"You Smell"
Series: Talking Through Ephesians
Put On a New Identity
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You come inside after a Saturday afternoon of work in the yard. Entering the kitchen, you go to kiss your wife, but she holds out her hand and says, "Uh uh, buddy. I love you, but you smell!" Laughing, she adds, "And you better clean up and change before date night because I'm not walking into that restaurant with you!"
Sometimes, a shower and a clean shirt can make you feel like a new you. But in Ephesians 4:17-32, putting off the old, we put on a new identity.
The Big Idea
A Christian's lifestyle change comes from a changed mind. If we want to change our habits, we must let go of our old thinking and let God renovate us within. You can't separate the first half of Ephesians — reframing our worldview — from the second half — redirecting our walk.
We used to have a "darkened" understanding of life (Eph. 4:18), but now we "must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds" (Eph. 4:17). Like stripping off dirty clothes, we shed our old impure desires and callousness (Eph. 4:19-23), trading bitterness for tenderheartedness (Eph. 4:31-32).
And it’s so much deeper than a mere wardrobe change. Paul says, "to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God" (Eph 4:23-24). It also changes how we relate to others. Leaving behind duplicity and scheming, we now choose integrity and generosity (Eph. 4:25,28). We respond differently to anger (Eph. 4:26-27) and carefully choose words that give others grace (Eph. 4:29).
Applying this passage requires meditation on some practical questions, like:
- What does it mean to learn Christ (Eph. 4:20)?
- How do we put on a new self (Eph. 4:24)?
- What does the sun going down on our anger have to do with giving the devil opportunity (Eph. 4:26-27)?
- How do we speak as "fits the occasion" (Eph. 4:29)?
The Big Question
Will you look to God for renewal and live as a new you in his likeness?
