Ephesians 4 – 5:21, The life of the new self and his church in the midst of danger, part 2.
length: 71:05 - taught on Jan, 25 2022
Class Outline:
Tuesday January 25, 2022
Paul gives us a map through a mine field with a mature believer and a mature church on the other side.
A big part of this exhortation is the warning that there exist many things that oppose our growth and our walk with the Lord and our service and unity with one another.
This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 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; 19 and they, having become callous [cease to feel], have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way;
The old life, the walk of the unregenerate is emptiness, darkness, separation from God’s life, ignorant, callous, and at the mercy of sensuality, impurity, and greediness.
Sounds like today’s news report (any day).
When we return we will look at the doctrine of man. There are many scary things here in relation to him, and one that particularly jumps out to me is that he can cease to feel, which leads him to give himself over to sensuality. That may sound like a paradox, but it makes perfect sense. When you stop feeling you go to great lengths to feel something. When this process begins, people dabble in sensuality, which is a warning that life no longer has joy in it for them, and they should seek a solution, and fast, in their Creator, for sensual searching is a very slippery slope. Overdose deaths in America went up from 56K to 75.5K from 2020-2021 according to the CDC.
Notice vs. 20, “But you did not learn Christ in this way.”
Christ is nothing like the walk of the pagan unbeliever.
We have to learn Christ.
God became a man and brought a new life to mankind. He would have to redeem man in order to give this life to him.
Knowing Christ is not an automatic for the believer in Him. We have to learn Him, and since our aim is the full knowledge of Him, this will require every day of our lives and beyond into eternity.
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God
we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,
Paul exhorts us:
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, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
The old self is being (present passive) corrupted by the lusts of deceit, meaning that they are lusts that promise fulfillment and happiness but which actually deliver the opposite. The new self has the potential to be consistently renewed (present passive) in the spirit of your mind - the thinking, will, and love. Learning Christ is not automatic. We have to decide to give ourselves to it. Laying aside the old self is imperative, for of you are reading or studying the Bible while living for the flesh you will gain some knowledge but no real understanding. Paul is going to show us exactly what to do and what not to do.
We have the warning and the exhortation to the blessed eternal life given by grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
This life is with one another in the body of Christ, which we might call the life of the church. And in that life, the old life can play no part. For example, people lie to one another quite a bit, usually for self-preservation or for convenience. We, in the body, are to never lie to one another. As Christ told us that there will be no more vows. Vows are promises that you won’t go back on your word, but if we never lie, we no longer need vows.
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.
Paul continues with our behavior towards one another. No sinful anger, no stealing, giving, pure speech, edification, no combatant attitudes but kindness, mercy, and forgiveness, 4:26-32.
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Then comes another “therefore.” Paul’s “therefore(s)” are full of meaning. They force us to recall what was written prior and to go back and double check that we got it all.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
We find the word “walk” again and the word “love” again.
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love,
every joint supplies, according to the proper [measure - measure of Christ’s gift] working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Don’t walk in your former manner (vs. 17), but walk in love as an imitator (mimetes) of God the Father, 5:1-2.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
The new self in the body of new selves have a life that is a spiritual precursor to the coming kingdom of God on earth. Only now can it be lived in the midst of its enemies.
Only in time do you get to look the enemy in the face and say, No! The rewards in time for living the spiritual life are obvious. They are the fruit of the Spirit. What the rewards are in eternity for those who have fought the good fight as compared to those who didn’t fight are much more vague. However, there is something to walking by faith when there are other options and an enemy that lives to push you toward those wrong options. I don’t know yet how to put it in words, but the motivation to walk worthy now runs far deeper than a promise of some material things either here on earth or in eternity. It is much more connected to a love for the life itself and the One from whom it originates.
Paul again returns to how we should interact with one another, 5:3-4.
But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Not only are we not to do immoral or impure or greedy things, but we are not even to talk about them.
Paul again returns to the walk of the heathen as well as a warning to not be deceived by false things, 5:5-6.
For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Paul then brings us back to our proper walking (living, conduct, behavior), 5:7-21.
Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn [proving] what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason it says,
"Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you."
Notice the walking again. This will take us to the end.
Five times in this passage Paul mentions walking.
EPH 4:1 walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called
EPH 4:17 you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk
EPH 5:2 walk in love, just as Christ also loved you
EPH 5:8 walk as children of light
EPH 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise,
Each mention of walking is followed by characteristics. Let’s see the characteristics of our walk.
walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
EPH 4:17-19 - the unbelieving pagan.
walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn [proving] what is pleasing to the Lord.
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
This section is a bio of the maturing believer and a description of his church. It is also a description of the schemes of the enemy that wants to destroy both.
Now Paul moves from the church to the home.
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