Thoughtful

INTRO

17 Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.

INTRO

Series: The New Self

A Christian is a new creation in Christ.

Principle: A change of belief == a change of life.

…I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer live as the Gentiles live… (17a)

Gentiles: Not Christians (in this context/usage)

How the Gentiles (non-Christians) live:

futility (empty, meaningless) of their thoughts (mind)

…in the futility of their thoughts. (17b)

relativism — beliefs are only purposeful for this life

Futile thinking in the church: Christian anti-intellectualism

Reformation focus on educating the masses | APP: Know the story (bibliology), think about the implications (theology).

— BIBLE READING PLAN FOR 2020 in AUDIO

darkened in their understanding (moral understanding?) — What about the knowledge of good and evil?

They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God… (18a)

dark/light motif of scripture

cf. (27, light=no impurity) — and everywhere throughout

Those who walk in darkness do not practice truth—they cannot ().

Truth belongs to the light.

ILL: Light shines into darkness

ignorant (resulting in godless living)

…excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. (18b)

ignorant means ‘not knowing’

Option 1: They simply don’t know how to live a godly life in Christ Jesus.

Option 2: [correct] ILL: ignorant vs. ignore — They have hardened their heart to the truth and thus have become ignorant. In this sense ignorance means, ‘refusing to believe.’

causes alienation from God (exclusion from a life with God)

APP: Believing the whole counsel of God (—to the Ephesian Elders)

What about difference in beliefs?

Conversation on liberal vs. conservative—we want to conserve the truth of the scriptures even if there are differences in how they should be understood because it keeps us closer to the truth.

desire (worldview) for more and more (ILL: Promiscuity/licentiousness/self-abandon)

They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more. (19)

Desires are subconscious thoughts

Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die

Conflation/Christianization of several Bible verses?

Not a biblical principle, but a principle of the broader ANE culture—and very much a principle of the Western World today.

APP: Focus on eternal things.

Parable of the rich fool (, . 21)

APP: Focus on eternal things.

Comfort

entertainment

Entertainment

Sensual pleasure: Food, drink, sex

Politics

Literally anything without eternal value