Bible Study Ephesians 4: 17-32

 

A Commentary of the Book of Ephesians

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study Ephesians 4: 17-32

Text:

Put On the New Man

17 Therefore this I say, and testify in the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their mind, alienated 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, have given themselves over to sensuality [k]for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn [l]Christ in this way— 21 if indeed you heard Him and were taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus— 22 [m]to lay aside, in reference to your former conduct, the old man, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and to put on the new man, which [n]in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil [o]an opportunity. 28 He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with [p]one who has need. 29 Let no [q]unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for building up [r]what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, [s]by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven [t]you.

Verse by verse commentary

Verse 17: “Therefore this I say, and testify in the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,”

“Walk” expresses daily conduct and refers back to what Paul has said about the believer’s high calling in Christ Jesus. Our Christian life is one of daily surrender and repentance. “Gentiles” were all ungodly, unregenerate pagans who walked according to the ways of sinners without repentance. The “futility of the mind” refers to, first, unbelievers are intellectually unproductive. As far as spiritual and moral issues are concerned, their rational processes are distorted and inadequate, inevitably failing to produce godly understanding or moral living. They may live “good lives” in a worldly sense, but they have a deadness inside them. Their life is empty, vain, and without meaning because they do not have the Holy Spirit.

Verse 18: “being darkened in their mind, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.”

Second, unbelievers are spiritually separated from God, thus ignorant of God’s truth, and their willing spiritual darkness and moral blindness is the result. Their actions are controlled by their sinful unregenerate hearts. They are blind, or “hard” like a rock. The lost don’t understand that our duty is to glorify God. The lost seek to glorify themselves no matter how wholesome their actions are. They may feed the poor, but it is for their glory not the Lord’s glory.

Verse 19: “And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.”

Third, unbelievers are morally insensitive. They are calloused and hardened.  As they continue to sin and turn away from God and resist the Word of God as it is given to them, they become still more apathetic about moral and spiritual things. They are lulled into a deadly spiritual sleep that without the Holy Spirit convicting them of sin, would allow them to fall into the depths of hell when they take their last breath.  Fourth, unbelievers are behaviorally depraved. They surrender themselves to impurity and greed. As they willingly keep succumbing to sensuality and licentiousness, they increasingly lose moral restraint, especially in the area of sexual sins. Impurity is inseparable from greediness, which is a form of idolatry. The first sin is the hardest to commit. After that, it gets easier each time to fall deeper into sin and a sinful lifestyle. That some souls may not reach the extremes described in verses 17-19,  is due only to God’s common grace and the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 20: “But you did not learn Christ in this way—”

To learn Christ means to learn Christian teaching and sound doctrine. Christian doctrine has instructed the readers not to live as do unbelievers described in verses 17–19. We are to be a light to the world. We should be different from the world. We need to be a light that is seen so the world will know that the children of God are different from the children of the world.

Verse 21: “if indeed you heard Him and were taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus—”

That is, in the message proclaimed about Him. No one can hear the message in their heart about salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ until the Holy Spirit opens their hearts to receive the truth. If you have heard the message, thank the Holy Spirit for bringing that message to your heart. The words, “as truth is in Jesus,” refers to the fact that God has broken the cycle of death due to sin by giving them an understanding of His Son and His work on their behalf. This is a supernatural work and not the result of a man-made works-based salvation independent of Holy Spirit conviction.

Verse 22: “to lay aside, in reference to your former conduct, the old man, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,”

Belonging to Christ involves repudiating an old life and embracing a new one. We are to put off the old man that includes acts of the flesh and all sinful conduct attitudes, actions and beliefs. The image is that of taking off decaying clothes and putting on new ones.

Verse 23: “and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind,”

Salvation involves the mind, which is the center of thought, understanding, and belief, as well as of motive and action. When the gospel is preached, it reaches the mind of the hearer. It is only the Holy Spirit that takes that Word and brings it to the heart of the unsaved person and He brings them to the cross to show the work of Christ. But to me clear, the mind is not circumvented. When a person becomes a Christian, God gives him a completely new spiritual and moral capability that a mind apart from Christ could never achieve. From there we are to renew our mind daily and surrender our physical bodies to Him on a continual basis.(Romans 12: 1-2).

Verse 24: “and to put on the new man, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

Belonging to Christ involves a forsaking of the old life and embracing a new one. The image is that of taking off old clothes and putting on new ones. This is man’s responsibility under the power of the Holy Spirit. God will give you the desire to take off the old and put on the new, but you do the work.

Verse 25: “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.”

More than simply telling direct falsehoods, lying also includes exaggeration and adding fabrications to something that is true. Cheating, making foolish promises, betraying a confidence, and making false excuses are all forms of lying, with which Christians should have no part. Every word from your lips will require an accounting of what you said. This is not just the words that come from your mouth, but also the motives upon which those words rest. We are to “speak truth each one with his neighbor,” as God’s work in the world is based on truth, and neither the church nor individual believers can be fit instruments for the Lord to use if they are not truthful. Our truth must be based on the Word of God and nothing else. We do not follow voices in our heads, but rather the Holy Words written on the page.

Verse 26: “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,”

By New Testament standards, anger can be either good or bad, depending on motive and purpose. Paul may have been sanctioning righteous indignation, anger at evil. This type of anger hates injustice, immorality, ungodliness, and every other sin. When such anger is unselfish and based on love for God and others, it not only is permissible but commanded. Jesus expressed this righteous anger. Even though to be angry is not necessarily a sin, righteous anger still can turn to bitterness, so should be set aside by the end of each day. In other words, “take off” your anger every day. Don’t carry it with you because it can cause spiritual problems. If anger is prolonged, it may become hostile and become a root of bitterness.

Verse 27: “and do not give the devil an opportunity.”

Because practical unity among believers displays God’s reconciling power (It is good and pleasant when believers dwell in unity), the devil especially desires division. A divided church is a weak church. Satan knows this and will look for any opportunity to create a “church fight.” Don’t fall for it and don’t give him an opening.

Verse 28: “He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.”

Stealing in any form is a sin and has no part in the life of a Christian. Rather, let him work, producing what is beneficial for himself and others. The alternative to stealing is to provide for oneself, one’s family, and others what is God-honoring through honest, honorable means. I remember preaching a revival and the host pastor prayed, “Lord, I’m not asking for much, just enough money to get by for myself and my family.” My response was, “That is the most selfish prayer I ever heard.” I told him he should ask God to give him a little extra so that he might be in a position to help someone in need. Paul is going to outline specifics in these verses describing exactly what it means to “take off” and “put on.” We should pay close to attention to the Apostle’s words to guide us.

Verse 29: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for building up what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

The word for “unwholesome” refers to that which is foul or rotten, such as spoiled fruit or putrid meat. Foul language of any sort should never pass a Christian’s lips, because it is totally out of character with his new life in Christ.We are to use our words to build up the body of Christ and our speech should be instructive, encouraging, uplifting, (even when it must be corrective), and suited for the moment. Since we are saved by grace, our speech should live and show grace to others. 

Verse 30: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

That is, by the destructive use of speech described in the previous verse. That the Holy Spirit can be saddened or grieved is an indication of His being a Person and not an impersonal force. WE should be mindful that our actions can grieve the Holy Spirit through our speech (the focus of this verse), our actions and our attitudes. Let us be mindful that we are to live moment by moment for Him representing Him to the world.

Verse 31: “Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

These verses summarize the changes in the life of a believer mentioned in this chapter. “Bitterness” reflects a smoldering resentment. “Wrath” has to do with rage, the passion of a moment. “Anger” is a more internal, deep hostility. “Shouting” is the outcry of strife out of control. “Evil speaking” is slander. “Malice” is the general Greek term for evil, the root of all vices. This summary focuses on our speech. There is no question that our words can shape our actions, attitudes and thinking. This is not some mystical theology used by Charismatics who falsely believe they can create with their words. No, this is very practical advice. If you gossip, backbite, and seek to hurt others, you will grieve the Holy Spirit away and your life will be full of challenges and struggles. When we speak grace to others, we put away the sinful talk that creates problems in our communities.

Verse 32: “Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you.”

Those who have been forgiven so much by God should, of all people, forgive the relatively small offenses against them by others. We are to remember God’s forgiveness when faced with slights and insults from others. The Apostle gives us clear directions on how to speak grace to others. I suggest these verses should be read before every church board meeting or wherever believers are dealing with conflict resolution.