The Change Lifestyle of the Christian.
By Nick Bibile
Ephesians Chapter 4 Continuation
20 But that is not the way
you learned Christ! — 21 assuming that you
have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
Last week we saw that Christians do not behave as the
unbelievers, the unbelievers are alienated with God, and the result is they
have a heart that is sinful, and out of the heart comes impurity sinful
behavior.
Why did Apostle Paul remind us of the unbelievers who are
darkened in their understanding, alienated from God and their hardness of their
hearts? Why did he mention of their sensuality, greediness and impurity?
Because you will remember how you lived before Christ. We need
to be reminded how we loved darkness of sin, how we lived to gratify our flesh
as we had a great appetite for the flesh and for this world and not for the
Lord. Before we lived just like the
unbelievers. We spent time in eating,
drinking, parties, sports, movies, TV, living for the flesh. We had a religion
on Sunday but never had a desire and a hunger for the Lord. But there was a change, not a small change but
a radical change. A new heart was given.
But some may say, “I always have been a good person in my
life.” The Bible says there is no one good, none righteous. (Rom 3:9-12) Also
the Bible says there is a change when Christ comes to our heart; there is a
change when you are born again.
Even when you look at the calendar it is divided into two.
B.C (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini – in the year of the Lord) Jesus Christ
is the dividing line of History. Not only he is the dividing line of history
but also he divided our personal life at one point we were before Christ and
there was a point when Christ came and how we were brought from darkness to
light and there was a change.
2 Cor
The old nature has passed away. The old practices, old
conduct and behavior has passed away as the old heart is passed away. There is
a new heart and a new soul, we have new rules, new practices in Christ Jesus.
V 20) This verse is the dividing line of your old nature and
the new. It is the contrast. You never learned of Christ in your old nature, as
Paul said, that is not the way you learned of Christ!
Only in ESV (English Standard Version) translation you will
find an exclamation mark at the end of this scripture. Exclamation mark is used
to emphasize something and here we see Apostle Paul is emphasizing the sharp
contrast of the unbelievers life to the Christian, reminding us that is not the
way you learned of Christ!
John Calvin said on this verse, “He now
draws a contrast of a Christian life, so as to make it evident how utterly
inconsistent it is with the character of a godly man to defile himself regardless
with the abominations of the Gentiles.”
The unbelievers their hearts are corrupted,
selfish, greedy with sinful desires of this world, living according to their
flesh, pleasing the flesh but that is not how we learned of Christ. We did
not learn of a Christ like this! I learned of a righteous and holy Christ. The Christian living is living a Christ like lifestyle pleasing to
God. There is a contrast.
The contrast is like black and white. The
adulterers, prostitutes, drunkards, drug addicts, thieves, flesh pleasers by
the grace of God learned of Christ and there was a change of life, they who
were unholy became holy in Christ. Jesus is the great divide.
V20) you learned Christ! You
did not learn of a subject or a philosophy but you learned of a person, the
person Jesus Christ. This means we the true Christians have entered into a
personal relationship with the living Lord Jesus Christ, it is learning of him and
knowing God only through him.
John 17: 3 And this is eternal life,
that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
The word learn here in Greek is ‘manthano’
is related to the Greek word mathetes which means a disciple. All true Christians are Disciples of Christ
Jesus. A disciple is a person always learning of Christ and increasing in the
knowledge of Christ.
Colossians 2:3
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge.
Learn of Christ not only learning the doctrine of Christ but
learning Christ himself, getting to know Christ in a personal way, intimately,
abiding in him. There are many who know all the doctrines of Christ and they
can be teachers but do they live in him?
Have they applied the knowledge what they have learned to their
behavior? It’s a matter of learn and change.
How did you learn of Christ? The next verse will tell you.
V 21) Assuming
that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus.
First you heard of him. How did you hear? It is from the
preacher, preaching the word of God or when you began to read the word of God.
How many times you hear the word of God and it never brought any conviction of
sin, this is external hearing. But one day suddenly you realized Jesus is
speaking to you, this is internal hearing.
The word heard of him is not the external hearing but the
internal hearing of Christ. Many people have heard of Christ externally with
their ears but never understood. Internal hearing is hearing, understanding the
truth and believing in him.
Eph
True hearing is to hear internally, hear not only from the
ears but to see it from the heart, so as to know him, understand his word, and
distinguish his voice; so as to approve of him and love him, and believe in
him; feel the power of his Gospel, relish his truths, and obey his commandments,
and bring fruits for his glory.
Taught of him.
When you have a personal relationship Jesus, you learn of
him, you hear him and you are taught of him. All three very important verbs,
learn, hear and taught are to people who have a personal relationship with the
Lord. When you learn, hear and taught of him you will follow him.
John
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow
me.
Who teach us of Christ? Christ did not say when I am gone
you shall find the great infallible teacher the Pope of Rome! It is not the
pastor or the preacher they are just instruments the ultimate teacher is God
the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer has to do
with the inner man, that no soul will be able truly and really to understand
what I say, unless it has been taught of God.
The word of God, the Bible is heavenly in origin. The
natural man cannot understand as it is spiritual. Once the natural man is
converted by God the Holy Spirit comes in lives in him. Then we can understand
the word of God as the Spirit of God in us will give us the understanding.
John
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear
witness about me.”
Christ Jesus met the demands of divine justice as we are
saved only by his works alone, there is nothing we can add to salvation, it is
finished. But we are still living on this earth, although we have a new heart
this old flesh is still here with the world and the enemy. But we have Christ
in heaven not just looking at us and saying ‘I hope they can make it to heaven.’
He has given us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit; Holy Spirit continues to carry
out Christ’s redemptive work to completion.
Not only Holy Spirit that regenerated us, convicted us from
sin but now indwells in all believers, lead us to faith in Christ Jesus.
What does the Spirit teach?
Spirit of God teaches and directs our souls for
righteousness, the Spirit of God will sanctify us and supply us grace, and He
will glorify Christ! He is the greatest
teacher and there will be none like him as he teaches only the truth in Jesus.
He will not teach worldly things which please the flesh. He will teach only the
pure unmixed gospel of truth, the genuine not the counterfeit.
1 Corinthians 2:10
These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
For the Spirit searches
everything, even the depths of God.
William Jennings Bryan,
Secretary of State in Woodrow Wilson's Cabinet, was interviewing a man who was
seeking a diplomatic post in
The man was equal to the
occasion. Looking
We know the truth as the Holy
Spirit teach us only the truth. Holy
Spirit gives, gifts for the ministry, boldness, love and self discipline produces
fruits in the believer.
Spurgeon was giving a sermon
on how the Holy Spirit will abide with us forever.
John 14: 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
At the end of the sermon he
said, “I wish I could get an Armenian here to finish my sermon.” Spurgeon went
out to say, “I fancy I see him taking that word "forever." He would
say, "For—forever;" he would have to stammer and stutter; for he
could never get it out all at once. He might stand and pull it about, and at
last he would have to say, "The translation is wrong." And I suppose
the poor man would have to prove that the original was wrong too. Ah! But
blessed be God we can read it—"He shall abide with you forever." Once
give me the Holy Ghost, and I shall never lose him till "forever" has
run out; till eternity has spun its everlasting rounds.
Lastly we were hostile to God’s
teaching, the word of God made many asleep before we came to Christ but now we
are joyful and excited to hear the word of God.