Ephesians 4:17-24
Paul contrasts the way of the Gentiles who are separated from God to the way of the disciple. He uses a word picture of clothing or of a uniform: take of the uniform of the sinner and put on the uniform of the righteous. The loss of sensitivity of the godless is due to their futile thinking, ignorance and darkened understanding. This is consistent with Paul's view that right living and right believing comes from right thinking (for example, Romans 12 - be transformed by thinking in a new way).
There are a couple of interesting phrases: "insist on it in the Lord" is pretty strong language for Paul to use and indicates the importance of what follows. "Lost all sensitivity" really captures the sort of life the godless are living - completely unaware of the pain and destruction they are bringing on the people they love and on themselves. "Given themselves over" contains the idea of complete abandonment to the sensual, selfish life they are living - they know no other way of living.
I am convicted of my own selfish living - maybe not to the level of corruption that Paul describes here (I don't think I'm indulging in every kind of impurity) but I am definitely full of greed. I think of myself constantly and whine (mostly internally) about how unfair things are. When I am able to step back and gain perspective, I know that I have been blessed and that my whining is pure self-centeredness and selfishness. I know that the world does not and should not revolve around me (it would be a very crappy world if it did!). I know that this is not the life that I learned when I heard about Christ and was taught in him in accordance with truth that is in Jesus. The problem is that I like my old clothes, my old uniform too much. It is very comfortable and I am scared of what it will mean to take it off and to put on the uniform that Christ offers me. I like to be self-centered. Lord, change my desire to pursue you and your glory rather than me and mine.
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1 comment:
I am pretty sure that we are all together on this one. I know that in my own life I have many sinful desires as well. I would agree that I don't give in to all impurity, but sometimes it can feel that way.
The whining thing is funny, Totally relate, I whine about my house not being done, and people all over the world don't even have houses to live in, what do I really have to complain about, really. May God hellp us to be content with what we have, and to put on his uniform and where it with humble dignity, serving and obeying.
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