Renewing Your Mind
Richard Laue
Ephesians 4:17-32
The church at Ephesus was predominantly Gentile, and it is obvious that these new believers in Christ were having a difficult time living the Christian life. They were most certainly saved, but they were finding it difficult to break off with the old ways that were all around them in Ephesus. Paul admonished them to not walk like the other Gentiles or the unsaved Gentiles. All of us have trouble with our Christian walk. The Lord has gloriously saved us, and we have an eternal position with the Lord in glory, but often, more often than not, our practice does not live up to our position.
The Ephesians were living in bondage because Satan had total control of the system in which they had been born and raised. There were no moral or spiritual absolutes in the Gentile world.
Paul here explains to them that four-fold system of the world which Satan has created to trap unbelievers and keep them from being saved. These are the four steps to absolute futility in life.
(1) "Vanity of the mind" (emptiness). This is the empty illusion of the life that thinks there is satisfaction in sin.
(2) "Having the understanding darkened" (no comprehension). This means that the lost man has lost perception of moral values.
(3) "Alienated from the life of God" (total ignorance). "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death."
(4) "Given over unto lasciviousness" (past feeling). Lasciviousness is the continual stirring up of lustful desires. There is no feeling of wrong doing in this. "If it feels good, do it." It is known as "enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season." There is pleasure in sin when you are past feeling.
This is the trap which the Devil had for the entire Gentile world, and it is the trap for the unsaved today. When this goes unchecked, it destroys civilizations. This way of life destroyed the Greco-Roman world. It is wide ...
Richard Laue
Ephesians 4:17-32
The church at Ephesus was predominantly Gentile, and it is obvious that these new believers in Christ were having a difficult time living the Christian life. They were most certainly saved, but they were finding it difficult to break off with the old ways that were all around them in Ephesus. Paul admonished them to not walk like the other Gentiles or the unsaved Gentiles. All of us have trouble with our Christian walk. The Lord has gloriously saved us, and we have an eternal position with the Lord in glory, but often, more often than not, our practice does not live up to our position.
The Ephesians were living in bondage because Satan had total control of the system in which they had been born and raised. There were no moral or spiritual absolutes in the Gentile world.
Paul here explains to them that four-fold system of the world which Satan has created to trap unbelievers and keep them from being saved. These are the four steps to absolute futility in life.
(1) "Vanity of the mind" (emptiness). This is the empty illusion of the life that thinks there is satisfaction in sin.
(2) "Having the understanding darkened" (no comprehension). This means that the lost man has lost perception of moral values.
(3) "Alienated from the life of God" (total ignorance). "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death."
(4) "Given over unto lasciviousness" (past feeling). Lasciviousness is the continual stirring up of lustful desires. There is no feeling of wrong doing in this. "If it feels good, do it." It is known as "enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season." There is pleasure in sin when you are past feeling.
This is the trap which the Devil had for the entire Gentile world, and it is the trap for the unsaved today. When this goes unchecked, it destroys civilizations. This way of life destroyed the Greco-Roman world. It is wide ...
There are 15238 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
