What does Ephesians 4:20 teach about rejecting our former way of life? Setting the Scene “But this is not the way you came to know Christ.” (Ephesians 4:20) Paul has just described the futility, darkness, and moral callousness that characterize life without God (vv. 17-19). Verse 20 interrupts that bleak picture with a decisive “But”—the believer’s life is meant to look totally different. Key Truths Wrapped in One Short Sentence • Salvation is not merely an information transfer; it is a whole-person “coming to know Christ.” • Knowing Christ carries unavoidable ethical implications. When we truly learn Him, we leave the old patterns behind. • The verse presumes a clear before-and-after line. Conversion is literal transformation, not incremental self-improvement. Rejecting the Former Life: What It Looks Like 1. Total Change of Classroom • Old teacher: “futility of their thinking” (v. 17). • New teacher: Christ Himself—“you came to know Christ.” • The lesson plan has completely shifted; retaining the old curriculum makes no sense. 2. New Identity, New Behavior • 2 Corinthians 5:17 — “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” • Romans 6:4 — We were “buried with Him… so that… we too may walk in newness of life.” • Because the old self literally died with Christ, clinging to past habits contradicts who we now are. 3. Immediate Moral Implications The verses that follow spell out the practical fallout: • v. 25 — put off falsehood, speak truth. • v. 28 — stop stealing, work honestly, give generously. • v. 29 — no corrupt talk, only words that build up. • v. 31 — rid yourselves of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice. New life is visible, not abstract. How “Learning Christ” Happens • Through the Word: John 17:17 — “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.” • By the Spirit: Titus 3:5 — “He saved us… by the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” • In community: Ephesians 4:11-16 — gifted leaders equip saints so “we may grow up in all things into Christ.” Practical Take-aways • Regularly compare present choices with Christ’s teaching; inconsistency signals lingering old-life habits. • Embrace Scripture as the syllabus; it reprograms our minds (Romans 12:2). • Rely on the Spirit for power to live out what we’ve learned (Galatians 5:16). • Stay connected to a church body that reinforces the new way. Bottom Line Ephesians 4:20 stands as a loving, forceful reminder: when we truly come to know Christ, the former way of life is no longer an option. The old self belongs to the past; the new self walks in step with the Savior who taught us—and bought us. |
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