Dr. Greg Gifford carries on in Ephesians 4, moving past what the life of a Gentile looks like and focusing on what it means to put off one’s old self.
Learning Christ
In verses 20-21, Paul intentionally transitions from characterizing the life of a Gentile to emphasizing the lifestyle of a Christian. With the stark contrast, it is made clear that the lifestyle of a Gentile is not reflective of the lifestyle that Christ has called His children to live. After describing the lifestyle of the Gentiles, Paul states, “But you did not learn Christ in this way.”
The question becomes, how do we, as New Testament believers, learn Christ? The answer: By being in the Word. As we connect with the Word of God and learn more about Him, we become disciples of Christ. Our growth and sanctification are always going to be connected to how much we are in the Word of God.
The Old Self vs. The New Self
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (LSB). In both 2 Corinthians and Ephesians, Paul regards people by their status with Christ. When we are saved, our old nature dies because of the work of Christ in our lives. Through this positional sanctification, we have been set apart as a people unto the LORD. At this point, the believer’s old nature no longer holds the power over them, but it still has residual effects on his life.
Step One: Put Off Your Old Self
As believers, we cannot let our old nature have a foothold in our lives. Who we were apart from Christ is not who we are now, and we cannot live like it is. The tense in this passage shows that our old nature has been put off, but there are present-day implications to continue to put off who we were before Christ. Our former manner of life was characterized by a heart corrupted by deceitful desires. But God brings transformation to the hearts of His children. Therefore, if you are allowing your old desires to overtake your heart and mind, you are not putting off your old desires as you are called to. You yourself must be the one to put off your old nature. Someone else cannot step in and put off the corrupt desires for you. We must reject our old desires and pursue obedience to Him.
This blog post captures the essence of Dr. Greg Gifford’s series on the process of change. You may click on the video above to hear more insightful details about not just how we change, but the process of that change. Dr. Gifford is the Chair of the Undergraduate School of Biblical Counseling as well as a Biblical Counseling Professor for The Master’s University traditional on-campus program.
