The Ephesian letter combines Christian doctrine and duty, Christian faith and life. Ephesians 4:17–6:6 is one of the most extensive practical exhortations in the Bible on the correct behaviour of Christians in the world.
It was essential for Paul’s audience to grasp at the outset the contrast between what they had been as Pagans and what they now were as Christians, between their old and new life, and further to grasp the underlying theological basis of this change (Stott 1979). The central idea of Ephesians chapter 4, verses 17–32, is a call for the one new humanity (2:18–22) to conform to their new identity in Christ, which requires three steps (vv. 22–24):
- put off the old self,
- be renewed,
- put on the new self.
Paul begins the appeal with the phrase, “So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.”[1] (Eph 4:17 NET), which serves to strengthen the importance and urgency of what is to follow and contains the resumptive force of verses 1 to 3, “(I) urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called.” Paul insists on this transformed lifestyle and states this principle in the negative, how the audience should not live (vv. 17–19), followed by the positive, how they should live (vv. 20–24).
Paul ties putting off the old self and putting on the new self with an intermediate step, “be renewed” (Eph 4:23),[2] which means that the old, corrupt human nature needs to be replaced by a new, re-created nature anchored in the likeness of Christ (v. 20).
In verse 24, Paul invokes the narrative of Adam and Eve, who were created in the image of God (Gen 1:26–27) but then sinned and corrupted humanity (Gen 3; Rom 5:12–19; Osborne 2017, 131). Consequently, to put on the new self contextually implies restoration to humanity’s original intended state in contrast to the old fallen Adamic nature (Utley 2008; Eph 4:22). It is vital to note that the entire argument of this paragraph is anchored on the central claim that we ought to live in harmony with the “truth that is in Jesus.”
The new person is lived out between the polarities of what has been redemptively accomplished through the death of Christ and what will only be fully realized at the consummation (sanctification is a three-stage process—past, present, and future). The first stage of sanctification occurs at the beginning of our Christian life (justification). It is an initial moral change, a break from the power and love of sin. The middle stage of sanctification requires a lifetime to complete. It is a continued reliance on the grace of our Lord, the love of God, and the enabling presence of the Holy Spirit in us that ultimately will form Christ-like character.
The passage’s relevance for the Church is that just like the corrupt old self, controlled by the old desires, customs, and beliefs—alienated from God (Eph 4:17–19)—Paul insists that knowing Christ and the Gospel imperatives must lead to renewal and putting on a new self. This renewal must display evidence of the transformative power of the Gospel, based on the fundamental theological truth that we are new creations in Christ and thus must be different from the world.
Hendriksen (1967) states that the idea of Spirit-reborn transformation controls the entire section. With this thought in mind, he believes “glorious renewal” would be an appropriate subtitle. Intriguingly, Paul phrases this renewal as “renewed in the spirit of your mind,” an expression without parallel in the New Testament. Part 2 will address what Paul means by this intriguing phrase.
Works Cited
Gorman, Michael. 2004. Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and His Letters. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
Keener, Craig S. 2014. Ephesians. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Osborne, Grant. 2017. Ephesians: Verse by Verse. New Testament Commentaries. Bellingham: Lexham.
Stott, John. 1979. God’s New Society: The Message of Ephesians, The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.
Utley, Bob. 2008. Ephesians. New Testament commentaries. Marshall: Bible Lessons International. Electronic edition. Accessed from www.biblelessonsintl.com
Short Bio: After serving as the General Manager of Sulzer SA 1989–2007, Jose left the corporate world and dedicated himself to theology, earning his MTh in Biblical Studies. He has served as a lecturer at SATS since 2007, during which time he has also been actively engaged in course development. Jose is married to Isabella; they have an adult daughter, Candice.
[1] This is not necessarily an insult relating to culture but a literary device used by most Greek writers; Paul is contrasting opposites to give a moral exhortation (Keener 2014, 549). Apart from ethnicity, the chief characteristic of ethnē (the nations) was religious: Polytheism. For the Pagans, Polytheism was not a problem; however, from a Jewish perspective, this was idolatry. This is an important reminder of what the word Gentiles would have meant to Paul (Gorman 2017, 36).
[2] Paul portrays the “removing” and “adopting” of certain kinds of behaviours in “unclothing” (put off) and “clothing” (put on) imagery (Keener 1993, 549). Taking off old clothing and putting on new clothing is a typical religious Greek philosophical metaphor for personal transformation.
