paul being divisive when he talks about Gentiles here in an unflattering way? Not at all. Paul is simply underlining the difference between the Gentiles’ present and former lives, a difference best illustrated by their other Gentiles. Similarly, we can see our baser selves when reading the news and observing others around us. As one commentary notes, “That some souls may not reach the extremes of vv. 17–19 is due only to God’s common grace and the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit.” With that in mind, what do we see in unbelievers?

First, unbelievers have futile thinking. This simply means that they walk according to their imaginations (which are limited by experience in space and time) rather than the solid truth found in Christ. They become “futile in their speculations” (Rm 1:21), even becoming “inflated without cause” (Col 2:18). As such, the unbeliever thinks himself intelligent (and may well be), but rejecting the source of life, his thinking will always lead him back to futility. All intellectual paths apart from God lead to more unbelief.

Second, unbelievers have darkened understanding (v. 18). Paul places the emphasis here on the word “darkened,” possibly explaining how the Gentiles have futile minds. The faculties of the unbeliever, the heart of the person, will be veiled in a mist of misunderstanding. The unbeliever therefore will be unable to see moral choices clearly, resulting in more unrighteousness. If it were not for the God-given conscious and the restraining power of the Holy Spirit, we would never have the discernment to see the right choices in life.

Third, unbelievers have no life in God. Again, Paul emphasizes the word “excluded” or alienated here. You’ll remember that Paul used this word back in 2:1 to speak of the unbelieving Gentile and his gospel redemption in 2:21. The unbeliever has no salvation life, and Paul gives two reasons listed here as to why unbelievers have no life in God.

First, they have no life because they’re simply ignorant. They lack knowledge of God and His ways. Indeed, the whole world is ignorant of God (1 Cor 2:8), and ignorance is no excuse for not repenting (Acts 17:30). Believers should take note because, as Peter says, they shouldn’t conform to the former lusts of ignorance (1 Pt 1:14).

The second reason unbelievers have no life in God is because their hearts are hardened. Their hearts are calcified, spiritually speaking, resulting in their insensitivity to God. While such hardening can result from divine judgment (cf. Rm 11:7, 25), hardness is also descriptive of willful disbelief (2 Cor 3:14).

What does the person who has no divine life and hard-hearted do? What people believe and treasure is reflected in their words and actions, and the nature of the unbeliever certainly affects his behavior. So, let us now consider the practice of the old man.

The Practice of the Old Man (v. 19)

and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

The callous or hard-hearted unbeliever willingly gives himself over to sin. Again, in Romans 1, God gives people over to the point that they celebrate sin (v. 32). Here, however, sinners outside of Christ willfully do it to themselves.

First, they give themselves over “to sensuality” or licentiousness. This can refer to the flagrant lust we might see on display at pride parades and lewdness at drag shows. It might refer also more broadly to all forms of public indecency, such as the nudity and literal, human defecation present in certain cities. Christians are to consider themselves dead to all of this (Col. 3:5), reigning in all excess under the power of the Holy Spirit.

Unbelievers do this in what we could translate as the “pursuit of all uncleanness.” This would include any and all sinful acts, and the apostle does say “all.” In 5:5, Paul identifies impurity and covetousness as a form of idolatry, and we read here that they do so “with greediness.” They want this excess in excess. Again, if there is any restraint with the unbeliever, it is only though the grace and mercy of God.

Christians shouldn’t walk as though they are futile in their thinking, darkened, and separated from life in God, because they are not these things! Everything has changed in the believer, including the desire to give ourselves over to such sinfulness. As such, the apostle here describes the new reality we can live in Christ.

The Appearance of the New Man Walking (vv. 20–24)

In the following verses, Paul contrasts the former way of life he just outlined. In vv. 20–21, he gives the doctrine of the new life — the instruction a believer receives. In vv. 22–24, he then gives the dressing of the new life — how the believer has changed. When we get there next time, in vv. 25–32, Paul will give examples of the new life. For now, let’s consider the doctrine of the new man.

The Doctrine of the New Man (vv. 20–21)

But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,

Paul contrasts the former Gentile life by emphatically using the pronoun — “But you, you, did not...”. The previous verses don’t apply to believers because they’ve received indoctrination in the truth. We often hear that word used negatively (indeed, indoctrination in futile ways of thinking leads to destruction), but Paul uses it to speak of their different learning. He uses three words to do so — they learned, heard, and were taught differently.

First, they learned Christ. Paul reminds them that they’re not ignorant of God, being evangelized. Just as Jesus calls us to learn of Him (Matt. 11:29), they heard from a preacher about salvation in Christ. In fact, Paul again refers to Him as “the Christ” or “the Messiah” — underlining the contrast between the former Gentile life and what they have now. They learned about the Christ who came from the Jews to save the sinners of the world.

Second, they heard Christ. Paul doesn’t mean for us to read any doubt when he writes “if,” but is instead highlighting that they heard Christ. People must hear Christ in His Word to be saved (Rom. 10:14), and in Ephesians 2:17, we saw the fact that Christ Himself preaches to us through the ministry of the Word. Paul reminds them that they heard the Christ who speaks light into darkness (cf. 2 Cor. 4:6), meaning that they don’t have their understanding darkened.

Third, they were also taught in Him. Paul intends a slightly different point here. After conversion, they received further teaching of the Christ from others. This teaching occurred within the union of the church or “in Him” (and is ongoing at this moment). Thus, their thinking shouldn’t be futile, considering that the truth is only in the Christ that they are learning. They should have hope not only of salvation, but of a new way of living.

The following verses (vv. 22–24) contain the truth they learned in Christ. Three terms describe what they learned: they learned to put off, to be renewed, and to put on a new self. Because this sounds like showering and changing after a day of labor, we’ll consider this as the dressing of the believer.

The Dressing of the New Man (vv. 22–24)

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, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth

Everything we’ve read has been building to this point. The teaching converts receive is essentially to repent and to turn to Christ, pictured by the putting off/putting on process. A believer is someone who has experienced this, and as such, should have this as descriptive of his current life. Let’s follow the apostle’s inspired logic.

First, believers have put off the old man. The old man is a corruptible influence, which means that, outside of the restraint of the Holy Spirit, people typically become worse sinners the older they get. A believer, however, sees much of what Paul has been saying in himself and desires to cast it all aside like a soiled garment. Of course, this desire would mean nothing if his old self has not also been crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6). So, a Christian is someone who trusts or believes in Christ to have removed his old man or self through a once-for-all act on the cross. This makes the past-tense of the verb essential.

Now, as you might guess, even though the Christian’s old self is destroyed in Christ, his sin remains in his members (Rom. 7:17; 1 John 1:8). The Reformers explained this using the Latin phrase simul justus et peccator — a Christian is simultaneously just and sinful. He enjoys an alien righteousness, a covering imputed by Christ, but sin remains in his members. These remnants can be seen in lusts, desires pointed at sin.

The behavior of one who has put off the old man, then, is to continue putting off any leftovers or encumbrances of sin that he finds (Heb. 12:1), such as lying, wrath, theft, slander, etc. (vv. 25–32). Lusts deceive us into thinking that this remaining sin is good or acceptable, again hardening us to the truth (Heb. 3:13). This is why it is also essential to continue the process of repentance. The good news is that, when a Christian finds sin in himself, he knows that God has also crucified it with Christ, too!

Second, believers are renewed (v. 23). Believers must know this in Christ, as well (v. 21). We needed renewal in Christ because of the corrosive effects of futility, darkening, and exclusion that have already taken place outside of Him (vv. 17–19, 22). Thankfully, we received a regenerated or renewed mind (again, past-tense teaching) — the Lord grants each Christian this gift. This means that we don’t actually renew ourselves; the passive term points to God as the renewer, through His Holy Word (John 17:17).

Yet, the term is also present, meaning that there’s an ongoing element for the believer. The mind continues to be renewed through the ordinary means of grace (the preaching of the Word, prayer, and the administration of the ordinances). These are “ordinary” because they’re not spectacular, radical, or earthshaking miracles. Yet, God nonetheless works, bit by bit, through weekly and even daily Bible worship, with His Word accomplishing His purposes (Isa. 55:10–11).

Third, believers have put on the new man. This is the last description of the salvation process here (putting off, renewing, and putting on), but it all can happen in a moment. In fact, we could describe renewal as putting off the old and putting on the new self.

Here, though, Paul is focusing on the new; “the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:17). Our old self was “being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit” (v. 22), but the new creation is literally “according to God” — God did the creating (cf. 2:10).

To be clear, the new man isn’t good behavior but what we receive in Christ at salvation. In Him, the new man is a renewed, perfected Adam, and in Romans 13:14, Paul tells us to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Because Christ lived the perfect life for us, we have a new creation “in righteousness” and also in “holiness.” Lusts may be deceitful, but the truth is in Jesus (v. 21), and our new creation is “of the truth.”

So, this new man will affect our behavior. Righteousness is summed up in the second table of God’s law (Ex 20:12–17), and holiness in the first. All the ways in which we hurt others and failed to honor God are now corrected in Christ. As such, only in Christ do we find the righteousness and holiness in which God created our new man.

Conclusion

This is where “be doers of the Word” comes into play, and I’m convinced that, as Christians in the church believe and apply God’s Word, 90% of the problems common to man would simply evaporate. These are truths about ourselves if we are Christians, and if they are true about us, then we can honestly live differently. We don’t need to continue in the same struggles we did before because Christ has graced us with new life. As such, we’re not doing this to earn salvation (as that has been won in Christ), but instead, we have the grace to be able to live as though we’ve put on a new man.