Resolved: Out With The Old, In With The New (2)

Introduction

Paul writes Ephesians while a prisoner on his way to appear before Caesar in Rome.

He is a prisoner.

Our passage, Eph. 4:17-29 closely parallels Col. 3.

Ephesus is an idolatrous city. Paul has worked hard to give the gentiles equality with the Jews in the church. He needs them to understand what this new life means for them: they must change!

Stop! and Think, Eph. 4:17-19

The former life is futile.

The former life is one of darkness.

The former life is is callous and twisted, without eternal life.

The former life leads to worse behaviours.

Start to Remember

You have learned from Jesus, Eph. 4:20. Three times here Paul uses a snapshot of their lives to demonstrate why they must change. In choosing to obey Christ, they committed to changing.

You have heard Jesus. It is the gospel we must follow, for to follow the gospel is to follow Jesus.

You have been taught by Jesus. When we listen to the gospel, it is Jesus’ voice we should hear, not the preacher’s.

You committed to living a life like Jesus’ life, Eph. 4:23. Obeying Jesus is to become young again. It is the only time in the NT that this word is used. It differs from Rom. 12:2 which refers to a spiritual birth. Here, it is talking about the renewal brought about by that new birth. Romans speaks to regeneration and transformation; Ephesians speaks to a second chance to live the life we were supposed to live before God.

Put off the old life: “stop being a spectator and become a contestant. [BDAG] There’s a difference between watching Cobra Carr and being Cobra Carr!

You are God’s new creation.

The elite Romans had a coming-of-age ceremony surrounding the donning of the toga. This ritual, toga virilis, transformed the male youth to a man, now having dignity and authority. The new clothing symbolized the maturity of the young man, who was to practice virtue and act wisely. Paul picks up this ubiquitous image and expands it. His teaching culminates in the recognition and reality that the new self is created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. There are several important layers in these three verses (4:22–24), including the act of taking off and putting on, the “old self” contrasted with the “new self” (anthrōpos/human), and the reality of the new self that is created to be like God.

Gen. 1:26; John 3:5; Eph. 1:13; 2:10; 2 Cor. 5:17.

You are to walk in this new life. cf. Eph. 4:1; Rom. 12:2; 1 Pet. 1:14.

Shed the Old Life

Stop lying; speak the truth, Eph. 4:25.

Stop holding on to anger, but be angry against sin in the church, Eph. 4:26.

Stop stealing; learn to work so you can help others, Eph. 4:28.

Stop malicious words; edify instead, Eph. 4:29.

Conclusion

When we chose Christ, we committed to putting on the new man.

Change our being;

Change our thinking;

Change our actions.

Having been purged of sin the day we obeyed Christ, we must fill the new man with those things fitting of the new life.

When part of the body hurts, the rest of the body helps. However, if the joints are persistently inflamed, then the life span of the body is limited.

To become a Christian is to take a sacred vow to become like Christ.

It’s more than being saved: it’s being transformed into the Christ-like witness of our Lord.

It’s more than saying “I do”: it’s about becoming one with Him.

It’s more than going to heaven: it’s about living on earth as though in heaven, in the presence of God.

When we fulfil our commitment to put on the new man, growing happens. It is the inevitable consequence of becoming a disciple of Christ.