Living Out The New Life

Introduction

During our study of Ephesians, called UNITED, we have studied God’s plan of redemption and His will for His Church to be united in its mission in the Gospel. We have discussed many of the practical implications of our new identity “In Christ”. We focused on our status as adopted children of God and the righteousness we have been infused with through Jesus. We looked at the process of salvation by grace, through faith, and the personal calling we have for good works as a result. Last week we studied about the basis for our primary identity as Christians and how this can unite us with our brothers and sisters of many diverse cultures and backgrounds.

So, during these first three chapters, Paul has laid down the foundation for our new identity and its uniting force within the Body of Christ. Now, as we move on to chapter four, Paul takes all this theological truth and applies it to our everyday living, In Christ. One of the biggest messages to this church in Ephesus, and us today, is that being In Christ changes us as we are conformed to the image of Christ. We are unified in our new life, and as we are built up, we grow.

Commentary:

V. 17-18- Paul reminds us of our former condition and the condition of those who have not experienced new life In Christ. He calls this condition of the mind “futility”. The heart that is hardened toward God or uninformed of His gospel influences the mind toward hopelessness. This ignorance and lack of relationship with God darkens their understanding of spiritual things, including the ability to desire or understand the Christian life.

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V. 19- The natural state of fallen man is to serve self. A person far from God will pursue futile pleasures that never satisfy. This constant disappointment and unfulfilled purpose leads to a calloused and dirty heart. Without the Spirit of God to guide us each day the guilt and sin just build up and poison our joy.

V. 20-21- But those of us who have discovered the gift of grace and the victorious life in Christ have learned a Truth about God and about ourselves. That truth is God does not want to leave us to our own ways of trying to make life work. He desires for us to fulfill our destiny, to become the masterpiece He desires to create in our lives. (See )

V. 22-23- Paul let’s us know that in order to live the Christian life, we must “put off” some things and “put on” something different. This is does through an act of our will and surrender to the will of God. We are to put off our old way of living and thinking that is corrupted by our own sinful desires. We do this through the renewing of our minds. In other words, our old minds need to be reprogrammed with Truth. We do this by hearing, singing, reading, meditating, and memorizing the truth found in scripture. No changes will be made until our thinking changes.

V. 24- By “re-wallpapering” the mind with truth about our identity and the promises of God, the old ideas and patterns can be renewed. We can step into our new identity and standing in Christ. We are able to transform into the destiny God has for us and take on the likeness of Christ. (See Romans 21:1-2; ; ; ; )

V. 25- One of the hallmarks of a changed person is the desire to live an authentic life. To do this we need to put away falsehood and hypocrisy. We are all members of one body, so we need to share with one another truthfully. We don’t owe each other transparency. That is reserved for one or two people who we are very close to. But we do owe each other authenticity. Living in community and accountability with our church family.

V. 26-27- Inevitably we will be hurt or offended as members of the body. Part of the unity God desires for His church is that we resolve conflict in a Christ like manner. We are to be quick to forgive and difficult to offend. But when we do become angry, through Christ, we can do so without allowing bitterness to take root and defile the unity. ( See and for conflict restoration procedures)

V. 28- Another of the identifiers of new life is a change of morality. Paul uses a thief as an example. That old behavior of defrauding others should cease. The new behavior of the new man is to work hard and become generous. (; )

V. 29- As if Paul knew most of us would say “well at least I’m not a thief” and give ourselves a pass, he mentions something we all struggle with: our words. He asks us to keep any words out of our mouth that might corrupt the unity, purity and reputation of the body. He challenges us to keep our words limited to those that will be for the good of others, to build up not tear down. He also points out that there is a proper time and place for our words to be used and that the purpose of every word should be to give grace to those who hear. (See )

V. 30- The Holy Spirit within believers is there to convict and comfort, guide and empower. And yet, Paul tells us that our thoughts and actions can bring Him deep sorrow. Particularly hurtful to Him are those thoughts, words and actions that bring disunity and chaos to the body and corruption to our hearts.

V. 31-32 Paul brings this spiritual grief to bear on behaviors of the old man motivated by selfishness such as bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor slander, and malice. He tells us to put these things away from us! We should run from these desires and bring in the truth that we were all objects of God’s wrath and would be still if weren’t for grace and mercy in the gospel. So we can be patient with one another. Instead of acts of negativity, we can choose to engage the power of the Spirit within us to show kindness. We can be tender and vulnerable with each other. We can choose to overlook a fault and forgive major offenses. We can do this when we have a fresh remembrance of the forgiveness Christ has shown us. (See )

Discuss and Apply:

Do you remember what it felt like to be lost? To be a slave to your flesh? Do you remember how confused and chaotic your mind was? How would you describe this futility to someone who was saved as a young child and did not experience being lost as long as you?

How hard was your heart to spiritual principles and ideas before you can to Christ? Was your mind hostile to God’s standards? How did you feel about the gospel? How has coming to Christ changed your thinking?

It is impossible to experience optimum biblical change without the renewing of the mind. Have you ever tried to change and become more like Christ through trying harder? How does this lead to legalism? How does it lead to people just giving up on the Christian life?

Give an example of how God has used the scripture to renew your mind and change you.

Living as a new person, in Christ, how can we practice authenticity in our small groups? Have you ever felt like you were not free to be honest with your struggles? How could putting off falsehood with our small group help us change and encourage others who struggle too?

What are some godly ways to deal with anger? How can dealing with anger in a fleshly manner give the devil an opportunity?

How can you use your new identity to defeat immoral behaviors in your life?

Our words can be powerful for bringing the body together or for tearing it apart. How do your words build others up and give grace? Think about the power of words in relation to last week’s lesson about racial reconciliation. How will you use your words to reconcile with people who are different than you?

When people from many different walks of life live in community, in the body, it is important to be tenderhearted, empathetic and forgiving. It’s very much like living in a family. Share some ways you have seen bitterness, anger, wrath, clamor, slander, or malice tear apart a family or church. What was the impact on the individuals involved? How did it impact the observing community? How did it hinder the gospel?

How do you feel about the idea that the Holy Spirit “grieves” when we harbor these ungodly feelings in our hearts? How can we “put off” these feelings and “put on” Christ’s feelings toward others? Discuss some Truths (biblical Truth about who we are and who God is) that need to replace truths ( thoughts and ideas that are truth in our minds due to negative experiences or cultural biases). Example- Truth would be that In Christ we are all family. Little “t” truth would be that our difference can’t be overcome because of past injustices or hurtful experiences.