Ian & Jocelyn Barker

Paul encourages the saints to no longer walk according to the way of the unsaved Gentiles who have a darkened understanding. Paul sees that the mind is the catalyst for both righteous and unrighteous behavior. He uses 7 different words to describe how we are guided by what we think (mind, understanding, ignorance, learn, taught, truth, spirit or your mind).

The Ephesians were living in a culture where evil was pervasive so that the Gentiles had given themselves over to evil and had become calloused in their hearts. They were unable to respond to God because they had practiced greed over and over again. My friend Brandon went to Ephesus a couple of months ago, and he said that it was a common practice to throw newborn babies outside of the city gate. This was common not only in Ephesus but also in other cities in Asia at that time. The sin that the Gentiles were involved in was rooted in greed. They were ignorant of God, but they also had hardened hearts. Paul instructs the church in Ephesus to not walk like them.

How are they to walk in the way of Christ? First, they are to set aside the old self, and put on the new self. This new self is made in the likeness of God, “created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Second, the way to put on the new self is to be “renewed in the spirit of your mind.” In Romans 12:2, Paul tells us to renew our minds so we can “prove what the will of God is.” This is why reading, meditation, praying, and study of the word of God is so important. We need to wash ourselves with truth so that we can have a walk that is worthy of our calling.