Eph 4:17-24
(going back again to 4:1 ) I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called
4:17a So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do,
How to live worthily of the calling? Do not live like a non-Christian. The bible uses the image of put-off and put-on clothing for the old and new livings. Why Christians are willing to give up our old ways of living, our old habits, our self-centeredness? We have to see the true nature of the non-Christian live:
4:17b-18
in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts
4:22 the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires
The key word is the mind. We need to renew our minds. To see the old being corrupted, futile, darken, deceitful, etc. Think about what people are talking about in the non-Christian gatherings and do you see this point?
How do we see that the old non-Christian way of living is bad?
4:20-22a But you did not learn about Christ like this, 4:21 if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in Jesus. 4:22 You were taught...
Who teaches us? In the context, I think those are the gifted people in 4: 11, evangelists, teachers and pastors.
Summary: our Christian living needs to be change and we want to do that because we see the bad about our old lives. The person who teach us to see that are the gifted persons in the church.
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