Ephesians 4:20 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Ephesians 4:20

Comments

You Ephesians have come to Christ and when you did, you did not learn that sort of conduct. But why does Paul say, ‘if so be that ye have heard him’? Why does he not say, ‘if so be that ye have heard the gospel message and have heard the teaching, which you know has called you to an entirely contrasting lifestyle’? Well, that is the message, but he has described it in terms of coming to Christ, and that makes a difference. I can hear the message and yet not hear it. I can hear the message of the gospel, and yet it does not speak to me, it does not challenge me, it does not move me. But if I hear him in the gospel, if I hear his call, if I hear and grasp that in this message it is Christ, the man of love, the Son of the living God, condemning me, warning me, and yet with great tenderness calling me to free salvation, to forgiveness, a new life. If I hear him in the gospel, that makes all the difference. It was compelling; it was irresistible and you felt that you must repent and yield your life to him. It is not the grasping of facts that brings us to God, but a vital new relationship with our Saviour so that we relate directly to him. The whole being is involved in this process, not just the mind. We love him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. This learning begins at conversion but then continues throughout life.

Application

Paul is striving to draw the strongest possible contrast between the lifestyle of the unbeliever and of the believer. None of that uncontrolled handing over to sin must ever be seen in the Christian. He has been transformed by the knowledge of Christ which has set him free from the slavery to sin that bound him before. Not one iota of his experience in learning of Christ involved any experience of sin or evil. Embedded within that knowledge was an awareness that Christ and sin were as far apart as they could possibly be, that to learn him was to repudiate sin forever. This knowledge came from a sense of the infinite holiness of the Son of God to whom he was coming and his detestation of every aspect of our former lives. Though he received us, he would never accommodate our sin and it was on condition that we were willing to leave it forever. To come to Christ is to leave the world.

Questions

Why does Paul raise the question of whether they have learned Christ or not? Not because believers should constantly be in doubt about this. The opposite is the case. God’s word encourages us to have strong assurance. But there needs to be self-examination and there needs to be reality in the Christian life. To continue to walk as the Gentiles walk would be a sure sign that we had never truly come to Christ.

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Introduction

Ephesians 4:20 Commentary and Bible Study

Explain meaning of Ephesians 4:20