Ephesians 4:20-24 | “Wear the Clothes God Bought for You”

Paul’s point in the second half of Ephesians is that if we’ve been made new, we’ll live new lives.  Because we’ve been called by the Lord, we must “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (4:1).  “Walking” refers to how we live.  Paul uses this word picture throughout the last part of the letter.  We must “walk” in unity (4:1-16), “walk” in holiness” (4:17-32), “walk” in love (5:1-6), “walk” in light (5:7-14), and “walk” in wisdom (5:15-6:9).  A new walk is the surest evidence that we’ve been made new by Christ. 

In 4:17-19, Paul tells us about the position and practice of the old person.  In verses 20-32, he explains the position and practice of the new person.  Verses 20-24 are about the position of the new person.  Verses 25-32 are about the practice of the new person.  Before Paul talks about new behaviors, he reminds the church of the instruction they received regarding their new identity in Christ in verses 20-24.  He states the nature of the instruction in verses 20-21 and the content of the instruction in verses 22-24.

The Nature of the Instruction

In verses 20-21, Paul states the nature of the instruction concerning the believer’s new identity in Christ.  Notice the focus on instruction and teaching here.  The “but” at the beginning of verse 20 tells us that Paul is drawing a contrast between what he just said and what he’s about to say.  He’s saying that the behavior of his readers must no longer look like the life he just described in verses 17-19. 

Notice that he says “that is not the way you learned Christ,” not “learned about Christ.”  This is an unusual expression because the verb here for “learn” doesn’t usually have a person as its object.  A person isn’t what we usually learn.  We learn a subject or a theory or a discipline.  But Paul says that they’ve “learned Christ.”  He’s referring to their relationship with him.  When we are taught about Christ and the gospel, turn from our sin, and put our trust in Jesus, we enter into a relationship with a living person.  We “learn Christ.”  We come to know him personally.

English theologian John Stott points out that this reality makes Christianity unique among the world’s religions.  He says, “The Buddhist does not claim to know the Buddha, nor the Confucianist Confucius, nor the Muslim Muhammad, nor the Marxist Karl Marx. But the Christian claims – humbly, but nevertheless confidently – to know Jesus Christ.”  A living person is the object of our faith.

This knowing isn’t possible unless we hear about Jesus.  This is why Paul says in verse 21, “assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him.”  It’d been several years since Paul was in Ephesus, so he didn’t know all the people he was writing to.  He wasn’t 100% sure that they’d been taught about Jesus, so he couldn’t be 100% sure that they’d all “learned Christ.”  He knew that they couldn’t know someone they hadn’t heard about. 

Remember that Paul is referring to a personal knowledge, not knowing facts.  The Ephesians couldn’t know Jesus unless they’d heard about him and been taught about him.  We can’t know someone we’ve never heard about.  We can’t know someone we’ve never been introduced to. 

This is one reason why the focus of the church’s mission among the nations should be unreached and unengaged people groups.  We prayed earlier for the Bhojpuri people of India.  They’ll never know Jesus unless someone tells them.  They won’t be able to follow someone they’ve never been introduced to.  We must therefore pray that that hear and then put feet to our prayers by giving and going so that they do hear.    

“The Truth Is In Jesus”

Paul says at the end of verse 21, almost as an aside, that “the truth is in Jesus.”  The reason they need to be taught about Jesus is because Jesus is the truth.  He’s not merely one religious option among many.  He is the embodiment of truth.  Jesus himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (Jn. 14:6).  If he’s the truth, then we need to be taught about him and teach others about him.  If he’s not, then why would we listen for a second to those who teach about him and why would we give our money and our lives to take his message to others? 

Granted, people read fictional books, watch movies that aren’t based on fact, and listen to YouTube gurus spout their theories about anything and everything.  But who in their right mind would give their life to follow these authors, filmmakers, or teachers?  We may be interested in things that aren’t true, but we won’t give our lives for them.  The holding power of Jesus Christ on our lives is his truth.  He’s really alive and really reigning and really returning one day.  The truth of his person and work captures the hearts and minds of those who trust him and compels them to leave all in order to follow him.  If your life looks like every other middle-class American life and has no tinge of radical surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ, it may be because the truth of his glory and grace hasn’t captured you yet, hasn’t made you new.  Those made new by him live for him because they know him and see him as the truth.

The Content of the Instruction

The nature of the instruction in verses 20-21 is that it’s in direct contrast to the Gentile way of life, involves personal knowledge of Christ, and is true.  In verses 22-24, Paul gives the content of the instruction that they’d received.  They were taught three things: to put off the old self, to be renewed in the spirit of their minds, and to put on the new self.  This wasn’t all that they were taught.  But these are three fundamental aspects of the gospel tradition that they’d been taught.  Let’s take them one at a time.

“Put Off Your Old Self”

First, in verse 22, he says to “put off the old self.”  The image of putting a garment off and on was used in the pagan religions of Paul’s day during an act of initiation.  The Old Testament also has several examples of “putting on” moral and religious qualities.  Paul might also be referencing Adam and Christ as the representatives of the old and new creations.  Outside of Christ, we’re still in Adam, clothed with Adam and still ruled by sin.  But those in Christ are clothed with Christ, set free from the curse of sin and clothed with his righteousness.

Though the believer has already “put off” the old person and “put on” the new person, Paul’s language here suggests a continuing action.  We’ve put off the old person and we must keep putting off the old person.  At the moment of salvation, God removes the old garment of our sin and clothes us with the new garment of Jesus’ righteousness.  This initiates a life-long process of putting off what is old and putting on what is new.

I love going to where I grew up and helping my mom or brother with projects.  I love being outside and breaking a sweat and getting dirty and feeling like I’ve accomplished something at the end of the day.  One of the best parts is taking off my work clothes, showering, and putting on clean clothes.  I literally feel like a new man.  This is the imagery Paul is using here.  Like dirty clothes, we must take off certain habits, desires, ambitions, friendships, language, attitudes, business practices, certain music and movies and videos, ways of treating my spouse and children, ways of dressing, and ways of thinking. 

Paul’s point is simple: there are things that we must no longer do as followers of Christ.  A believer in Christ must have a fundamental break with their past.  The things that “belonged to our former manner of life” that aren’t pleasing to God must go.  You might ask, “How do we know if something is pleasing to God or not?”  By God’s grace, we have the Bible to tell us what pleases God and what doesn’t.  We’ll look at several specific things next week in verses 25-32. 

The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly what movies we should avoid and what relationships we should suspend.  A good rule of thumb here is, “When in doubt, throw it out.”  If we throw away food that might be spoiled, surely we should also throw out things that might spoil our lives.  Another good question to ask is, “Does this thing bring glory to God?”  Or, “Will this thing compromise my witness for Jesus Christ?”  If people knew I watched this or talked like this or went to these places, would they see a disconnect between what I profess to believe and how I live?       

“Deceitful Desires”

Paul also says at the end of verse 22 that our old self is “corrupt through deceitful desires.”  There’s an ongoing moral corruption in the old person, a process of decay that ultimately ends in spiritual death.  The cause of this corruption is “deceitful desires.”  What’s a “deceitful desire”?  It’s a desire that lies to us.  They’re desires that tell us that things that are bad for us are actually good for us.  They’re desires that promise us life and joy but don’t deliver what they promise. 

These worldly desires are passing away.  The apostle John says, “For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world.  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 Jn. 2:16-17).  Worldly, deceitful desires have a short shelf life.  Those who follow them will perish.  “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (v. 15).  A repeated, habitual, unrepentant, giving in to the desires of the flesh and eyes and taking pride in your possessions is a mark that the “old self” rather than God still rules your life. 

Part of putting off our “old self” is asking God to change our desires.  Those made new in Christ want to conform their desires to God’s desires.  They want what God wants.  They don’t want what God doesn’t want.  One of the means that God has given us to do this is the church (Heb. 3:12-13).  Christians should be helping other Christians discern whether their desires are deceitful or pure.  We should ask each other the “why” question all the time.  “Why do you want to go on that mission trip?”  “Why do you want to be a deacon, deaconess, or elder?”  “Why do you want to take that job or move to that city or date that person or go to that school?”  “Why do you think that you feel that way toward your spouse or children?”  “Why is anger getting the best of you?”  “Why are you struggling with laziness?” 

Sin is deceitful because our desires are deceitful.  We think and feel and want things that aren’t good for us, that don’t conform to the word of God.  We desperately need other believers to help us see ourselves because we don’t have the most accurate view of ourselves.  We aren’t the world’s expert on ourselves.  Pray for who God would have you build a relationship with that would allow you to obey this biblical command.  Give someone permission to ask you about your desires, to ask the “why” question.

“Renewed in the Spirit of Your Minds”

The second thing that they’d been taught is in verse 23, “to be renewed in the spirit of their minds.”  The tense of the verb for “renewed” tells us that this renewal is a process and that God is the one who effects it.  The Ephesians were taught to yield themselves to God and allow themselves to be made new in their inner person.  “The spirit of your minds” refers to our inmost being, the deepest part of us.  The place where God must make us new continually is the deepest cavern of our heart.  Only the Holy Spirit can get down in there and do the hard work of digging out all the deceitful desires of our old self and building in new ways of thinking and feeling. 

The primary way he does this is by showing us Jesus.  Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.  For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”  The Holy Spirit helps our spirit see the glory of Christ, and the more we see him, the more like him we become. 

We become what we’re looking at.  The other day after breakfast, I was stretching my arms at the table, and almost immediately Elisha and Gideon started doing the same exact thing.  They did what they saw me doing.  They become what they’re looking at.  One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to continually clean the lenses of our hearts so that we can better see Jesus.  He knows that the better we see him the more like him we’ll become.  Left to ourselves, our minds and hearts wouldn’t be renewed.  We’d continue to be enthralled with all the things the world loves.  The Holy Spirit makes us new through faith in Christ, and then he works that newness out by helping us see the glory of Jesus. 

“Put On the New Self”

The third thing they’d been taught was “to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (v. 24).  The second part of the verse helps us understand the first part.  “Putting on the new self” means putting on righteousness and holiness. 

Notice the word “created.”  The “new person” is created by God himself.  It wasn’t worked for or earned or given as a reward for perfect church attendance.  Paul said something similar in 2:10.  A new person is the work of God himself.  The new person is created to look like God.  Not be God, but be like God – “created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” 

These verses are a great example of how Paul often uses the indicative and the imperative to shape our understanding of the Christian life.  An indicative statement indicates something that’s true.  It’s a statement of fact.  An imperative is a command.  Paul says that we’re “created after the likeness of God,” the indicative, and that we should therefore “put on the new self,” the imperative.  His point is simple: believers are to become what they are in Christ. 

Everyone who has turned from their sin and placed their faith in Christ has been made new in Christ.  They must, therefore, live new lives.  We deserve nothing but judgment from God because of our unrighteousness.  We could never get into heaven on our own, but through the gospel, God takes away our sin and gives us Jesus’ own righteousness so that we can freely enter the presence of God.  God literally gives us a new identity, a new life, in Christ. 

Wear the Clothes God Bought for You

In light of what he’s done, we must “put on” the new life he’s given us.  We must wear the new clothes that he’s given us.  These clothes weren’t cheap either.  They were purchased for us by the blood of Jesus on the cross.  To not put them on and wear them would be offensive to the one who paid so much to buy them for us.     

You, Preston Highlands, have learned Christ.  You have heard about him and been taught in him.  You know that the truth is in Jesus.  Therefore, you must take off the clothes of your old life and put on the clothes of true righteousness and holiness that have been given to you by God through faith in Jesus Christ. 

May we not be content to dress like the world dresses or be deceived into thinking that our former way of life was actually a better way of life.  May the truth of Jesus change our hearts and compel us to humbly walk with other believers in open and honest relationships.  May our lives show off the outfit of righteousness that God purchased for us at great cost to himself.  May we take off our old clothes and put on our new clothes.  May God help us to faithfully wear the clothes that he bought for us.