Living Differently Than the World

What can we learn from Ephesians 4:17–19?

A Different Way of Living

In Ephesians 4:17–19, Paul speaks very plainly. He tells the believers in Ephesus that they should no longer walk as other Gentiles walk (i.e., their way of life). Many of the Ephesian Christians were Gentiles themselves, so he's talking about the old way of life they once shared with "other" Gentiles before coming to Christ.

What Was That Walk? [For deeper reading if time permits.]

“Vanity of their mind” — thoughts that are empty, unproductive, and disconnected from God’s truth. 

“Having the understanding darkened” — spiritual and moral blindness that cannot see God's truth clearly. 

“being alienated from the life of God” — cut off from God’s saving, spiritual life – not sharing in his life, joy, and power. 

“the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness [hardening] of their heart.” — a deliberate resistance or indifference toward God that eventually becomes a hard heart. 

“Who being past feeling” — a conscience that has become calloused, through repeated refusal of God’s truth and repeated indulgence in sin. 

“have given themselves over unto lasciviousness” — unrestrained sensuality or shameless behavior, especially in sexual matters. 

“To work all uncleanness with greediness” —  suggests active pursuit: not just occasional lapses, but a pattern of seeking out impurity, doing so with a kind of greed or appetite for more.

Overview [Back to the general devotion.]

Paul describes people whose thinking has become empty and darkened. They are separated from the life God gives because they have closed their hearts to Him. Over time, their conscience becomes less sensitive. What once felt wrong no longer bothers them. They give themselves over to sinful desires and continually seek more.

There is a sad progression in these verses. People do not usually wake up one morning completely hardened against God. It happens little by little. A person ignores God's truth, resists His voice, and keeps moving in the wrong direction. Eventually, what once troubled the conscience begins to feel normal.

Paul is speaking to Christians. He wants them to recognize the difference between the life they left behind and the life they now have in Christ.

We live in a world that constantly shapes our thinking. The books we read, the entertainment we enjoy, the conversations we join, and the values we absorb all leave their mark on us. It is worth asking ourselves from time to time: Am I becoming more sensitive to the Lord, or less?

The closer we walk with Christ, the more clearly we begin to see things through His eyes. And when He shows us areas that need to change, that is not something to resist. It is one of His mercies toward us.

Growing into Christ

What can we learn from Ephesians 4:15–16?

In the previous verses, Paul described what spiritual immaturity looks like. Immature believers can be pulled in different directions by (A) trendy new teaching not grounded in Christ-centered truth and (B) by persuasively deceiving people promoting these doctrines. Now he shows us a better path.

"But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:"

Truth and love belong together.

Some Christians are eager to speak the truth to one another but forget kindness. Others want to be kind but avoid difficult truths. Paul brings both together in one simple phrase: "speaking the truth in love."

This kind of growth shapes how we talk to fellow believers, how we respond when brethren are struggling, and how we help each other follow Christ.

Notice where this growth is leading. Believers are to "grow up into him"—into Christ Himself. He is the pattern. He is the goal. The more believers learn of Christ and walk with Him, the more they begin to reflect His character.

"From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part..."

Paul returns to the picture of the church as a body.

A healthy local body has many different parts working together. No single part does everything. Each part contributes something.

That is how Christ designed His church.

Some people teach. Some encourage. Some serve quietly. Some help carry burdens. Some pray faithfully for others. Not every role is visible, but every role matters.

Paul says that when every part does its share, the body grows.

"...maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

This growth does not happen because of one gifted leader or one hardworking brother/sister.

It happens as believers serve one another in love.

That is where Paul has been leading us throughout this section of Ephesians. We have one Lord, one faith, and one body. Christ gives different gifts to different people. He gives leaders to help His people grow. As believers mature and serve one another, the whole church becomes stronger.

What can we glean from this passage?

Healthy Christian growth is not meant to happen alone—it happens within the church.

Christ is the Head of the church, and every believer has a place in the body. As we learn the truth, speak it with love, and use what God has given us to help one another, the church grows the way God intended.

The goal is not for a few people to become strong Christians while everyone else watches. The goal is for the whole body to grow together, with Christ directing and supplying what is needed every step of the way.

Two Sides to Spiritual Growth

What is the Lord teaching us in Ephesians 4:13–14?

In the previous verses, we saw that Christ gives pastors, teachers, and other leaders to help His people grow. Now Paul tells us what that growth should look like and why it matters.

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:"

Paul is not talking about becoming perfect in the sense of never making mistakes. He is talking about becoming mature.

When children are young, they need constant guidance. As they grow, they learn, gain understanding, and become more stable. Paul uses a similar picture here.

Christ wants His people to grow together in their faith and in their knowledge of Him. This is one reason He gives teachers and pastors to the church. Their work is not simply to pass along information. They help believers grow stronger in their understanding of God's Word and in their walk with Christ.

Growth takes time. None of us arrives overnight. Yet little by little, Christ is working to shape His people so that they become more like Him.

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;"

Verse 14 shows the other side of spiritual growth.

A child can be easily influenced. One day he believes one thing. The next day he believes something completely different because someone sounded convincing.

Paul says that spiritual immaturity can look much the same.

There will always be new ideas, popular teachers, and confident voices claiming to have the latest answer. Some are helpful. Some are not. A believer who knows God's Word is less likely to be pulled in every direction.

This is why spiritual growth matters. It is not about collecting Bible knowledge or winning arguments. It is about becoming steady.

What can we glean from this passage?

Christ does not want His people to remain spiritual children.

He gives leaders to teach us, encourage us, and help us grow. As we grow, we become more grounded in the truth and less likely to be carried along by every new idea that comes our way.

A healthy Christian is not someone who knows everything. A healthy Christian is someone who is growing, becoming more like Christ, and learning to stand firm when confusing voices arise.

That is where Paul is leading us in this chapter: united believers, using different gifts, growing together, and becoming stable in the faith.

What About These Gifts?

What is the Lord teaching us in Ephesians 4:11–12?

Up to this point in Ephesians 4, Paul has reminded us that we share one faith, one Lord, and one hope. Then he showed us that Christ gives different gifts to different believers. Now he takes another step forward and shows how those gifts help the whole church grow.

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"

When people talk about gifts, we often think about abilities. But in these verses, the gifts are people.

Christ gives certain people to the church to help others grow. Some of these roles were especially important in the early days of the church. Others continue today as men preach the gospel, teach the Bible, and care for God's people.

If you've ever had a faithful pastor, teacher, or Christian mentor who helped you understand God's Word, you've experienced one of Christ's gifts to His church.

This is another reminder that we need one another. The Christian life was never meant to be lived alone.

"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:"

Verse 12 explains why Christ gives these leaders.

Their job is to help believers grow and become ready to serve. The picture is not a church where one person does all the work while everyone else watches.

A healthy church looks more like a family working together. Some teach. Some encourage. Some visit the sick. Some pray faithfully. Some help quietly behind the scenes. Not everyone serves in the same way, but everyone has a part.

As each person serves, the church becomes stronger. People are encouraged. Needs are met. The body of Christ is built up one act of service at a time.

What can we glean from this passage?

Christ has not called most Christians to stand behind a pulpit. But He has called every Christian to be part of His work.

The leaders Christ gives to a church are there to help God's people grow, learn, and serve. Their goal is not to gather all the work to themselves but to help others become useful in the Lord's service.

In the first part of Ephesians 4, we saw that we are united in Christ. Then we learned that Christ gives different gifts to different people. Now we see why: so the whole church can grow together.

Every believer matters. Every act of service matters. And Christ is the One who puts it all together.

Variety in Unity

What is the Lord teaching us in Ephesians 4:7–10?

"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."

After talking about the unity Christians share, Paul turns our attention to something else. While we all belong to the same body, God has not made us all exactly alike.

Verse 7 says that grace is given to each believer according to the measure of Christ's gift. In other words, Christ gives to each person as He chooses. Some serve in one way, some in another. Some are able to teach, encourage, organize, give, lead, or help behind the scenes.

That can be easy to forget. Sometimes we compare ourselves with other Christians and wonder why we aren't more like them. But Christ never asked us to be someone else. He gives what He gives on purpose.

"When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men."

Paul quotes from Psalm 68 to remind us that Jesus is the victorious King.

After His death and resurrection, Christ ascended to heaven. He defeated sin, death, and the grave. Now He gives gifts to His people.

When we come to verse 11, we'll see some of those gifts more clearly. For now, it is enough to notice where they come from. Whatever ability we have to serve the Lord did not begin with us. It came from Christ.

"(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?...)"

Before Jesus ascended, He first came down.

The Son of God entered this world, lived among ordinary people, suffered, died for our sins, and rose again. The same Jesus who walked the dusty roads of Galilee is now exalted in heaven.

Paul seems to be drawing our attention to that simple fact. The One who gives these gifts is not distant from us. He knows what it is like to live in this world. He came down before He went up.

What's the takeaway?

The church is united, but that doesn't mean every Christian serves in the same way.

Christ gives different gifts to different people, and He does so wisely. That means we don't need to compete with one another or measure our usefulness by someone else's abilities.

Whatever grace, opportunity, or ability we have comes from Him. Our part is simply to use what He has given and leave the measuring to Christ.