Ephesians 4:17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded 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 for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Speaking the truth. The futility of their minds. Mind. Truth. Paul has been talking about no longer being like children. Immature in our thinking and doing. Children have yet to learn that it’s not about me, that the things of this world will never satisfy. Truths they need to learn. Cuz usually what happens is the deeds that we do flow from the thoughts that we think, which is based on the truth we believe. Obviously it is not always as simple as that, but in large part, this is true. The challenges we face each day, and with which our society is wrestling, all begins with this battle for the truth.
So... Don’t walk like the nations walk any longer. Don’t be living like those who haven’t come to know Jesus and learned to follow Him. And what is that like? What does Paul tell us about the unbelieving world? The way we USED to be?
He says our old self, the way we used to be, is characterized by several things = futility of mind, darkened understanding (light is off), ignorance, hardness of heart (cardio-sclerosis), callous. For those devoid of truth, it is indeed the way of the empty mind.
Vanity of mind - useless, worthless, a complete and utter waste; folly, foolishness - and it is foolish because it is grounded not in truth but in error. I am driving in the wrong direction. I am wanting to go to Dallas but I am going east on I-20. Have you ever driven the wrong way like that? You get turned around and think the way you are going is the right way. But it is a colossal waste of time. Futility of mind means your thoughts are going entirely in the wrong direction. They are based on a lie. A false assumption.
The lie says, happiness is this way. Satisfaction is this direction. The lie says, there is no God. So MY way, whatever I decide that is, is the right way. And there IS a way which seems right to man, but its way ends in death. A deadly waste of time.
Darkened understanding. So, I’m going in the wrong direction, AND the light is off. Ever try driving at night w the lights off? How smart is that? How can a young man keep his life pure, going the right way? By keeping it according to God’s Word. God’s Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. [Ps 119.9, 105] AND it is our spiritual Snickers, it really satisfies. I found Your Words, and I ate them, and they became for me the joy and delight of my heart, says Jeremiah.
Ignorance. No knowledge. They lack the knowledge of the truth. They are suppressing the truth (and more and more even in the US they haven’t heard it), but bottom line the truth is not IN them (Is it IN you?). And they are excluded from the life of God because they have excluded themselves. They need repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth. Jesus prayed, “Father, sanctify them in the truth - Your Word is truth”. These Words are true.
So which comes first - repentance (changing mind/direction), or the light coming on? Discuss...
As you can see this is all bringing us back to this idea of truthing in love. Part of this steady diet of God’s Word, His smorgasbord for our souls, is provided by this truthing in love which Paul is saying is done best in community. Paul continues to use the 2nd person plural AND adds the pronoun throughout this section - YOU YOURSELVES walk no longer [17], YOU YOURSELVES did not learn Christ in this way [20], YOU YOURSELVES lay aside the old self and put on the new self [22]. The pronoun is unnecessary [included in verb as in Spanish - i.e. hablo español - it's not necessary to add the pronoun "yo"] - when the pronoun appears in the Greek it often means emphasis. Paul is emphasizing the corporate nature of this truthing in love. You yourselves, you all, y'all. Together. This laying aside the old self and putting on the new self, so much of that is intended to happen in community. Journeying together.
The problem then becomes a hard heart. Cardio-sclerosis. And calluses. The lie comes in, we act on it, and over time the unhealthy spiritual diet (and isolation!) hardens our heart. Living for self, living apart from what God wants - and this callus forms. We can actually become numb to the truth, and numb to the plight of those around us. We don’t feel the prick of His Spirit prodding our conscience. We don’t care what God says. We don’t care about those around us. No feelings of the compassion of Christ. No truthing in love.
This is spiritual cardio-sclerosis - but what is the real life cure for arterio-sclerosis? A heart-healthy diet, & exercise, right? Let’s see now - a heart-healthy diet - that would be truthing in love! And exercise - that would be service. That’s precisely what Paul is trying to get across in this section. We need loving truth, and we need to serve. And this all happens in community.
But the world is going in a different direction. Sensuality. Every kind of impurity. Greediness. The way of the empty mind is a life which is desperately trying to fill the infinite abyss but is going in the wrong direction. The infinite abyss, the yawning chasm in my heart which cannot ever be satisfied by any created thing. Nor by any act or lifestyle pursued outside of God’s design. For those who live outside and apart from God and what He wants, excluded from the life of God, theirs is the endless pursuit of the cotton candy syndrome. We think that sensual thing, or that impure thing, or that material thing, will satisfy. It sure looks promising. Tantalizing even. We think it will make us happy. And it might - for a season. But in the end it will only leave us wanting. Still empty. Because no thing and no one can fill the God-shaped hole in my heart besides God Himself, made known through Jesus - the One Who made me for Himself - and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Him. This is the law of futility = Nothing satisfies apart from Christ. Emptiness. It doesn’t meant we can’t enjoy the trinkets and baubles of the world with a thankful heart. But sooner or later we’ve got to wake up and smell the coffee, and realize that even the best coffee, the best the world has to offer, will never ever fill the gaping God-shaped hole in my heart. We see this played out every year at Christmas, don’t we? Coming up on it already! So much hustle and bustle and making much ado about acquiring more things and stuff - and how much of it would you say is going unused even just a year later? The law of futility.
The old self is being corrupted, Paul says. Lusts of deceit. Desires that deceive. The word for lust means desire - and desires can actually be God-given. Made in heaven. God has desires. There is nothing inherently wrong with desire. It is the object of our desire that makes all the difference. Right next to the law of futility we have the law of corruption = Stuff breaks down. The natural order of this fallen world is that stuff breaks down. Things do not improve on their own. Things do not evolve into something better - certainly not without external influence. Things devolve. They decay. They grow up for a season and then they break down. It is a fundamental law of physics. And it holds true for our old self, Paul says. Our flesh. That keeps breaking down, too. Our old self will continue to choose self and anything else over God and what He wants. Deceitful lusts. Because with the law of futility we also have the corollary of diminishing returns. Our flesh needs increasing amounts of cotton candy in order to arrive at the same level of temporary satisfaction as before. Your tummy, your eyes, your flesh - they are never satisfied. Sure, our tummies can get filled temporarily [maybe with an actual Snickers bar? Or whatever you might think is the best candy?], but they will be empty in a few hours. Or worse. When it comes to trying to fill the infinite abyss, never have so many tried so hard to grasp at so much wind. That’s how Solomon describes it. Vanity. Emptiness.
But you didn’t learn Christ that way, Paul says. The truth is in Jesus. Be renewed in your mind.
Put on the new self, the new man. Not an invisibility cloak, but an infinity cloak. A divinity cloak. When you put on this robe, what people see is Jesus. Righteousness. Holiness. Love. Truth. It’s not an “I am better than you” kind of vibe - it’s I’m all in for what God wants kind of vibe. For what is right and good. For what is true. Because God is true, and right, and good. And He is better. So I want Him. I want what He wants. The new self, made not in Cupertino or China but in heaven. Created by the glorious breathtakingly good Creator of the universe Himself. We’re not talking about some duct tape and bailing wire, some 40 weight oil and gauze pads. Again we’re not slapping lipstick on a pig. This is a totally new creation.
But we’re back to this idea of truth. The new self corresponds to truth. Learning that nothing really satisfies like Jesus. Like being in Him and being right in God’s eyes through Him. He is the Truth. Thinking rightly about who we are in Christ [I am not this old busted self - I am a new creation!], AND then traveling in His direction. He is the Way. Because that is the place where your soul finds rest. Satisfaction. A sigh of relief. Things that make your soul say, “ahhhh”. Better than Snickers. Or Reeses Cups. He is better - and what Paul is saying, is that we need to find Him in a "circle"… We cultivate this new self best in a circle of common unity. Community. Geometry folks - How many points does it take to define a circle? Three. What did Jesus say, two or more, right? Because why? Wherever two or more gather in My name, there I am too. He’s the third point. So, there’s three. He’s talking about a circle…
Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.
To be continued next week…
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