Read Ephesians 4:17-32.

Where should we go to find out what a true Christian is really like? Not to popular culture but to Scripture, of course! And Scripture reveals that it is our heavenly blessings, given to us by God, that make all the difference.

But first, let’s consider how the apostle Paul describes a non-Christian. He says, “They 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” (Ephesians 4:18, emphasis added). Similar to how our hands can become calloused with repeated wear, people can become spiritually calloused toward God; they become indifferent toward Him, and eventually their hearts are hardened. Those who are spiritually dead need the power of Jesus to transform their hearts—to remove their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh (see Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Next, Paul describes what a Christian looks like. He says true Christians are those who “put off [the] old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires” (Ephesians 4:22). A Christian acknowledges their rebellion against a holy God. Because they do that, God gives them a new heart, a new mind, and a new nature (see vv. 23-24). In short, God gives them a new way of life. That’s the difference.

The old life is full of falsehoods, but in Christ we are called to speak Truth (v. 25). The old life is full of unbridled anger, but in the new life we experience righteous anger as our hearts break for the things that break God’s heart (v. 26). The old life is marked by theft, but the new life is marked by hard work and generosity (v. 28). Without Christ, unwholesome talk flows from the mouth, but in Christ, our words are to be used for building others up (v. 29). And finally, a spirit of bitterness is replaced with a spirit of forgiveness (vv. 31-32).

The reason the church is not shaking the world today is because, for many people, their love for God has grown faint. Many fear man and not God. Instead of hating sin, they nurse it. They have neglected to take hold of every spiritual blessing in Christ for their strength, encouragement, and holiness. Only when we take hold of God’s precious gift will the church live up to its high calling.

Prayer: Father, may I take hold of the new life You have given to me. I submit to the light yoke of Christ—a calling with power and goodness. As I seek to obey, give me wisdom to see Your will and reject and repent of sin, that I might serve You faithfully. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“So 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” (Ephesians 4:17).

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