The Christian life and conduct described under the head of the "Wherefores" and "Therefores" grows out of the blessings and privileges of which we learn in the first three chapters. This must be kept in mind continually, for we are too prone to seek for the strength of those virtues and graces among our own abilities and resources.

      The first of the "therefores" (4:1) led to a discussion of the subject of Christian unity. Unity requires the display and exercise of all Christian virtues, and of all the items that make up the "fruit of the Spirit." (Gal. 5:22.) "The works of the flesh" are disruptive. (Gal. 5:19-21.) "Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members?" (Jas. 4:1.) This is the genesis of wars, whether they be private brawls, family disturbances, church-troubles--all have their inception in conflicting selfish desires. But love (which is the all-inclusive "fruit of the Spirit") "suffereth long and is kind . . . envieth not . . . vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, . . . seeketh not its own, is not provoked, . . . beareth all things, . . . endureth all things." (1 Cor. 13:4-7.) This is the spirit of Christian unity. It followed naturally therefore that the first "therefore" based, upon the gift of Christ should lead to a consideration of our unity in the Lord.

      The exhortation introduced by the second "therefore" (Eph. 4:17-24) is general; the "wherefore" that follows it takes up particular points. (4:25-32.)

      In the general teaching he reminds them of the way of the Gentiles in which they themselves had once walked (2:2), but now no longer. "For," as Peter writes, "the time past may suffice to have wrought the desire of the Gentiles, and to have walked in lasciviousness, lusts, winebibbings, revellings, carousings, and abominable idolatries." (1 Pet. 4:3.) Another such list of Gentile vices is found in Col. 3:5, and Paul adds, "wherein ye also once walked when ye lived in these things." The cause back of the Gentiles' walk is the vanity of their mind--the emptiness, worthlessness, frivolity, of their thoughts; and this, in turn, was due to the fact that they were "darkened in their understanding," and "alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them." Such are "the Gentiles who know not God." (1 Thess. 4:5.) And this ignorance was "because of the hardening of their heart," which is always the result of the rejection of light. (Rom. 1:18-32.) Being thus "past feeling"--beyond all appeal and [38] consideration of honor, truth, purity, love, goodness, or any other high and noble motive, they "gave themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." Thus he portrays the awful wreck and ruin of the Gentile world. Ah, if this picture represented only those Gentiles of old! But, alas, there are myriads, of the present day, not in heathen lands alone, but in our country also and in our midst who answer exactly to this same description. Such is the life without God, whether then or now; whether it manifests itself in coarse vices or in more refined ways, of selfishness and self-gratification. Out of such a world, out of such a life and walk, had the Ephesian saints been called by the gospel.The new life is summed up in "Christ." They had learned Him; Him they had heard, in Him were they taught, "even as truth is in Jesus." And what they saw and heard and learned and were taught in Him was, that now, (having become children of God by faith in Christ Jesus) they should put away "the old man that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit"; that they be renewed in the spirit of their mind; and "Put on the new man that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth." For (as Paul says elsewhere) "the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in the present world . . ." (Tit. 2:11-12.)

      The expressions "put away" and "put on" are striking. The former implies that we can shuffle off the fleshly personality, as one would cast off an old garment and dirty rags; and "put on" implies that a new personality, like a new robe, is all prepared for us and ready to be put on. In Colossians (which is the companion letter to Ephesians) he speaks of this as of an already accomplished fact--"seeing ye have put off the old man with his doings, and have put on the new man, that is, being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him. . . ." (Col. 3:9, 10.) That is quite in keeping with Paul's teaching: at one time he tells us what, by position in Christ, we are; and then again he exhorts us to realize that high position which we have in Christ. Thus, in Gal. 3:27,--"As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." But in Rom. 13:14 he exhorts the same class of people to put on the Lord Jesus Christ: "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ." The "renewing of the mind" is "the renewing of the Holy Spirit," mentioned in Tit. 3:5, 6. The words "Thou sendest forth thy Spirit: they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground" (Ps. 104:30) can be applied to the dead and sin-blasted souls of men also. The "old man"--the old fleshly self--"waxeth corrupt after the [39] lusts of deceit." There is no improvement or cure for him, no prospect but deepening corruption. The old man must be put off; he must be slain (Rom. 6:6). But in the "new man" lie all the possibilities of growth and development into the full image and likeness of Jesus Christ: he must grow and be nurtured.

      The "wherefore" in v. 25, still building on what has been granted to God's own people in chapts. 1-3, takes up particular instructions: (1) against lying (comp. Col. 3:9)--(2) against unrighteous anger--(3) against compromise with the evil one--(4) as to stealing--(5) corrupt speech. (Eph. 4:25-29.) It may seem strange to us that the members of such a good and true New Testament church as that of Ephesus, of which and to whom such glorious things were spoken, should need such teaching--but, having just been delivered out of heathenism, such fundamental moral teaching was necessary. And indeed it is not unnecessary even now and among us. Note the apostle never stops with a negative. When be tells them what not to do, invariably he goes on to show them what to do.

      Perhaps there is no more tender and beautiful injunction in all God's book than that of Eph. 4:30--

      "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption."

      This word "grieve," says G. Campbell Morgan, is a love-word. The Holy Spirit dwelling in us is our Comforter, the Companion who fills the place of the absent Lord. Grieve Him not! When the Christian sins he grieves the Holy Spirit--wounds His feelings, causes Him sorrow. This is a great and high motive to the child of God to walk carefully. If we can grieve the Spirit, we can also please Him. In the tender and earnest exhortations of verses 31 and 32 we see how the Spirit of God who dwells with us and in us (John 14:17) would have us to walk.

      But note also that in this Spirit we are "sealed unto the day of redemption." The seal is the mark of ownership and by it those who are Christ's will be recognized. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his." (Rom. 8:9.) This will make all the difference between, "I know you not," and "I never knew you," on the one hand, and "Come ye blessed of my Father," on the other, in that day. "Ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God's own possession . . . ." (Eph. 1:13, 14.) In Rom. 8:23 Paul speaks of this same day of our redemption, mentioning especially "the redemption of our body," which takes place when the Lord comes to receive His own. [40]

[LOE 38-41]