Ephesians 4 - Raised in the ways leading to Righteousness
How we come to righteousness matters. That is, how we live, where we look, what we do, will determine whether or not we actually come to the point of believing God and obeying him. This is why Paul writes the following in Ephesians 4:
 17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
In this context, Paul is writing to Jews who live in Christ, and is referring to Gentiles who are not living in Christ. Now if you are not a Jew, do not be concerned that Paul is talking about you. Simply, he is writing to a church of believing Jews, and referring to non-believing Gentiles. This should not be surprising, as the early church was nearly all Jews. In that time, Jesus was easy to preach to believing Jews because He fulfilled the prophecies that Jews were waiting to see fulfilled; it was hard to preach to Gentiles however, because they didn’t even believe in God, and were not actively waiting for a savior. They had the need for one in their hearts, but having no background in which to look for him, they came to live lives of ignorance. They knew of Greek and Roman gods, knew of Caesar as a god, knew the Jews worshipped some invisible God that scared the Gentiles to death, and that was it. With a hierarchy of false gods that they could not depend on (being fake gods and all), and frequent animosity with the Jews of the One True God, it should not be surprising that the Gentile hearts of Paul’s day grew hard, insensitive, and dark. Without the Holy Spirit to channel the love they so badly needed, they would channel it through sexuality, which does not quench ones thirst for love… and how can one find Jesus in a life like that? How would they even know it’s Him? And is it any different for the unchurched today? Alas, even for many of the churched!
 20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Well, as it turns out, people in general are more naturally like the Gentiles referred to above, than we are like Jesus. Yet, God put each of us on a path to know Him when we see Him. For this particular church, it was a path of Torah studying and holidays… a life centered around God, and waiting for the Messiah. That is what God did for the church at Ephesus, and it is similar to what God has done for us all, in our path toward righteousness and holiness.
Today, it is overly general to characterize “Gentiles” as Paul did above, but relative to Ephesus, they were the non-believers that church knew of. So, recast in modern society, you can read “Gentiles” as “non-believers”. And because today we have the Church, and because most Christians become believers in their youth, you can view that early Jewish Christian church as the general biblical Christ-following Church.
I was raised in a Jewish home, by a mother who knew Jesus as her Lord and Savior. I wasn’t allowed to attend church, but read a children’s Bible after school. I failed to grasp an awful lot, but I knew God loved me and died for my sins. When I grew up, and realized that I could make a choice to continue living in that or not, I had a background of God to fall back on, and realized I had a God-consciousness that God gave me and my mother had nurtured (whether she realized it or not). And I remember when I suspended all my beliefs for just a moment, to see what that left me with, my answer was God. I fell under verses 21-24 above. I “knew” God was there, and saw how He had led me to where I was at that moment, and so I asked, “So what do I do now, God?” It hit me. I had some choices to make. I had to start going to church, and I had to revisit my witness to those around me. To read on in Ephesians 4:
 25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
 29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
And this is how I endeavor to live. Though I succeed to varying degrees in the different seasons of my life, I endeavor to live out verse 24 where I put “the new self” because I am “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”. Now I realize that the reason I can live in true righteousness is only because God credited me with it, for my belief in Him, and in that belief, I can obey Him. So, I do live in true righteousness… but it His righteousness in which I live, not mine.
But I notice something else as well… holiness. God also (based on its common context with righteousness) credits me with holiness. Credits, huh? Like He does with righteousness. Hmmm… I have never considered that perspective before… perhaps I will study “holiness” next year…Â