Ephesians 4:17-19 Podcast
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Paul beings our text with "I affirm together with the Lord." The Apostle could say this because this was a result of divine revelation. So, this is not mere human advice. This is the word of God placed squarely upon the root of the human problem.
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Paul beings our text with "I affirm together with the Lord." The Apostle could say this because this was a result of divine revelation. So, this is not mere human advice. This is the word of God placed squarely upon the root of the human problem.
Paul continues, "do not live like those who do not know the Lord." The word Gentiles here is "ethne" in the Greek. This has no reference to the distinction between Jews and Gentiles, it refers to anyone who is outside of Christ.
"You," he says, "must no longer live as those who are outside Jesus." Notice the next words" ... "In the futility of their minds." Paul does not start with actions or emotions. He is not one of these pious religious people who moves in and tries to change the outward scene only. He starts with the mind, and he declares that the world's thinking is futile and empty.
"You," he says, "must no longer live as those who are outside Jesus." Notice the next words" ... "In the futility of their minds." Paul does not start with actions or emotions. He is not one of these pious religious people who moves in and tries to change the outward scene only. He starts with the mind, and he declares that the world's thinking is futile and empty.
The word for futility, means "void of purpose or pointless." The people of the world live as they do because their thinking is lacking purpose and is pointless. Paul describes it this way in Romans 1, "21 For although they knew (about) God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:21-32).
In Ephesians 4:18 we discover the world thinks futilely because their understanding is darkened. Their ignorance is pointless because it emanates from ignorance. Mankind's spirit is darkened and dead to God.
In Ephesians 4:19 we see that mankind's darkened mind leads him to make greedy, selfish decisions which invites destruction into his existence. This is a person who is ignorant of the true meaning of things, and the true values of life. His mantra is "anything but God, and everything without God."
But the good news of the gospel is that God reaches even these kind of people. He draws and softens and melts the hardened heart. The amazing love of Christ penetrates even the hardest hearts.
One of my favorite hymns is "Amazing Grace" written around 1750 by John Newton who commanded an English slave ship. His ship would make its voyage from England to the African coast. There, tribal chiefs would deliver men and women, captured in raids against tribes to the ship. The captives would be loaded aboard, packed for sailing. They were chained below decks to prevent suicides, laid side by side to save space, row after row, one after another, until the vessel was filled with as many as 600 at a time.
Once they arrived in the New World, slaves were traded for sugar and molasses to manufacture rum, which the ships would carry to England for the final leg of their "triangle trade." John Newton transported more than a few shiploads of the 6 million African slaves brought to the Americas in the 18th century.
After reading Thomas à Kempis' book, Imitation of Christ, he trusted Christ as his savior. Later he was promoted to captain of a slave ship. Commanding a slave vessel seems like a strange place to find a new Christian. But the inhuman aspects of the business began to take affect on him, and he left the sea for good.
While working as a tide surveyor he studied for the ministry, and for the last 43 years of his life preached the gospel in Olney and London, England. At 82, Newton said, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour." No wonder he understood so well grace, the completely undeserved favor of God.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come.
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
But the good news of the gospel is that God reaches even these kind of people. He draws and softens and melts the hardened heart. The amazing love of Christ penetrates even the hardest hearts.
One of my favorite hymns is "Amazing Grace" written around 1750 by John Newton who commanded an English slave ship. His ship would make its voyage from England to the African coast. There, tribal chiefs would deliver men and women, captured in raids against tribes to the ship. The captives would be loaded aboard, packed for sailing. They were chained below decks to prevent suicides, laid side by side to save space, row after row, one after another, until the vessel was filled with as many as 600 at a time.
Once they arrived in the New World, slaves were traded for sugar and molasses to manufacture rum, which the ships would carry to England for the final leg of their "triangle trade." John Newton transported more than a few shiploads of the 6 million African slaves brought to the Americas in the 18th century.
After reading Thomas à Kempis' book, Imitation of Christ, he trusted Christ as his savior. Later he was promoted to captain of a slave ship. Commanding a slave vessel seems like a strange place to find a new Christian. But the inhuman aspects of the business began to take affect on him, and he left the sea for good.
While working as a tide surveyor he studied for the ministry, and for the last 43 years of his life preached the gospel in Olney and London, England. At 82, Newton said, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour." No wonder he understood so well grace, the completely undeserved favor of God.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come.
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
