Scripture
Living as Children of Light
17With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
20But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
25So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”[1] Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
28If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
30And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,[2] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
31Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Translation notes (2)
- 4:26 Ps 4:4.
- 4:30 Or has put his seal on you.
Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
Someone recently taught me that when you say "yes" to something, that "yes" means that you are saying "no" to other things. You know this to be true, too. For example, if you say "yes" to eating healthy, that means you are saying no to pizza every night and a nightly dessert. For every "yes," there is also a "no" to other things. The same is true when we say "yes" to Jesus. When we begin following Jesus, we are inherently saying "no" to other things. In other words, we are leaving our old lives behind. Throughout His teaching, Jesus made it clear to His listeners that following Him meant turning away from their old lives of sin.
Paul, the author of the book of Ephesians, encouraged readers to stop living in their old lives of sin. "Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused… they wander far from the life God gives" (verses 17-18). When Paul encourages readers to stop living like Gentiles, he is telling readers to stop living like people who do not know God. These people stray far from the life that God has planned for them, verse 18 explains. "That isn't what you learned about Christ," he said (verse 20). Instead of living a life far from Christ, Paul urges readers to live as children of light. "Throw off your sinful nature and your former way of life," Paul says (verse 22). "Instead, let the Spirt renew your thoughts and attitudes" (verse 23). I other words, Paul is telling us that saying "yes" to God means saying "no" to our old lives filled with sin and darkness.
Have you placed your faith in God and made a commitment to follow Him? If so, have you left behind your old way of life? Do you find yourself still living in old, sinful habits? My friend, there is a better way. Leave your old way of living behind. Let go of the things that defined your old life. Embrace the new life you have in Him. After all, you are a child of light. Why turn back to the darkness?
Moving Toward Action
As you consider your life, is there any sin that you need to turn away from? Is there a part of your old life that you need to let go of? Maybe your words need an adjustment. Perhaps you need to learn patience. Maybe you need to have more love and compassion for people. Commit today to leave behind your old life and to live for Him instead.
Going Deeper
Read Ephesians 4:17-32 (NLT)
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