Living By The Spirit – Post SWO26 Bible Study

Ephesians 4:17–32

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ! assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

What’s The Point?

In the first paragraph above, vv. 17-24, Paul is talking about the inner man. He highlights the difference between life submitted to Christ and life submitted to the flesh. In the second paragraph, vv. 25-32, he talks about how our lives will be practically different if we live by the Spirit. This is a wonderfully practical passage of Scripture because it shows us the connection between right belief (orthodoxy) and right action (orthopraxy).

What is Paul’s first command? Don’t walk like Gentiles (v. 17). Another way of saying this is don’t act like unbelievers. Why shouldn’t we act like unbelievers? Paul gives a host of reasons: Their understanding is darkened (v. 18); this means their thinking is wrong and given over to evil. They are alienated from God because of ignorance (v. 18); this means they are separated from God because they lack knowledge. All of this comes from the hardness of their hearts (v. 18); the word hardness could also be translated blindness.  Paul then claims that they don’t just do evil things, but they are greedy to sin boldly (v. 19). All of this is pointing to a spiritual blindness that results in stubbornness and desire to keep on sinning.

What makes us different from the Gentiles Paul talks about? We know Jesus! “But that is not the way you learned Christ!” (v. 20). Paul makes this exclamation because the contrast could not be greater. Our life in Christ is totally different from our life before Christ. If you know Jesus then you don’t have a darkened understanding, you aren’t separated from God, and your heart isn’t hard. Christians put off those things that belong to the old man, that is our life before Christ (v. 22), and we put on the new man, which is the righteousness of Christ (v. 24).

So, what does it look like to put off the old man, have our minds renewed, and put on the new man? In vv. 25-32 we see how knowing Jesus leads to a changed life and good works. We will break down each idea in this paragraph to see what actions we should be done with and what a righteous life looks like.

First, v. 25, believers must “put away falsehood.” Simply put, don’t lie! Now that we are in Christ we need to put lying to death and in its place we need to “speak the truth” with each other. Next, v. 26 tells us not to let our anger lead to sin; we cannot allow our emotions to control us. Instead, we are to give no opportunity for evil to take root in our lives.

These next ones are the best. Starting in v. 28, Paul says instead of stealing we should be doing honest work, but then he takes it a step further. Christians shouldn’t just stop stealing, and we shouldn’t just work to provide for ourselves; we should work hard enough and be generous enough to share the fruits of our labor with anyone who needs it. Knowing Jesus changes us from those who take away into those who give away.

The very next verse (v. 29) says that our speech should be affected in the same way.  Now that we are in Christ our language should build up rather than tear down. Just as our speech was infected by our sin before we knew Christ, so our new manner of speech should be led by the Spirit of God. You might have been someone who used foul language, tore people down, or were just downright ugly in the way you spoke, but now your words should give grace to everyone who hears it. Does the way you talk spread grace to everyone who hears it?

Lastly, in vv. 31-32, Paul says we shouldn’t be bitter or angry or hateful, but we should be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. Our natural, sinful desires should be and will be replaced by God-given, Spirit-led desires. How does this happen? We strive to put off the old way of living and put on life in the Spirit. We know how to do that because Christ exampled it for us!

Believing in Jesus will result in changed action. God has rescued us from sin and death, and he wants to change us to be more like his Son. During this life we will always be fighting sin—we will never be perfect. Jesus has caused us to be born again, and the Holy Spirit now dwells in us, so we can become more and more like him every day. God is making us holy in this life, and he is preparing us for eternal life where we will dwell with him in sinless perfection for all of eternity.

Scripture Memorization

Galatians 5:16

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, help me not to live like the world. I want to be done with the old man and live more like Jesus in every moment. Renew my mind with the Word and change my desires. Every day, take me closer to Jesus and farther from my sinful desires. I want my life to be used to proclaim your goodness and serve others. Give me a desire to work hard and be a light to those around me and help me use my words to build up the Church.

Reflection + Discussion

1. What does Paul mean when he says, “Don’t walk like the Gentiles”? How would you explain that in your own words and apply it to your life?
2. What does it mean to “put off the old man” and “put on the new man”? Can you think of examples from everyday life?
3. Which command in verses 25–32 do you think is hardest to follow? Why?
4. Paul says Christians should stop stealing and also work hard to give generously. What does this teach us about the difference between avoiding sin and actively doing good?
5. How can our words either tear people down or build them up? What are some practical ways to “give grace” through speech?