Bible Text — Ephesians 4:17–24 (NASB)

17 So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that you are to no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds,

18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves up to indecent behavior for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,

21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,

22 that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to rid yourselves of the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

23 and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

24 and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

1. Your New Life, Your New Walk (v. 17)

Paul urges believers not to walk as the Gentiles do—in futility of mind and spiritual blindness. Those now in Christ must leave the old life and embrace a new walk with purpose and clarity.

• Three groups before God (1 Cor 10:32).
• Gentile converts now part of the church should leave their past life to live the new life in Christ.
• “Futility” often signifies idolatry in Paul’s writings.

2. The Darkness of the Heart (v. 18)

Gentiles’ hearts are darkened and hardened through ignorance and alienation from God. Their estrangement stems from a hardened heart toward truth and divine life.

• See also Romans 1:21–32.
• “Excluded” = alienated from God—void of God’s life.
• Guard your heart (Prov 4:23).

3. The Consequence is Perdition (v. 19)

Spiritual blindness leads to callousness and unrestrained indulgence in impurity and greed (“debauchery”).

• Not all will be saved; many choose the broad path of destruction (Matt 7:13–14).
• Humanity’s sad condition: sin, perdition, and no restraint.

4. The School of Christ (vv. 20–21)

Believers learned Christ differently—truthfully. Taught by Christ (through the apostles and the Word), they live in the truth that Jesus reveals, in contrast to the world’s ways.

• Then and now: taught by Paul and the “school of Christ” (1 Cor 4:17).

5. Put On the New Self (vv. 22–24)

Believers are to put off the old self—corrupted by deceitful desires—and put on the new self, created in God’s image. This transformation renews the spirit of the mind and embraces righteousness, holiness, and truth as a daily lifestyle.

• “Putting off” and “putting on” = leaving the old man and becoming the new (2 Cor 5:17).
• God’s people are holy in calling; be holy in life—an act of obedience in spirit and mind.