We read the following in Ephesians 4:17-19, NASB: “So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that
you are to no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds, 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; and they, having become callous, have given
themselves up to indecent behavior for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.“
Don’t Live An Ungodly Life
Gentiles, Ewww, Stinky!
Paul tells us not to walk like the Gentiles. That’s not a command to swing the hips or to keep the arms tucked in when walking. Walking in the Bible means a way of life, as it does here in Ephesians 4. The Gentiles were considered barbaric, pagans, and heathens. They worshipped many gods of nature (although there are no other gods except the LORD God). So, the Gentiles were not in the sphere of God’s chosen people, the Hebrews. It is said the Hebrews considered them as wild, untamed, dogs.
However, when Jesus appeared, He offered everyone the opportunity to live eternally with Him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, in an incredibly beautiful place, called heaven. This, of course, was through His death by crucifixion (a plot by the Jews involving the Romans) and His resurrection. Only God could come back from the dead. “He overcame death for all of us so that we might not have the fear of death,” Hebrews 2:14-15, NASB. Put simple, Jesus carried sins with Him on the cross. Because of this, sin could no longer take the spiritual life of men.
However, it is a conditional salvation. One must believe, John 8:24, NASB; he must repent of his sins – an honest effort to put away personal sin, Luke 13:3, NASB; he must confess his belief that Jesus is the Son of God, Romans 10:9-10, NASB; and he must be baptized to wash away sins, Mark 16:16, NASB and Acts 22:16, NASB. After salvation we must live a godly life.
Once again, salvation is conditional. See the following:
No Belief……………………………………………………………………………………… No Salvation
No Repentance……………………………………………………………………………… No Salvation
No Confession………………………………………………………………………………. No Salvation
No Baptism………………………………………………………………………………….. No Salvation
No Righteous Living……………………………………………………………………….. No Salvation
No salvation means an everlasting existence in what’s called a burning lake of fire – Revelation 19:20, NASB, Revelation – 20:10, NASB, and Revelation – 21:8, NASB.
After Salvation
Rather than living the way of the Gentiles, Christians must adhere to godliness. Ephesians 4:20 – 24, NASB has this:
“But you did not learn Christ in this way,
if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,
that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to rid yourselves of the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
Everyone who comes to God for salvation must learn the truth of it through the inerrant word of God, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, NASB. Jesus spoke this thought at Matthew 7:24, NASB. This is the only in which we learn of Jesus; It’s only through the truth of the gospel (good news) that one is saved, through Him, Romans 1:16, NASB. We learned of Jesus through a godly, not man-made, way.
Therefore, we must do way with our former lifestyle. We can’t do the things we did before salvation. To not do this means sin, and sin separates us from God. Should we pass from this life without repenting, we will have our place in the lake of fire.
In salvation, our minds are made new. No one is forced to be baptized, confess, repent, or have faith. It’s all a personal choice. If you may have salvation, it’s because you made a choice to obtain it. Since that’s true, we certainly think differently, after baptism.
Renewal of the Mind
So, how does this “mind renewal” come about? It’s simple, we learn God’s word and that becomes our way of living. Here’s this from Romans 6:3-4, NASB: “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.
We have a new life when we rise from our water grave. We then set our mind on the things of God. Here’s Romans 12:2, NASB, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
God makes it clear. Think new and delete the old.
Each saved person should know that he has been created in righteous, holiness, and truth.
How God Wants Us To Live
God wants us to live His way, Ephesians 4:25-32, NASB: “Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE OF YOU WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, because we are parts of one another.
BE ANGRY, AND YET DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
and do not give the devil an opportunity.
The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need.
Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice.
Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
A List For Convenience
| No Falsehood, No Lying………………………… | Speak Truth………………………… | We are members of each other. |
| No Harsh Anger………………………… | Forgive………………………… | Be without sin when angry. |
| No Chance for the Devil………………………… | tay Away From Him………………………… | He has no opportunity for you. |
| No Longer Steal………………………… | Labor………………………… | For self and others. |
| No Unwholesome Word…………… | Give Graceful Words…………… | The need is edification. |
| No Grieving the Holy Spirit………………………… | Holiness………………………… | His seal (mark) is on you. |
| Ugliness………………………… | Kind and Forgiving………………………… | Jesus forgave you. |
| Bitterness, Wrath, Anger, Clamor, Slander | ||
| No Unkindness………………………… | A New Mind to Express Kindness……………… | Jesus is kind to us. |
| No Compassion…………… | To See Another in Need…………… | He had compassion for us. |
| No Forgiving Others………………………… | None For Us………………………… | Jesus forgave His enemies. |
Please note, Jesus died to forgive you.
This Is The Way God Wants Us To Live
Isn’t life better when you know those around you will not lie to you? Isn’t it better when one forgives rather than fight and argue? Isn’t it best to live morally compared to the world’s way of things? Isn’t it better to not steal? You have your things and others have their things. Besides, your Christian family will help you through difficulties. It’s much better to speak kind things to others, showing your love for them and in response, they show their love for you. Build up those around you.
Your life is good when the Holy Spirit is with you, and He is, Romans 8:26. But when we sin, that relationship is at least temporarily lost until we repent. We don’t want to be without the Holy Spirit – your prayers might never be heard!
You don’t live in bitterness, do you? How fun is that? When someone slights you do you bomb them with your wrath? That makes for a very upset stomach. You’ll pay for that on medical bills. And isn’t anger ugly? As a Christian, you don’t want to be known as an angry person. Anger is a great way to lose friends. And the definition for clamor is a loud insistent voice. Yelling, screaming, abuse abound in a clamorous situation. I don’t like living that way. Do you? Peace is sweet to the heart, mind, spirit, and body!
God’s Way Is The Best Way
God knows the best life for us. He teaches us the best way to live. Without Him, without Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the world would certainly be a super dangerous place to live. Everyone wants the best life possible. It’s only by living God’s way that we find peace, grace, love, forgiveness, compassion, and mercy.
Living this way is the highway to heaven.
Garland Van Dyke