A New Wardrobe – Ephesians 4:17-24

Years ago my wife and I learned that there is a color palette of seasonable colors with clothes that fits each person based on their complexion and coloring. Spring colors are light and warm (yellows and pinks and all of the warmer pastels). Summer colors come from the cooler hues on the color wheel (bright greens and blues and purples). Autumn colors are warm and dark (deep reds and oranges and browns — fallen leaf colors). Winter colors are cool and dark (Grays and blacks and deep forest greens and steely blues). Winter colors seem to suit me more.

Paul is doing a wardrobe check with his readers. What wardrobe suits believers?

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17-24, ESV)

Paul is teaching his readers how to live in light of who they are and paints first the picture of what God is doing in them to make them a mature body in Christ. But now he contrasts that with what they used to be, what they still see around them in those who do not believe, to what they may be tempted to return.

They must not live like Gentiles. Some of them were Gentiles and they cannot stop being non-Jews. But they can stop living like Gentiles tended to live. The mind that does not submit to God is futilely trying to make sense of life apart from God. And even though Gentiles worship gods, they do not know the true and living God. Failure to submit to the true God makes their thinking dark and ignorant. The hardness of their hearts toward God and the truth keeps them in the dark. Dark minds lead to dark behavior, particularly sensuality and impurity. They live for the thrill of sexual satisfaction. The one in Christ cannot, must not, fall back into that darkened way of life.

Instead, the Christian has learned a new kind of living in Jesus. We were taught to put off our old selves that were characterized by this wrong kind of living, be renewed in our minds with the gospel, and put on the new self God created for us. We were created for a life of righteousness and holiness, a life of love that leads to purity of soul and body. If this kind of life is true of us it demonstrates that indeed we did hear of Jesus and were taught in him. The evidence of salvation is a new desire for and practice of righteousness.

From Paul’s perspective, the true believer has taken off the old clothes of the former life and put on the new wardrobe of Christ-like living. He says it this way in Colossians 3:9-11,

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

What is in your wardrobe?

Discussion Questions

1. Is there some particular style of clothing or color you think you look best in?
2. If you were to give testimony to your “Gentile” days before Christ, in what futility of mind did you walk?
3. How did you see your mind change when you were “taught” Christ?
4. What did you experience by way of putting off your old self and putting on the new self created after the likeness of God?
5. Are you aware of anyone you thought was a believer who never seemed to be able to make that wardrobe change?
6. What righteousness do you need to be working on adding to your wardrobe?