In Ephesians 4:17-24 Paul points out to
his readers that he knows where they have come from, and how hard it is to
change one’s life. He utilizes “put on” and “put off” imperative language to
challenge his readers to take this conversion process seriously.
To
describe their lifestyle, the apostle Paul uses the literal word “to walk
around.” He admonishes them to no longer walk around (live) as the Gentiles
walk around (live). “Gentiles” was a pejorative term, and almost a slur,
against people who were not Jewish and were an example of just letting their
passions rule their life.
This
describes many of Paul’s Christian friends and their past life in Ephesus. What
was the “Gentile” past life like? Paul uses four participles (verbs with “-ing”
endings) to describe it in the fullest of pictures.
·
Having
been darkened in their understanding
·
Having
been alienated from the life of God
·
Having
(being) ignorance in them
·
Having
given themselves up to a life of sensuality
These four descriptions
indicate why it was so hard for many of his readers to “walk worthy of the
calling with which they had been called”(4:1).
All of this was being
done “in the futility of their minds”(4:17). This refers to their thought-world
being so empty of anything with real purpose that they were drifting through
life aimlessly. There was no thought of consequences related to their daily
choices. This way of living was labeled by Paul as the “old man.”
When Paul indicated
that they had no so learned Christ, he is actually pinpointing the process of
“unlearning.” Part of conversion is the initial unlearning replaced with
learning. The former way of life is being exchanged for a new way of life. This
is the miraculous power of the Good News of Jesus!
In this Pauline
pericope what catches the ear of the transformational Christian leader is the
process of putting off the old man and putting on the new man. It is both a
divine and human process whereby the
mystery of transformation occurs.
Christian leaders who
care about others and their Christian growth are reminded of the following
realities of life that Paul addresses here:
1.
It
takes a long time for people to change their thought world.
2.
A
former way of life, being alienated from God, is being exchanged for a new of
life where a new relationship with God is being established.
3.
We
can never under-estimate the ignorance of individuals coming to the faith.
4.
A
life of sensuality can make a person calloused and unfeeling toward others.
Re-awakening the conscience in this area will take time and patience.
5.
Our
role as leaders is to continually keep before others the model of Jesus,
teaching and embodying life-changing truths that others need to see.
All of this make a huge difference—the difference
between a life of emptiness or a life of holiness! May God give every Christian
servant-leader a “renewal in the spirit of our minds” (4:23) such that others
may see the truth of Jesus living in us!
In Christian love, Curtis
