Can You See The Real Me?

Ephesians 4:17 – 22 

The Old You and the New You (Part 1)

The Apostle Paul is writing to the Ephesians to remind them that they who were once dead in their sins and trespasses are now made alive in Christ.  They have been brought near to and at peace with God by the blood of Jesus Christ. Since this is the case he reminds the Ephesians of what the new life or new you does not look like.

Vs 17, 18:  "You must no longer walk as the Gentiles do…" Paul is referring to the former ways of life. To make this statement a little more relevant now one author suggests that if we could change the word “Gentiles” to “Americans or some other relevant label we would have little difficulty bringing verses 17 – 19 into our contemporary situation, for they are like a mirror.” Paul reminds the Ephesian believers that they are not to walk in their previous depraved state. Humanity is desperately wicked, walking in futility and in need of a savior. The word futility can also be translated as vanity or meaningless. In our depraved state we are futile in every area of our lives and we are alienated from God. We did not acknowledge him nor have any regard for him in our minds or heart. Actually our hearts were hardened to him. I have made some of the previous posts.

Vs 19:  The sinful and depraved person is hard and callous towards God and he has not given himself up to God; instead he lives by his sensuality and impurities. This describes most of unredeemed humanity pretty much in a nutshell. People of the world live for the pleasures of the flesh and the pleasures of the world. Sensuality has become their god. They have completely submitted themselves to their own lusts and pleasures. This unfortunately has become the American way. If it feels good, do it. Don’t put parameters on me, I am free to live as I choose and you cannot tell me how to live. I will pursue happiness (or what I think is happiness) at any cost regardless of who I hurt in the process.

Paul writes that the depraved futile person is greedy to live a full life of impurity of every kind. There is no regard for right or wrong. There is no room for rules and regulations. Pursuing purity is pointless. Sin has become the god of the depraved person’s life.

Vs 20, 21:  We now encounter the third “but” statement. “But that is not how you learned Christ…” In more contemporary terms Paul is saying, “Since you are now a follower of Jesus you are no longer supposed to live this way.” If you were truly taught the proper ways in Jesus these old ways of living are no longer part of your life. You once walked in the ways of meaningless self indulgence but now you walk in the truth of Jesus Christ. The sad truth is that there are hundreds of thousands of people who profess Jesus as their Lord and yet continue to walk in their lustful, depraved and futile lives.  

Vs 22:  We are to “Put off the old self…” You can think of the old life like an onion and believers are to peel or take off the old self (sinful depraved self). The way we used to live is no longer the way we live today. We are to shed ourselves of the former ways of life. The sinful life we were enslaved to as depraved sinners is to be discarded and thrown away like an old pair of smelly shoes. Why are we to take off the old ways of living? Because our old ways are not the ways of God; they are the ways of a godless world we were once subject to and loved so dearly. The old life does not belong to God it belongs to world or the old self which is vain, deceiving and corrupt.