Ephesians 4:17-24

Ephesians 4:17-24 Verse 17: "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind." Gentiles are the abandoned.They are outside of Christ.They are those who refuse to have God in their hearts and reject the gospel of Christ.Therefore, they are the abandoned.In theology, the terms choise and reprobation appear.Reprobation, to abandon oneself to a lost mind, is the present judgment (Romans 1:28).The vanity of their mind refers to an empty, hollow heart.They are people who follow the desires of the flesh, eat, play, and sleep as they please. Verse 18: "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts." Being darkened in understanding refers to a state of inexplicable frustration and meaninglessness in life.If we are not alert, we too will find ourselves becoming dull and boredIt's only natural that we will pursue superficial pleasures.These days, many people are losing their minds and souls to YouTube and other media.While it may seem like a momentary relief, their understanding of the Word gradually darkens.The devil gradually wears away our understanding through music and cultural content. A blindness  heart is a state of ignorance, stubbornness, and dulled spiritual sense.Such people are separated from the life of God.If he is ignorant, he should at least not be stubborn, but ignorant people are very stubborn.However, understanding the Word of truth is always connected to the life of God.This understanding is a very precious blessing.If our understanding is darkened and our heart remains hardened, we become people who are utterly unworthy of being reborn (Romans 1).Even if we believe in Jesus, if righteousness is not manifested within us and we lack activity as new creatures born again, if the ground of our hearts remains unchanged, we become dull.The fear of lepers is that while their bodies are destroyed by the disease, they also experience no pain.Unaware of pain, they grasp at anything, further damaging their bodies.But we Christians should be thankful that we are sensitive to sin, darkness, and the world, and that we can feel heartache and lament when we are defeated. Verse 19: "Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." The original meaning of being past feeling, or insensible, was not to grieve or mourn.Because you have no sense, you end up giving yourself over to debauchery.They give themselves over debauchery.So, neglect means abandonment and leaving it to instinct.Without truth, there is no roadmap for faith, so we will become increasingly immersed in programs that stimulate our peripheral nerves and promise healing.God's children, sanctified by the truth in Christ, know the joy of the heart and, by fixing their eyes on the glory of God in Christ, overcome the world and the flesh.However, without this spiritual sense, we simply give in to whatever comes our way.Thus, we follow our lusts and indulge in every kind of impurity.Sin and death follow. There's a saying: when national income exceeds $5,000, travel flourishes; when it exceeds $8,000, the service industry flourishes; and when it exceeds $10,000, the age of drugs beginsDrugs and homosexuality are the height of pleasure.Right now, drugs are rampant, and sexual minorities are exploiting political vulnerabilities to seek legalization.This is a sign of the end times, a terrifying force of darkness that follows economic prosperity.They say once you taste it, you'll want to try it again.They grit their teeth and endure it, and when extreme hardship comes, they will come back.The problem is, they also have a certain pride in doing this.It's because they find the extreme joy in pursuing their own desires. Verse 20: "But you have no learned Christ." Believers called into Christ have not learned Christ in this way.Therefore, we must fight against the world.Without the satisfaction of the Word, people go to the world.The history of Israel—fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen generations from David to Babylon, and fourteen generations from Babylon to Jesus Christ—is like the forty years in the wilderness, where the Word was fulfilled in David, then taken captive to Babylon, and then returned to a state of faith awaiting the Messiah. Just as they rejoiced and rejoiced, believing they had received grace, they experienced the failures and frustrations of worldly immersion, only to accept the cross of Christ and begin to deny themselves. Christians must be spiritually awake and always alert to their families.We must spread the Word of God throughout our homes.Children say there is a generation gap, but there is a generation gap in the world's information and knowledge, but not in the Bible.It's a good idea to plaster the Word on desks, dining tables, walls, and bathrooms.Just as God holds all things together, we must not lose sight of our families in our hearts.We must realize that if we become spiritually ill, others will also become ill. Verse 21: "If so be that you have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus." We have heard Christ.Because the truth is in Jesus Christ, we are taught in him.Only by hearing the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, in him can we receive the seal of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). Verse 22: "That you put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts." This refers to corruption, or destruction, caused by the deceitful lusts.If there is truth, then holiness, then glory. With that glory, we become one with God and are sanctified to love.Isn't that why love is the ultimate goal of evolution?We must daily cast our old self, which we have habitually lived with, across the cross.Just look at the decaying faces of our former colleagues who have not learned the message of the cross.And on top of that, they are like general hospitals, carrying all sorts of illnesses, yet they only have words. Verse 23: "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind." Spirit and mind, spiritual understanding, perception—the words of Romans 12:2."And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove  what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, wil of Godl."Internal reformation (innovation) must continue.Therefore, metabolism occurs when we earnestly realize that among the characteristics of a person of the Holy Spirit  is being born again through the grace of Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross.Therefore, the only way is to follow the wayof Christ's death on the cross and being raised.Therefore, we must abandon our fixed ideas at the cross.We must repeat until we succeed.The incident of the golden calf in Israel was the grafting of Jehovah onto the faith of Egypt.Currently, festive faith calls on God's name, but it can deviate from its essence, harboring worldly thoughts and singing, dancing, and rejoicing in God's name. Verse 24: "And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." The gospel reveals the righteousness of God (Romans 1:17).God always justifies us on the basis of faith in Christ.Justification is because righteousness always comes down from above upon that faith (Psalm 85:11).Because we have received the Bible and the Holy Spirit, we can understand the truth.At each such time, God's righteousness is revealed and God's work takes place (Psalm 85:13).God always puts righteousness first and acts accordingly.And faith in that righteousness grows within us (Abraham in Romans 4).Ultimately, we reach faith through faith, and from righteousness (faith) to righteousness (works).The manifestation of God's righteousness within us is the internal work of the Holy Spirit.Therefore, those who speak of a movement of the Holy Spirit claim to believe in Jesus, but they are not found in Christ.Those who are in Christ know full well that without the Holy Spirit's inward work, their spiritual faculties are turned off.Therefore, the term "spiritual movement" is a term used by infants who are still breastfeeding. When we observe our duty to the truth, holiness is manifested outwardly.God's power and divinity are revealed in his gestures, words, and countenance.While believers are not obligated to obey the law, they are obligated to obey truth, for truth is the Word that fulfills the law.God judges by the truth (Romans 2:2).The duty of truth is to live in holiness within the truth.In that holiness, God's glory is revealed, and through it, we approach the Father, becoming one in Christ, reaching perfect, and moving forward in love (John 17). So, He tells us to put on the new man.This is the new man God created in Christ, the new man whose old man died and is now alive again through the cross of Christ.This means becoming a person transformed by the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit.When we meet Christ through God's Word and learn the truth in him, we begin to think spiritually, and our values and personality dimensions change.Therefore, as our values change, our perspective on the world changes, and ultimately, our destiny changes.Consequently, our perspective on treasure determines the remaining time in our flesh, so we must constantly put on the new man.Blessed are we who daily surrender ourselves to the cross, wash our robes, and have access to the tree of life and enter the city through its gates (Revelation 22:14). Written by Ptr. Yohan KimTranslated by missionary Nancy KimCOME AND SEE WORLD MISSIONTO GOD BE THE GLORY