Ephesians 4.19d-Unregenerate Gentiles Practice Every Type of Sexual Immorality in an Inordinate, Insatiable Manner
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday June 24, 2025
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:19d-Unregenerate Gentiles Practice Every Type of Sexual Immorality in an Inordinate, Insatiable Manner
Lesson # 263
Ephesians 4:17 Therefore, at this particular time I am communicating, specifically, at this particular time I am solemnly and earnestly making a request on the basis of the Lord’s sovereign authority. Namely, that each and every one of you as a corporate unit continue to no longer make it your habit of conducting your lives as in fact the Gentiles are conducting their lives by means of the futility produced by their thinking. 18 Specifically, because they are darkened with respect to their understanding (of the three-fold revelation of the triune God). Consequently, they are alienated from the life, which originates uniquely in the character and nature of the one and only God because of the ignorance, which is a characteristic within them because of the hardness, which is produced by the function unique to their hearts. 19 Because they are characterized as insensitive (to God and His will and ways), each and every one of them as a corporate unit have given themselves over to self-indulgence for the purpose of practicing every type of sexual immorality in an inordinate and insatiable manner. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 4:19 continues Paul’s thought from Ephesians 4:17-18, in which he describes the ungodly thinking and resultant lifestyle of unregenerate Gentile members of the human race who are enslaved to their indwelling Adamic sin nature as well as Satan and his cosmic world system.
Ephesians 4:19 is composed of the following:
(1) causal participial clause: hoitines apēlgēkotes (οἵτινες ἀπηλγηκότες), “Because they are characterized as insensitive (to God and His will and ways)” (Lecturer’s translation)
(2) declarative statement: heautous paredōkan tē aselgeia (ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ), “each and every one of them as a corporate unit have given themselves over to self-indulgence” (Lecturer’s translation)
(3) prepositional phrase: eis ergasian akatharsias pasēs (εἰς ἐργασίαν ἀκαθαρσίας πάσης), “for the purpose of practicing every type of sexual immorality” (Lecturer’s translation)
(4) prepositional phrase: en pleonexia (ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ), “in an inordinate and insatiable manner” (Lecturer’s translation)
The causal participial clause hoitines apēlgēkotes (οἵτινες ἀπηλγηκότες), “Because they are characterized as insensitive (to God and His will and ways)” modifies the declarative statement heautous paredōkan tē aselgeia (ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ), “each and every one of them as a corporate unit have given themselves over to self-indulgence.”
It also presents the reason for this declarative statement.
Therefore, together they assert that the unregenerate Gentile members of the human race have given themselves over to self-indulgence because they are characterized as insensitive to God and specifically, insensitive to His holy character, will and ways.
The prepositional phrase eis ergasian akatharsias pasēs (εἰς ἐργασίαν ἀκαθαρσίας πάσης), “for the purpose of practicing every type of sexual immorality” presents the purpose of the declarative statement and the causal clause, which modifies it.
Therefore, all together, they assert that the unregenerate Gentile members of the human race have given themselves over to self-indulgence because they are characterized as insensitive to God and specifically, His holy character, will and ways for the purpose of practicing every type of sexual immorality.
Lastly, the prepositional phrase en pleonexia (ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ), “in an inordinate and insatiable manner” presents the manner in which the previous prepositional phrase is accomplished and so therefore, this asserts that the unregenerate Gentiles practice every type of sexual immorality in an inordinate and insatiable manner.
Now, in Ephesians 4:19, the second and final prepositional phrase in this verse contains the noun pleonexia (πλεονεξία), which means “inordinate and insatiable” since it pertains to an arrogant, aggressive, inordinate and insatiable desire to practice every type of sexual immorality without any regard for the will of God or the rights of others.
This word pleonexia (πλεονεξία) is the object of the preposition en (ἐν), which marks the manner in which unregenerate Gentile humanity practiced sexual every type of sexual immorality.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase en pleonexia (ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ) expresses the idea that unregenerate Gentile humanity practices every type of sexual immorality “in an inordinate and insatiable manner.”
So therefore, in Ephesians 4:17-19, Paul is describing the total depravity of unregenerate Gentile humanity.
In Romans 5:12, Paul is teaching his readers of the “total depravity” which means not only that the corruption has extended to all aspects of man’s nature, to his entire being as well but also that because of that corruption mankind has no merit with God.
The implications of depravity are critical in relation to salvation in that man has no ability whatsoever to save himself or justify himself before a holy God.
The Lord labeled His disciples evil in Matthew 7:11 because of their depraved nature.
Romans 1:28 and Ephesians 4:18 teach that the mind of mankind is affected and Hebrews 9:14 says that the conscience is unclean.
The heart is deceitful according to Jeremiah 17:9 and by nature mankind is under the righteous indignation of God, i.e. His wrath according to Ephesian 2:3 and Romans 1:18.
Depravity affects the soul (Mark 7:20-23), thus defiling man’s thought process, which manifests itself in sinful words and actions.
The concept of total depravity does not mean that mankind cannot perform actions that are good or helpful to others or in God’s sight.
What it does mean is that man can perform no action that could gain him merit with God.
Total depravity means that man has absolutely no merit with God since he does not measure up to God’s perfect standards.
It also means that man’s conscience has been affected by the Fall of Adam so that it cannot be a safe and reliable guide.
Nor does total depravity mean that people will indulge in every form of sin or any sin to the greatest extent possible.
The fact that the entire human race is totally depraved is manifested through the practice of sin among both Jew and Gentiles.
In Romans 1:18-32, Paul demonstrates that the Gentiles are unrighteous and totally depraved by virtue of their sinful conduct and failure to worship God in light of God’s self-revelation in creation as well as their failure to obey the moral law inherent within them.
In Romans 2:1-29, he demonstrates that the Jews are unrighteous and totally depraved as well as manifested in their failure to obey perfectly the written Law of God and committing the same sins that the Gentiles committed.
In Romans 3:9-20, Paul summarizes his statements in Romans 1:18-2:29 and teaches the totally depravity and universal unrighteousness of mankind, both Jew and Gentile.
There are other passages of Scriptures that address the issue of man’s total depravity (cf. Job 14:1-4; 15:14-16; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19-20).
In Ephesians 2:1-3 and 2:12, Paul describes the totally depraved, unregenerate state of the Christian community prior to their justification.
Ephesians 2:1 Now, correspondingly, even though each and every one of you as a corporate unit were spiritually dead ones because of your transgressions, in other words, because of your sins. 2 Each and every one of you formerly lived by means of these in agreement with the standard of the unregenerate people of this age, which is the production of the cosmic world system, in agreement with the standard of the sovereign ruler, namely the sovereign governmental authority ruling over the evil spirits residing in the earth’s atmosphere. Specifically the spirit who is presently working in the lives of those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience. 3 Among whom, each and every one of us also formerly for our own selfish benefit conducted our lives by means of those lusts, which are produced by our flesh. Specifically, by indulging those inclinations which are produced by our flesh, in other words, those impulses, which are the product of our flesh. Consequently, each and every one of us caused ourselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of our natural condition from physical birth. Just as the rest correspondingly caused themselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of their natural condition from physical birth. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of remembering that formerly each of you who belong to the Gentile race with respect to the human body, specifically, those who receive the designation “uncircumcision” by the those who receive the designation “circumcision” with respect to the human body performed by human hands, 12 each one of you used to be characterized as without a relationship with Christ. Each one of you used to be alienated from the nation of Israel’s citizenship. Specifically, each of you used to be strangers to the most important promise, which is the product of the covenants. Each of you used to not possess a confident expectation of blessing. Consequently, each one of you used to be without a relationship with God in the sphere of the cosmic world system. (Lecturer’s translation)
