It’s not a sin to be married. But it’s possible to be married in a sinful way. It’s not a sin to be rich and have lots of money and possessions in life, but it is possible to be rich in a sinful way. It’s not a sin to work hard. In fact, the Bible regularly encourages us to be hard workers, faithful workers. But there is a way to work hard sinfully. It’s not a sin to have hobbies and interests. It’s not a sin to play golf. It’s not a sin to watch TV. It’s not a sin to read books. But there is a way to hold hobbies and interests and passions sinfully.
And likewise, while there is a sinful way to do all of these things, there is also a way to do every one of them to the glory of God.
There are two ways that any of us can live our lives. The Bible calls it two walks of life. A lot of times the Bible uses that metaphor of your walk to refer to your way of living, the way you conduct yourself in life. That encompasses all the things you do with your life, both your actions and the heart behind your actions. This entirety of your being makes up your walk.
And a lot of times, when people come to the issue of the Christian’s walk, our first approach is to start setting up a bunch of man-made guardrails for what’s good and what’s not. I heard somebody get up and preach a message, and among the forty-seven other points they were bashing on, they made sure to tell how sinful having a television was, that if you’re a good Christian you don’t need one because all that thing is, is of the devil. We find this in all kinds of denominations, all kinds of cults, all kinds of brands of Christianity. When we start talking about the walk of the Christian, the first thing we want to do is start hitting all the things you can and cannot do. We want to create a laundry list of do’s and don’ts for people to follow.
But the reality is, it’s possible for a Christian and an unbeliever to eat the exact same meal, and one of them is doing it for the flesh and one is doing it for the glory of God. It’s possible for a Christian and an unbeliever to listen to the exact same song and walk away with two different outcomes. It’s possible for a Christian and an unbeliever to go to the same fair and leave with two different outcomes.
And if you’re a believer this morning, you have an interesting perspective, because you’ve actually had the opportunity to walk both paths.
The Old Walk: Empty, Darkened, Past Feeling
Outside of Christ, our walk was according to what Paul calls the old man. That includes you women too; this is not just for the guys in the room. Paul deals with that back in chapter two, when he talks about how we were under the influence of the devil.
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. (Ephesians 2:2)
There was a time in your life, Christian, where you walked the same way the world did. It wasn’t that you were doing the same things, it’s that you did them the same way the world did them. There is a way of living life that is not glorifying to God, and Paul recognizes that most of the world, the vast majority of the human population, is living according to the old man.
Here’s how he describes the old walk:
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. (Ephesians 4:17-19)
That word “vanity” in modern English means we’re all about ourselves and all caught up. But this isn’t talking about someone staring in the mirror happy to see their reflection. It means emptiness. Or the best translation into modern English is futility. Emptiness, void of value. Just like the writer in Ecclesiastes said: vanity of vanities, all is vanity. He’s saying everything is empty.
So Paul is saying the world, the old man, the rest of the human population, is walking in the vanity, the emptiness, of their minds. In other words, their mind is void of the truth of God that makes this life worth living, the truth of God that framed the world and gave it its foundation, and gives us the way to walk in blessing and profitability spiritually. They don’t have it. It’s just not there. Their mind is void of understanding.
He goes on: “having the understanding darkened.” They not only lack the understanding, they are darkened from it. Even if you could lay the information in their lap, their mind is too darkened to understand the things of God. They are “alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart.” They are blinded to the truth. They are darkened in the truth. They do not know the truth. They do not want the truth. And even if you force-fed the truth into their mind, they would spit it back out.
“Who being past feeling.” That’s a strong thought. They are so darkened, so blinded in their understanding, that they are past the ability to feel the things of the Spirit. And because this is true, they have given themselves over, and that’s actually in the reflexive form; it means they have not been given over, they give themselves over to lasciviousness, an old English word that simply means an unbridled lust. They are uncontrolled in their passions for wickedness. They give themselves over to lustful, wicked desires, and they’re doing so willingly, living their life after the pursuit of wickedness.
You may say, “But Justin, I know a lot of non-Christians who aren’t bad people. They’re not just living for sin.” Well, first of all, if they’re not living for the glory of God, they’re living for themselves, whether they know how to conduct themselves in public or not. Their heart is desiring selfishness, even if they know how to act properly in public. Secondly, you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. I’m just saying from firsthand experience: just because somebody can sit on a church pew, sing the right songs, and say all the right things, that doesn’t mean their heart is clean when nobody is around.
We, outside of Christ, live for the flesh, and we do so willingly, pursuing that lifestyle with a wanton desire nobody can quench. Before Jesus Christ, that’s the way you walked. You wanted what you wanted, and you were going to do what you could to get it. I don’t say that to run you down. I say it because the Bible says it’s true. Those outside of Christ are darkened in their understanding. Their minds are empty of the truth. They are past the feeling of the Spirit. They live their lives for their own pleasure.
This was us before Christ.
But Ye Have Not So Learned Christ
But there is a turn in verse twenty:
But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus. (Ephesians 4:20-21)
That’s not the way you have been taught in Jesus Christ. That’s not the way you have been given to walk in your life today. Folks, we used to live that way, and if we’re honest, sometimes that way still wants to creep in and be a part of our life today. It’s okay to say amen. But he says you have not so learned Christ. We have been taught a new way.
Put Off, Put On
And he says:
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)
He’s using a picture we understand well. Now that you’re in Christ, now that you’ve been taught a new way, you are to take off the old man like you would take off dirty clothes. Have you ever been outside doing hard work, gotten dirt and mud all over you, and walked in still smelling the outdoors? You brought it into the house. What’s the first thing you do? You take off those dirty clothes and take a shower. Then what do you do? You put on clean clothes, and you feel good again, right? Because the old clothes aren’t worth putting back on. You don’t get out of the shower and put those old clothes back on. Why? Because they’re dirty. They stink. They’ve still got the smell of the outdoors on them.
Paul is saying, as believers, we’ve been given a new walk, a new way, not just new actions to do and enjoy, but a new way of doing those actions that makes them edifying and glorifying to God. We need to take off those old things we used to wear, throw them away, and put on the new man: the new way, the new walk, the new life we have in Jesus Christ. And notice what he says about this new way: it’s modeled after God, created in righteousness and true holiness.
We are to take off the old way. We are to put on the new way. We are to live a glorified, dignified new life in Jesus Christ.
In other words, what is Paul saying here? Your life after Christ should not look the same as your life did before Christ. You should not be acting the same way. You should not be talking the same way. You should not be feeling the same way. You should not be thinking the same way. This new walk does not just mean you show up to church on Sunday, pay your tithes, read your Bible, and then keep on living the same way you lived before. He’s saying the new life should completely reorient, restructure, and transform who you are as a person from the inside out. You’re to be a new creature, not just take on new habits.
What the New Walk Looks Like
And he gives us a detailed description of what this is supposed to look like in the second half of the chapter. He makes it very applicable to life.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. (Ephesians 4:25)
In our old way of life, all of us were liars. We may have tried to be honest when we felt like we should. But at the end of the day, if a lie would get us out of trouble, we would tell a lie. If a lie would make our life more comfortable, we would gladly tell it, and find a way to excuse it. That’s not the way Christians live. We are to speak truth with one another, for we are members one of another. The body is to work together, and the body cannot work together if we’re lying to each other, keeping secrets, and keeping ourselves separate from each other through deceitfulness. Christians don’t live by lies. They pursue honesty.
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27)
How on earth do you do that? There are things in life that are going to make us angry. By the way, Jesus got angry. There were things Jesus saw and experienced that made him angry. But the anger was never about defending himself. The anger was always about sin and the glory of God, and the way he handled that anger was never to return the sin with more sin. He always dealt with the thing that made him angry with righteousness and holiness.
Anger can lead us to do the right thing, but anger can also quickly turn into bitterness, which leads us to self-preservation, self-flattery, pride. That’s why he tells us clearly: don’t let the sun go down on your wrath. Don’t stay angry long. Process that emotion. Do something with it, because if you let it stay there, it will turn to bitterness, which he deals with later in the chapter. We are not to live angry, frustrated lives. Folks, we are to be people of joy, because we’ve been purchased through the blood of Jesus Christ. We’ve been given a new life, a new hope, a better future. We are not to live angry, frustrated lives. We are to be joyful creatures.
“Neither give place to the devil.” Anger does that. When we live with anger, we are creating a garden for the devil to grow all kinds of evil fruit.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. (Ephesians 4:28)
Don’t be a taker, be a giver. Don’t try to get what you can from other people. Try to work hard so you can have something to give to others. Christians are not supposed to be takers, not supposed to be moochers. We are supposed to be the ones providing for the needs of others so they may see Christ in us. That doesn’t mean there won’t be times we need help, folks. That doesn’t mean there aren’t times we’ll have to ask for help, and praise God we have that blessing in the body of Christ. But our way of life should not be built on taking what does not belong to us. Our life should be built so that we can give to those who are in need.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29)
Goodness gracious. We’re not only supposed to glorify God with our hands, not only with our hearts, we are supposed to glorify God with our mouths. The words that come out of our mouths should not be intended to shock, surprise, scare, intimidate, or hurt. The words we use are supposed to be words of life. Every time we open our mouths, we are supposed to be building others up. And Lord, forgive me, because I’m guilty of that one.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)
We are not to live in a way that grieves the Holy Spirit. We are to live in a way that glorifies the Holy Spirit.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. (Ephesians 4:31)
That is, don’t try to suppress it. Don’t try to control it. Don’t try to get it licked, whatever the case may be. He’s saying, get it away. If there is anger, if there is evil speaking, if there is bitterness, if there is wrath, if these attitudes of the heart exist in you, get it out. Drive it up the road, dump it out somewhere, and do not come back for it. Put it away from you.
And what are we to replace it with?
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)
We are to be forgivers of debts, because our debts have been forgiven in Jesus Christ.
It’s Not a Checklist. It’s a New Heart.
So Paul gives us a very clear description of what our walk in Christ is supposed to look like. And folks, I don’t know about you, but the more times I read that, the more I hurt, because I realize how often I fall short of it.
Now, many would camp out on that to-do list and try to make you feel as guilty as possible, so hopefully that guilt will make you change your actions this week. But there’s an important detail in this passage that changes the way we think about it, because Paul is not trying to lay heavy burdens on us. He’s not trying to weigh us down as we walk through our week going, “Wow, I am just falling way short of all of this.”
What’s the detail that changes the whole picture? Paul is not trying to get us to follow a checklist of do’s and don’ts. He is wanting us to be transformed in our hearts.
Notice, when he talks about the Gentiles, he says the reason they live the way they do is because they are alienated from God, hardened in their hearts, blinded in their hearts, and the condition of their heart is producing the fruit that’s happening on the outside. It’s the condition of the soul that makes them live in a way that isn’t glorifying to God. But what we have is different from the world, because we have a new heart that’s been put into us.
Going back to Ephesians two:
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are ye saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
He took that dead heart, transformed it, and created a new heart, and he placed that new heart inside of us, which now makes it possible to live in a way that not only looks good to other people, but is actually good before God, both inside and out. The thing that separates us from the world is not just our external actions, it’s the condition of our heart with which we live our lives. And as believers, we’ve been given a new heart, and that new heart is what’s going to produce the right living in your life.
Too many Christians are trying to manufacture good behavior and stay frustrated and stay guilty and stay angry. And too many preachers are just trying to get people to live the right way, bashing everybody over the head every Sunday with all the things they’re doing wrong and all the things they should be doing. And we’re all just walking around guilty. Then finally, we either crush under the burden or we go, “Why even try if I’m just going to keep failing?”
The problem is, we’re trying to produce something we were never intended to produce on our own. We’re trying to be good, when God is wanting to transform our heart, and it’s the condition of your heart that’s going to transform the actions that happen on the outside.
So folks, this morning, I want you to do an audit of your life. Maybe you see some things I’ve described to you this morning that are not present in your life. Or maybe you’re hearing some of those things that were of the old man and you’re going, “But that’s still there.” My goal is not to sell you on doing better. My goal is that you would stop looking at the external first and ask, “How’s my heart?” Because that’s where the transformation is going to take place.
Mind, Heart, Hands
But you say, “Justin, even though I’m born again, even though I’ve been saved, even though I’ve been given this new nature, I’m still struggling with this sin. How do I see this kind of transformation? What is the agent that makes this a possibility?”
Paul gives us that answer here too, because there’s yet another theme that occurs over and over again in this passage: the mind. What’s the very first thing he says about the Gentiles? That they are walking in the futility, the emptiness, of their mind. The problem starts with what’s going on up here. What’s going in? What’s swirling around? Because what’s going in and swirling around is ultimately going to make it down here, to your heart, which is going to affect what you think, what you feel, what you believe, and what happens in your heart is ultimately going to result in how you live.
Your head affects your heart, affects your hands.
So if you’re frustrated by some sin in your life, if you keep struggling with some bitterness, some anger, some temptation, if you’re only focused on the external problem, you’re not actually looking at the root cause. Because what’s happening out here is being controlled by what’s in here, and what’s happening in here is being influenced by what’s happening up here.
Paul says the Gentiles were in the futility of their minds. They are walking with empty heads, blinded eyes, broken hearts, and all of that is affecting their life. But notice what he says about the believer: we have learned Christ differently. That word “learned” deals with your noggin. What have you learned? What have you been taught? What have you heard? All of those things deal directly with the mind. And in Christ is truth, and we perceive truth with the mind. The kind of heart transformation that produces Christlike living begins with an exposure of the mind.
So I ask you this morning: how much exposure is your mind getting to the truth of Christ? How much is your mind being influenced by the truth of Scripture? And conversely, how much is your mind being influenced by the world? Because what’s going in up here is going to change what’s happening here, and that’s going to affect what’s happening here.
You are a whole person. In fact, you yourself are a kind of trinity. You have a mind, you have a heart, you have hands, and all of those affect each other. So I ask you: what is affecting your mind?
Folks, you’re all here this morning, and that’s good. Praise God you’re here. But where else are you getting Christ throughout the week? Where else is Christ affecting your mind? Are you hearing him in your songs? Are you hearing him in the Scriptures? Are you hearing him in sermons? Again, I’m not trying to put legalities on you. I’m not saying you need to listen to three sermons this week and read so many chapters of the Bible and only listen to Christian music. I’m just saying, how much of him is going in is going to affect everything else about you.
Paul is saying we are to put off the old man, and how are we going to do that? Not by habit change. By intake. By what’s going in. Changing your mind changes your heart, changes your hands.
The philosopher Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” His argument was that our ability to think proves that we exist. And that’s a very compelling concept. But that truth actually goes even further. Your thinking not only proves you exist, but your thinking affects how you exist.
Here’s the order Paul is laying out for us: the mind affects the heart. The condition of the heart feeds the mind. And the heart and the mind eventually affect the hands.
Will You Be Renewed?
So I leave you with this question: what is your life saying about the condition of your heart? And what is the condition of your heart saying about the influence of your mind?
Paul calls us to lay aside the old way of life and embrace the new. This begins with a renewed mind, which gives you a renewed heart, which produces a renewed life.
So the only question that’s going to take you from here is: will you be renewed by Jesus Christ today?
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