In Ephesians 5:22-33, Paul drew an analogy between the ...

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achers, the apostle urges, "But speaking the truth in love
..." (v. 15). We must have a loyal adherence to truth for
our spiritual security and protection from those who lie
in wait to deceive. The motivation for speaking the truth
is love.
May we grow up in Christ, doing our very best to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The underlying theme in Ephesians 1-3 is the meaning
of the church. That in Ephesians 4-6 is the meaning
of church membership. The latter shows that doctrine is
not an end within itself, but is the basis of the worthy
walk that adorns the church's spiritual blessings (Eph.
4:1-6). Knowledge of the church is worthless to one who
does not translate it into practice. Ephesians 4:17—5:21
portrays the church as the living expression of Christ.
Paul anchors each facet of the believer's life in divine
truth and centers the whole in a new attitude of mind
(Eph. 4:23). Some important features of the renewed
mind are given.
1. It is Not Filled with Futility (Eph. 4:17-19).
Christians must not behave like those in the world who
walk "in the futility of their mind." The phrase captures
the essence of man without God. The pagans from whom
the Ephesians were converted were exceedingly corrupt
because they lived without true purpose governed by a
morally bankrupt mind. Their understanding was darkened
and they were separated from the spiritual life that
comes from God because of their ignorance and hardness
of heart (see Rom. 1:21).
In its futility of mind, the world lost its shame and
stifled its conscience. This led to unblushing immorality
in which people abandoned themselves to licentiousness.
The word here may represent the range of immoral
practices common to the pagan world. In lawless folly,
they gave themselves over to every form of impurity that
insatiable lusts could conceive. The person who abandons
himself to licentiousness "does not care how much
he shocks public opinion, how much he defies and insults
all decency, so long as he can gratify his desires" (William
Barclay).
Paul described the pagan world of ancient times, but
he also describes the world that is alienated from God in
any age. With all its collective intellect, wisdom, and
achievement, the world's mind functions morally and
spiritually in refined illusion and haughty deception.
The present quality of enlightenment and entertainment
in the mass media testifies to the agelessness of
Paul's words. Every form of evil is condoned or excused,
if not advocated and practiced, by people of influence in
all realms of society. But God's message is plain: "you
should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in
the futility of their mind." Church membership demands
a radical separation from the world that begins with
putting away the world's vain reasoning.
2. It is Renewed in the Image of God (Eph. 4:20-
24). The Ephesians had experienced the wicked life Paul
describes. But he states emphatically that none of this
foolishness was learned from Christ. The efforts of false
teachers to justify ungodly habits by the Bible is blas-
phemous, yet some attempt to defend fornication, homo-
sexuality, and every other kind of immorality with pious
perversions of the truth. The teaching we received from
Christ forbids us to mess around philosophically with
sin, either as promoter or practitioners. We are taught to
put sin away altogether. Christ lays equal stress on
knowing and doing what he says.
"Be renewed in the spirit of your mind" is the key to
the life "which is created according to God, in righteousness
and true holiness." But the renewed mind does not
come by merely changing what is known. The renewal is
of "the spirit" of the mind, the faculty that directs the
mind's powers and energies toward doing God's will.
"The mind is to be renovated; not only in its general
complexion, but the very spirit of it; all its faculties and
powers must be thoroughly, completely, and universally
renewed" (Adam Clarke). The truth operates freely only
in the mind that is fully surrendered to Christ. The
renewed mind leads to the new life that blends perfectly
with the will of God and that manifests itself in the right
relationship with Christ and the church.
The mind is not renewed all at once, but renewal is a
maturing process. It begins at baptism (Rom. 6:4-6) and
continues "until Christ is formed in you" (Gal. 4:19). The
renewal progresses daily (2 Cor. 4:16) "in knowledge
according to the image" of God (Col. 3:9,10). It puts off
"the old man" that leads to destruction and puts on "the
new man" that leads to everlasting life. In contrast with
the spiritual wickedness and moral impurity of the
world, we must strive each day to renew our mind by
giving the truth unrestrained reign over its faculties and
powers.
3. It Banishes Sinful Practices (Eph. 4:25-32).
Paul's general command to put off the old life and to put
on the new gives way here to specific features of the two
ways. These exhortations concern Christians as "mem-
bers of one another." The duties named are in view of this
relationship. The writer shows in some detail what it
means to put away the old man and to put on the new.
Positive and negative qualities are placed in striking
contrast: put away falsehood, speak truth; control an-
ger, do not let it simmer till evil erupts; do not steal, work
to make an honest living and to help the needy; avoid
corrupt speech, use words that benefit others.
The right use of the tongue is especially important to
the renewed mind for it is the most immediate index of
the mind's true condition (Prov. 23:7). Corrupt speech is
not just the use of filthy words, but embraces all foolish
talking. Christians should shun any unprofitable speech
and make their words always a channel of blessing. "And