How to Walk Worthy of the Calling of God (3)

Walking Worthy (3)

Ephesians 4:17-32
¹⁷ This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Introduction

On the basis of all that went before—Paul says “Therefore…” we are not to be like the World anymore. There is One Giver, though many gifts. All the gifts were given with one purpose, the edification and maturation and blessing of the whole Body. Therefore, our lives are to change.

The Underlying Contrast

Paul says the unbelievers live in the vanity of their minds. They have chosen to trust in their own wisdom, and they live lives characterized by futility…nothing they do has any eternal value. They cannot please God, and they are headed for a Christless eternity.

¹⁸ Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

Their hearts are completely blind to the light of God. This is a willful blindness. When we ignore some portion of God’s light, we become blind in that area. Judicial blindness results from willful disregard for light— the truth of God’s Word. We become calloused to the truth, and are even less likely to listen, the next time we hear it.

¹⁹ Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

They serve the flesh, and greedily feed upon sin. They only have one nature, so it controls everything they do and say: even if they wanted to change they simply cannot. Romans 8:7 says our sin nature is not subject to the Law of God, nor can it be. So, even when we try to “do good,” in our flesh, it is contaminated with sin. (That’s the “Bad News.” Unpleasant, but true: Jesus confirmed it.) Their sin nature is all they have to offer.

Our Sin is the Problem

Consider: Someone with a fatal disease may want to donate blood. They mean well: They know there is a need for blood donors. But their blood would eventually kill anyone who received it.

God is Holy:

The offering of an unregenerate soul is contaminated with a far more deadly disease —it’s called sin. We inherited it from Adam, through physical birth. And there’s only one cure. It, too, is “blood-borne,” through the Cross: Jesus’ blood is the only sacrifice God will accept, and the only way to receive a new nature, by rebirth…being born again.

**What Have You Learned?**

²⁰ But ye have not so learned Christ; ²¹ If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

We have not “learned the Person of Christ” in a context that allows us to continue in Sin. If we still live like unbelievers, we can’t say “Well, that’s the way we were taught.” Paul says, in effect, “You know better than that!” The Holy Spirit indwells every believer: He is completely faithful, and He prompts our hearts to do right. If you read your Bible at all, the Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to teach you right from wrong, and to show you the right way to live. So…you can’t say you didn’t know!

We have not “so learned Christ” We have at least some degree of understanding, that God is Holy, and that, as a Holy God, He has the Right to require us to be holy as well. (1 Peter 1:16 “…because it is written, be ye holy for I am holy.”)

Who or What is The Old Man?

(You have been taught…)
²² That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

God says we have put off, or laid aside, the old nature. Does this mean that we have “eradicated” it? No—if that were the case, (and I fervently wish it were), we would have no need for teaching at all, because by nature, we would do only the things that a holy child of God does—we could never be tempted, because our only nature would be our new nature. Having put off the old man means we have “dethroned” the old nature—we have set it aside. Positionally, we are dead to sin. But our condition is that we still have two natures.

Incidentally, the word, “corrupt” in verse 22, is a “present continuous” adjective—it literally says, “being corrupted”. Your old nature is not only completely self-centered and corrupt, but it also feeds on sin, and it is getting worse, not better. God says He has nailed it to the cross, with Jesus. In terms of position, that’s where it is. In terms of condition, we have to live with it until we are forever set free, in our glorified bodies. But, for now, we have some choices to make.

Our Choices:

²³ And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

We are to continually go to Him for renewal. This begins with confession (1^st John 1:9) to put us back in fellowship with God. It then continues with obedience to His Word, and frequent feeding on His Word. We DO have two natures, and whichever one we feed will grow stronger.

Someone wrote the following ditty to show the truth of the two natures of the believer:

“Two natures war within my breast—the one is curs’d, the other bless’d;
The one I love; and the one I hate; but the one I feed will dominate!”

That seems an appropriate statement. You have to choose which nature to feed.

The New Man

²⁴ And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Notice that God says your new nature is completely holy and righteous. So, if this were the only nature you had, you would have no problems with temptation. It simply would have no effect on you—you would have no desire to do evil. But since we do have a sin nature, we continually have to make the choice to live in submission to God, so that the new nature is dominant, not the old. Paul goes on to give some examples of how that choice behaves:

New Man: New Lifestyle

²⁵ Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Remember, this goes along with the command back in verse 15—“speaking the truth IN LOVE…” This is not a license for “telling everyone off,” and having a vicious tongue. There is no excuse for any kind of unwholesome, ugly talk, as we will see later. It is specifically an injunction to not deceive, made on the basis of our unity in Christ. The fundamental command of Christ to the church is John 13:34, 35—“…Love one another as I have loved you…” All other relational commands are to be carried out within the framework of that one command.

What about Anger?

²⁶ Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Here’s another verse that is sometimes misused—many people try to use this as an excuse for anger—they say, “Well it says here, ‘be angry’—so it can’t be sin!” But in the very same context, five verses later, he says “Put all anger away from you…”

I believe that “righteous indignation” is a possibility, because God exhibits it. But it is rarely experienced by humans. We quickly cross over into what God says is sin. However, knowing that anger is a normal human emotion, God tells us, “don’t let it result in Sin”. He goes on to say, “Don’t let the sun go down, with you still angry.” In other words, “Deal with it quickly”.

This is a tough thing to do. When we think of the thing that angered us, we get angry all over again. Someone said that anger is like a big heavy bell—if you stop pulling the rope, it will still ring for a while. But if you yank the rope again every time the bell rings, it will never stop. You have to choose to stop “pulling the rope”—it requires confession of sin on your part, forgiveness toward those who hurt you, and deliberate submission to God, by committing the situation to Him for His solution, rather than seeking your own. Remember this when reading verses 31, 32.

Anger can be an Invitation to The Enemy!

²⁷ Neither give place to the devil.

If you do cling to your anger, it allows Satan a foot-hold in your life—and he doesn’t require much of a toe-hold in order to wreak havoc. Anger is not truly unidirectional—if you hold onto anger, even though you may think you are only angry at one person, eventually it will begin to leak out into other areas, and you will increasingly become, by character, an angry person. It will affect every relationship. Deal with anger quickly, and decisively. Don’t let it destroy you and others.

More Contrasts:

²⁸ Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Here’s another contrast—He says that a thief is to stop that behavior, permanently. But, not only that, he must seek to accomplish the reverse, by working, so he will have something to give. What if we applied this principle across the board? We wouldn’t simply “not do bad things,” but we would deliberately do the good that would be the opposite of our natural bent. Think about it: What are your natural tendencies in the area of sin? Now, what would be the opposite of that sin? What can you do to practice the opposite of your natural tendencies?

**The Change Requires Opposing the Flesh**

²⁹ Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

It is more than just “bad language:” It is about the purpose and result of speech. Speech can “edify” (build up.) In contrast, it can also tear down. Speech can “minister Grace” to the hearers. In contrast, it can also deny others the experience of God’s Grace.

Is your mouth “building up” others? Is it strengthening the believers around you? Are you helping others to experience the Grace of God in their lives? If not, then meditate on this passage. I frequently do so, when I am convicted that what I have said (or thought) does not glorify God. There is a sense in which we can bless God. The way we think, and talk, can be part of that process, or stop it cold.

³⁰ And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

How does one grieve the Holy Spirit? The indwelling Holy Spirit is a person. He is grieved by anything that we do that takes away from Jesus’ glory. John 16:14 says that much of His ministry, (in fact, the underlying principle of His whole ministry) is to Glorify Jesus. When we do the opposite, we tear down the work He came to do. Can you see how that would grieve Him? And then he has to drop his ministry of teaching and blessing us, and begin convicting and correcting us. He desires to fill our lives with Grace. It grieves him when we sin.

What to Do With Anger

³¹ Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

God knows our thoughts: He says “ALL”. We think that our anger is mostly righteous. God says it isn’t. He says get rid of all of it. Recognize it while it is little, and weed it out. Which is easier; to pull a tiny, baby weed, or to wait ‘til it is huge, and then pull it? Of course, it is easier when it is little. It is easier to confess and repent of minor irritation, than to deal with flaming rage!

If I learn to recognize anger when it is small, and deal with it then, it can never “blossom,” and “go to seed”. It will cause no strife, to bring new irritations and new anger. Proverbs 15:1 says “a soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up strife.” A soft answer is easier when you have confessed your irritation as anger, and have forgiven the offending party, than when you are on the brink of mayhem, and are no longer in full control of your thoughts.

Finally:

³² And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

The Love of Christ is practical: It results in kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness, based upon the forgiveness already given to us through Christ. God does not warn that we will “lose our forgiven status, if we fail to forgive;” He urges us to forgive since we are forgiven. There is great security in knowing that my sins have been forgiven. That security allows me to forgive others. God says that I am to base the way I treat others on the way He has treated me.

How do you treat the people in your life? Does God treat you that way? Has He ever “talked bad” about you? God has never been rude, or short-tempered, or selfish toward you, has He? Has He ever treated you with less than Grace? He may not always do what you want Him to do, but that is because He is God. (And we are not!)

How Do You Treat Others?

Consider how you speak…is it always geared to minister grace to the hearer? Do you speak the truth in love? What about anger? Do you secretly feel that it is OK to “tell people off?” Do you usually feel that when you are angry, “it is OK” because you are “right”?

These are all symptoms of the spiritual disease we share, called Sin. We all still have our sin nature. Yes, our sins have been forgiven, but sometimes we behave as though they had not been. God says we are no longer slaves to sin. We truly can choose to do right. We can choose to love one another, and to treat each other with kindness.

Lord Jesus, transform our lives into Your image: Change us from the inside out, and draw us along, raising us up as Your disciples, the Men and Women of God You have called us to be!

January 18, 2025January 19, 2025

How to Walk Worthy of the Calling of God (2)

Walking Worthy (2)

© C. O. Bishop
Ephesians 4:11-20

The Gifts of Christ

Last week we began to look at the gifts of Christ to the Church. We saw the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastor-teachers.

**But, How Many Apostles?**

The original twelve Apostles, of course, became the Eleven, when Judas Iscariot died—so the eleven grabbed Matthias, and named him an apostle. Was he thereby an apostle? Maybe, but he was never mentioned again. And we do not see that God commanded them to choose him. On the other hand, we see no rebuke. And there are other apostles about whose lives we know very little, as well.

Paul, in contrast, was drafted by The Lord Himself, and that may have completed the twelve—though the scriptures do not say so. So, we do not know for sure who “The Twelve” are, now.

But other apostles show up, too—Barnabas was identified as an apostle in Acts 14:14. In Romans 16:7, Priscilla and Aquila were stated to be “…of note among the apostles.” (Some say that this only means the apostles took note of them…but that is not what it says, and, grammatically, it says they “are noteworthy apostles.” Perhaps grammar has changed over the years.) But there is no question about Barnabas. He is called an apostle.

And, in 1^st Corinthians 4:1-9, especially v. 6, Paul seems to identify Apollos as an apostle, as well. So how many apostles were there? And what is the prerequisite for a person to be one? Some see the passage in 1^st Corinthians 9:1 (having seen the Lord) as being a prerequisite. And, possibly it is…but, reading carefully, we see that it is a rhetorical question, with the answer being “yes” that Paul HAD seen the Lord. In 2^nd Corinthians 12:12, Paul states that the “signs of an apostle” had been wrought among the people of Corinth. In both passages, he was defending his own apostleship, not defining what makes an apostle.

**What Are the Signs of an Apostle?**

We are not told what the signs of an apostle include, but we can see numerous examples in the Acts. It may also be noteworthy that, as the book of the Acts progresses, the “signs” are fewer and fewer. The signs may have been largely transitional in nature, and may still be extant, but only where unbelieving Jews are present (1^st Corinthians 1:22; 14:22), or only where the Gospel is entering for the first time. Of all of these things I can only point to what the scriptures actually say…I have no solid conclusion to offer.

What an apostle is and does may be of greater importance. An Apostle is a “sent one”—each was sent by God to do something. Paul shows the central thrust of his ministry/gift in several places. One, in Romans 11:13, simply states that he was the “apostle to the Gentiles”. Parallel passages state that his job was to “preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8), and that he “laid the foundation…which is Christ” (1^st Corinthians 3:10, 11).

So, perhaps we could say that a missionary (provided he/she is truly sent by God) could be called an apostle: He or she is “preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ” to the heathen, planting churches, leading people to Christ, “laying the foundation of Jesus Christ” in places where the Gospel has never gone before. Does that make them an apostle? I don’t know!

I have never known a person who claimed apostleship, and the few of whom I have heard who made such a claim, seemed to have done so falsely. So, perhaps the people who say that gift was only for the “apostolic age” are correct. I simply can’t support that conclusion from scripture.

What About Prophets?

Similarly, a prophet is “one who speaks for God”…not necessarily foretelling the future. Today, (present tense) according to 1^st Corinthians 14:3 the prophet is to speak to edification, exhortation, and comfort. There is no reason to conclude that this gift has ended. But it certainly will end, according to 1^st Corinthians 13:8. Perhaps the apostles have already ceased, and perhaps true prophets are becoming scarce. But the scripture does not say they are gone.

We know for sure that the time will come when “perfection” (completion) will have arrived, and all the gifts certainly will cease to function.

In the Meantime

In the meantime, we are to grow toward this goal:

¹⁴ That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

We are to stop being deceived by bad doctrine, as if we were little children, easily led astray. That, too, will be complete when we see Him, but in the meantime, that is the goal.

In banks and credit unions, they teach tellers and other employees to recognize counterfeit money by thoroughly training them in the recognition of real money. It is impossible to train a person to recognize bad doctrine by listing all the bad doctrine and showing why it is bad. There will always be new twists on old heresies.

Training to Recognize False Teaching

But a believer can become so familiar with God’s Word, and so accustomed to heeding the Holy Spirit that it is nearly impossible to deceive him/her, since they are always “measuring what they hear by the standard of God’s Word.” (That is exactly why the Berean church was commended: see Acts 17:11) Believers seek wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit, not trusting in our own prowess as a “Biblical Scholar.”

Even if we really are “Bible Scholars,” the Holy Spirit is God, and our wisdom cannot compare with His. We need His constant supervision and care. We need to feed on God’s Word, and constantly pray for God’s wisdom. Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

How We Speak

¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

We are told to grow up, then—it has not “happened” yet, in full, but the process has begun. We are to speak the truth in love. This is not a license to “blast everyone around us with our criticism, or our opinion of them or others.” The key words are Truth and Love…not the speaking. Unfortunately, we speak constantly, usually omitting either truth or love… or both.

It would be helpful if we could keep a tight enough rein on our tongue that we could consider how Jesus would have us speak before we actually do so.

¹⁶ From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

This is where the “rubber meets the road” so to speak…this is where we “put shoe leather” on the gifts of God. Paul says that the whole Body of Christ—all believers—are joined together in Him, and are each individually responsible to contribute.

“the Whole Body”
“Joined together”
“Compacted”
“Every Joint Supplies… ”
“Effectual Working”
“Every Part ”

“…maketh increase of the Body, unto the edifying (building up) of itself in Love.”

Just as a physical body grows, and functions, with every member’s participation, so the Church is to grow and function with every member’s participation.

So, What Has to Change?

¹⁷This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, ¹⁸Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: ¹⁹Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

²⁰But ye have not so learned Christ;

We are not to live as we used to live. Remember that in Ephesians 2:1-4, we saw that all of us, prior to salvation, were slaves to sin: We lived out our various desires, at whatever level, perhaps thinking we were “good:” But all of us were under the direct influence of Satan, and in reality, we lived to fulfill our fleshly desires. (That was the Bad News! The Good News is in verse 4: “But God, who is rich in Mercy, for His Great Love, wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. (By Grace ye are Saved!)”

Who Makes the Change?

You see, God stepped in to change our life trajectory: instead of being headed for eternal destruction, we are now headed for eternal Peace with God. And, as our Position has changed (we are now in Christ) He calls us to stop acting as though nothing has changed! Do not behave the way you used to behave! At that time, your understanding was darkened. You were ignorant of God, ignorant of His Holiness, and ignorant of His Word. In Fact, God says your heart was blind! He said that the unbelievers greedily go after uncleanness. But none of that is true of you anymore: So, don’t behave as if nothing has changed.

That is NOT what Jesus has taught you: It is NOT what the Holy Spirit is teaching you!

How Can We Apply This Truth?

We do not all have the same gifts, abilities, or capacities, but we have the same collective responsibility to submit to God, emulate His Holiness and Love, and to seek to win the lost.

In 1^st Corinthians 15:34, Paul chided the believers, saying “make the most of every opportunity, for some have not the knowledge of God; I speak this to your shame.”

I don’t want to be ashamed when I consider my relationship with God…but I frequently am. It is all too easy to miss the opportunities he provides, and later realize that yet another opportunity to serve, or to bless, or simply to behave in a Christlike manner has slipped through my fingers. And that opportunity is lost forever.

Each of us can pray. We all can worship. We all can tell someone how we became a believer. Each of us can strive to be a blessing to those around us. In John 6:29,Jesus said, “…this is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” We all begin there, by believing God! We take Him at His Word. But we all can look for more opportunities to exercise faith, as He leads us. And… God definitely has called each of us to be transformed by His Spirit.

Next week we will see what the Church looks like when everyone functions.

Lord Jesus, awaken us to Your call on our lives and teach us to walk with You in such a way as to glorify You with our words, actions, and attitudes.