Walking In The Truth Of Christ Series

Series: Experiencing the Riches of Christ

WALKING IN THE TRUTH OF CHRIST

Ephesians 4:17-31

I. WALKING IN THE DECEPTION OF THE WORLD (4:17-19)

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,

How did the Gentiles walk? As former Gentiles (unbelievers) we all walked in the deception of the world. We were all stained and dirtied by the world and therefore wore the spiritual garments or rags of a dirty world. We wore the rags as we were...

A. Futile in Thinking (17)

in the vanity of their mind,

vanity (mataiotees: a. what is devoid of truth and appropriateness: 2 Peter 2:18 b. perverseness, depravation: Eph 4:17 c. frailty, lack of vigor: Rom 8:20 (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. (c) 2000 by Biblesoft)

When god created man He gave man a mind that is separate from all other creation. The mind of man had to ability to make choices, the enjoy beauty, and art. Man was created to know God in his mind and actually man’s mind was created with need of having God as the center of his mindset. It was God who would help man make proper decisions and be his moral compass. Yet, when man chooses to live without God, then his mind is basically useless.

Void of Common Sense...

Examples

▸ Against the law to kill and unborn turtle but not an unborn baby

▸ An underage child cannot be given an aspirin without parent’s permission but can be given an abortion

▸ Mothers allowing their daughters to leave home seductively dressed and then amazed that they become sexually active

▸ Fathers saying that if my son is going to drink then he can drink at home and then amazed when his son is caught with a DUI

B. Darkened in Understanding (18a)

...Having the understanding darkened,

C. Alienated from Life of God (18b)

...being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,

D. Calloused in Heart (18c)

...because of the blindness of their heart:

“Blindness” (pooroosis: properly, the covering with a callus; obtuseness of mental discernment, dulled perception: the mind of one has been blunted (hardening of heart), of stubbornness, obduracy, Mark 3:5; Eph 4:18. (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. (c) 2000 by Biblesoft)

E. Unclean in Living (19)

19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

“Lasciviousness” NKJ: lewdness; NIV: sensuality; NLT: immoral ways

(aselgeia) the conduct and character of one who is aselgees (a word which some suppose to be compounded of the alpha privative and Selgee, the name of a city in Pisidia whose citizens excelled in strictness of morals (so Etymologicum Magnum (1000 A.D.?) 152, 38; per contra compare Suidas (1100 A.D.?) 603 d.):

--unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence: Mark 7:22

(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. (c) 2000 by Biblesoft)

II. WALKING IN THE TRUTH OF CHRIST (4:20-25)

20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

The first thing he wants to do is to begin to remove these filthy outergarments.

A. Taking of the Old Man (22)

...That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

When a person walks in the truth of Christ he immediately sees himself as he is as the Holy Spirit begins to shine light on his life. He sees the filthiness of the spiritual clothes that he has been wearing and their smell is terrible to him.

He sees the filthiness of his....

▸ Futile thinking

▸ Darkened understanding

▸ Alienation from God

▸ Callousness in heart

▸ Unclean living

Taking off filthy clothes is exactly the picture Paul is painting when he says to “put off the former conversation/life style of the old man”

“Put off: (apotithemi: Aorist/Middle/Inf: "to put off, lay aside," denotes, in the middle voice, "to put off from oneself, cast off," used figuratively of works of darkness, Rom 13:12, "let us cast off," (aorist tense, denoting a definite act).

(Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

(Rom 6:6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Another similar idea is what Paul calls “working out your own salvation”.

(Phil 2:12-13) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

B. Putting on the New Man (23-24)