August 2, 2026 | Lorain Labor Sheet
EPHESIANS 4:17-5:21 (NKJV)
The New Man
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 
19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Do Not Grieve the Spirit
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 
26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 
27 nor give place to the devil. 
28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 5
1Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Walk in Light
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 
9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 
10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 
12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 
13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 
14 Therefore He says:“Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
Walk in Wisdom
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Life Study Message Forty-Six
LEARNING CHRIST AS THE TRUTH IS IN JESUS
In this message we shall consider 4:17-21, with special attention to verses 20 and 21, which speak of learning Christ as the truth is in Jesus.
THE THIRD ITEM OF A WALK WORTHY OF GOD'S CALLING
In 4:1 Paul beseeches us to walk worthily of the calling with which we are called. The first item of a walk worthy of God's calling is to keep the oneness, and the second is to grow up into Christ the Head. The third item is to learn Christ as the truth is in Jesus.
Verse 17 of chapter four begins a new paragraph. The first two items of a worthy walk are put together in the first paragraph in this chapter. The reason for this is that growth in Christ is intimately related to the keeping of the oneness; they cannot be separated. In verses 1 through 16 the living and the function of the Body are dealt with. Now in verses 17 through 32 the daily life is touched. Verses 17 through 24 give us the principles of our daily walk, and verses 25 through 32 give us the details.
NO LONGER WALKING AS THE NATIONS
Verse 17 says, "This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the nations also walk, in the vanity of their mind." This word indicates that what the apostle is about to say is not only his exhortation, but also his testimony. What he exhorts is what he lives. Because he himself lives the kind of life he intends to describe, in his teaching he gives us a testimony.
Walking in the Vanity of Their Mind
Paul's exhortation is to "no longer walk as the nations...walk in the vanity of their mind." The nations, the Gentiles, are the fallen people, who have become vain in their reasonings (Rom. 1:21). They walk without God in the vanity of their mind and are controlled and directed by their vain thoughts. Whatever they do according to their fallen mind is vanity; it is all without reality. The life of fallen mankind is a walk in the vanity of the mind. All the worldly people today walk in such vanity. In the eyes of God and in the eyes of the Apostle Paul, whatever the people in the world think, say, and do is nothing but vanity. None of those things is real or solid--everything is empty. As believers, we should no longer walk in the vanity of the mind. Instead, we must walk in the reality of our spirit.
Darkened in Their Understanding
According to verse 18, the nations who walk in the vanity of the mind are "darkened in their understanding." When the mind of fallen people is filled with vanity, their understanding is darkened regarding the things of God.
Estranged from the Life of God
The nations are also "estranged from the life of God" (v. 18). This life is the uncreated, eternal life of God, which man did not receive at the time of creation. After being created, man with the created human life was placed before the tree of life (Gen. 2:8-9) to receive the uncreated divine life. But man fell into the vanity of his mind and became darkened in his understanding. In such a fallen condition, man is not able to touch the life of God until he has his mind turned to God, until he repents and believes in the Lord Jesus to receive God's eternal life (Acts 11:18; John 3:16).
God's intention in His creation of man was that man would partake of the fruit of the tree of life and thereby receive the eternal life of God. But in the fall, Satan's evil nature was injected into man. As a result, man had to be barred from the tree of life. According to Genesis 3:24, the Lord "drove out the man: and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." Thus, man was estranged from the life of God. The cherubim, the flame, and the sword signify God's glory, holiness, and righteousness. These three things kept sinful man from receiving eternal life. When the Lord Jesus died on the cross, He fulfilled all the requirements of God's glory, holiness, and righteousness. Therefore, through the redemption of the Lord Jesus, the way has been opened for us to contact the tree of life once more. This is the reason Hebrews 10:19 says that we have "boldness for entering the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus." The tree of life is in the Holy of Holies. As believers in Christ, we have been brought back to the tree of life. Now the divine life in the Holy of Holies may be our daily enjoyment. The nations, however, are still estranged from the life of God.
Because of the Ignorance Which Is in Them
One reason for this estrangement is "the ignorance which is in them" (v. 18). Ignorance here means not only lack of knowledge, but also not wanting to know. Fallen man does not approve of knowing the things of God (Rom. 1:28) because of the hardness of his heart. Due to this, his understanding is darkened that he cannot know God.
The unbelievers have no knowledge of God or of spiritual things. Furthermore, they are not willing to gain this knowledge. What a mercy that we not only have the proper knowledge, but also have the desire to know! It is a great blessing to have within us the desire to know God, to know life, and to know spiritual things. Before we were saved, we did not have this desire. We, like the nations, lacked both the knowledge and the willingness to know. But now we hunger and thirst to know God. The more we can know of Him and of the divine life, the better it is. Any Christian who does not seek to know the Lord cannot be happy or satisfied. To seek the Lord and to seek to know life and the things of God is a source of great happiness. This is the reason we are so happy in the church meetings. It is also the reason that I have an inward joy when I minister the Word to the Lord's people. Something of the Lord has been sown into us to give us the desire to know Him.
Because of the Hardness of Their Heart
Another reason the nations are estranged from the life of God is the hardness of their heart. The hardness of fallen man's heart is the source of the darkness in his understanding and the vanity of his mind. Before we were saved, we also were hard of heart. We seemed to be impenetrable, and God's words could not enter into us. This is the situation of unbelievers today.
Having Ceased from Feeling
Furthermore, in his thorough diagnosis of the condition of fallen man, Paul points out that the nations have "ceased from feeling" (v. 19). The word feeling here refers mainly to the consciousness of the conscience. Hence, "having ceased from feeling" means not to care for the conscience. After man's fall, God ordained that man should be under the rule of his conscience. But rather than regard his conscience, fallen man gave himself over to unsatisfied lust. Because the unbelievers refused to care for the feeling of their conscience, eventually the conscience stopped functioning. Therefore, the feeling within them ceased.
Having Given Themselves Over to Lewdness
Moreover, they give "themselves over to lewdness to work all uncleanness in greedy unsatisfied lust" (v. 19). They are given over to lusts that cannot be satisfied. If we look at the situation in the world today, we shall see that unbelievers have given themselves over to lewdness to work uncleanness in their unsatisfied lust.
LEARNING CHRIST
Verses 17 through 19 are a dark background for what Paul says in verse 20: "But you did not so learn Christ." The New Testament strongly indicates that we should live Christ. In Philippians 1:21 Paul declares, "To me to live is Christ." But here in Ephesians 4:20 we are told that we have learned Christ. Notice that Paul uses the past tense in speaking of our learning Christ. He also uses the past tense in the next verse, which says, "Since indeed you have heard Him and been taught in Him as the truth is in Jesus." This matter of learning Christ as the truth is in Jesus is difficult to comprehend, and we need to consider it very carefully.
Christ is not only life to us, but also an example (John 13:15; 1 Pet. 2:21). We learn from Him (Matt. 11:29) according to His example, not by our natural life, but by Him as our life. According to the New Testament, the Lord Jesus did not come into us as life directly. Rather, after living on earth for thirty years, He ministered for another three and a half years. During the thirty-three and half years of His life on earth, He set up a pattern, a mold, a model. This is a matter of great significance. One reason the four Gospels were written was to show the pattern of the life that God desires, the mold of the life that can satisfy God and fulfill His purpose. For this reason, the New Testament gives us a unique biography, the biography of the Lord Jesus, written from four directions. After the Lord Jesus set up the pattern revealed in the Gospels, He was crucified on the cross and then He entered into resurrection. It is in resurrection that He comes into us to be our life.
According to the New Testament, to be saved is to be put by God into Christ. First Corinthians 1:30 says, "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus." When God put us into Christ, He put us into the mold. Just as a sister shapes dough into the form of a mold, so God intends to form us into the mold of Christ. Hence, Romans 8:29 indicates that we are to be  conformed to the image of Christ, the Firstborn among many brothers. To be conformed is to be molded. The Firstborn is the pattern, and the many brothers of the Firstborn are those who are to be conformed to this pattern. To learn Christ is simply to be molded into the pattern of Christ, that is, to be conformed to the image of Christ.
By means of baptism God has put us into Christ, who is the pattern. To be baptized is to be placed into Christ as the mold. Both Romans 6:3 and Galatians 3:27 speak of being baptized into Christ. To be baptized into Christ is to be buried into Him. The tomb of this baptism is the pattern, the mold. In God's eyes, we were put into this mold when we were baptized. Through being placed into the mold we have put off the old man and have put on the new man. By being buried into Christ, we have been brought out of Adam and the old creation. By baptism we have been put into Christ, who is both our life and our pattern. This explains why Paul uses the past tense in speaking about learning Christ. We learned Christ when we were buried into Him in baptism. This means that to learn Christ is to be put into Christ as the mold. It is to be molded into the pattern set up by Him during His years on earth.
After Christ established the pattern, He was crucified and then He entered into resurrection, becoming in resurrection the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). It is as the Spirit that He comes into us to be our life. We have pointed out that at the time we believed in Christ and were baptized in Him, God put us into Him as the pattern, the mold. Therefore, Paul could tell the Ephesians that they "did...learn Christ." According to the light of the New Testament and according to our experience, to learn Christ is to be placed into Christ by God. On God's side, He has put us into Christ. On our side, we have learned Christ by being put into Him.
After a person is saved, deep within him he desires to live a life in the pattern established by the Lord Jesus. However, many either ignore this desire or cultivate it in a mistaken way, thinking that by self-effort they can succeed in imitating Him. It is a mistake to think that we can imitate Christ by the exercise of our natural life. The believers in Christ should imitate Him, but they should not do so according to their natural life.
The truth in Jesus is the real situation of the life of Jesus as recorded in the four Gospels. In the godless walk of the nations, the fallen people, there is vanity. But in the godly life of Jesus there is truth, reality. Jesus lived a life always doing things in God, with God, and for God. God was in His life, and He was one with God. This is the truth in Jesus. We, the believers, regenerated with Christ as our life and taught in Him, learn from Him as the truth is in Jesus.
We have pointed out that it is a mistake to endeavor to imitate Christ by the efforts of our natural life. We have also seen that when we believed in the Lord Jesus and were saved, God put us into Christ as the mold. This mold is the life of Jesus recorded in the four Gospels, a life absolutely according to truth. Truth is the shining of light, the expression of light. Since God is light (1 John 1:5), truth is the expression of God. Every aspect of the life of Jesus recorded in the Gospels is an expression of God. In everything He said and did, He expressed God. This expression of God is the shining of light; hence, it is the truth. This life of Jesus according to truth is the pattern in which God has placed us. In this pattern we have learned Christ as the truth is in Jesus. This means that we have learned Christ according to the truth shown in the Gospels, that is, according to the life of the Lord Jesus, which was wholly according to God's truth. This life is the shining of light. The shining of the light is truth, and truth is the expression of God. Therefore, in the life of Jesus there is truth. The essence of the pattern set up by the Lord Jesus is truth. This means that the essence of the life of Jesus is truth. We have learned Christ as the truth is in Jesus.
The truth, the reality, in Jesus in verse 21 is in contrast to the vanity of the mind in verse 17. The nations walk in the vanity of their mind, but we believers live a life as the truth is in Jesus. When the Lord Jesus was living on earth, He never walked in vanity. Rather, He always walked in truth, that is, in the shining of the divine light. This means that the Lord Jesus lived and walked in the expression of God. We have learned Christ according to this very truth that is in Jesus.
Life Study Message forty-eight
A LIVING OF LEARNING CHRIST
In verses 25 through 32 we have a description of the practical daily life in the learning of Christ. In covering the daily life of learning Christ, Paul goes into a lot of detail. He mentions things such as anger, stealing, bitterness, wrath, clamor, evil speaking, malice, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness. Although these details are easy to see, it is more difficult to discern two important matters that Paul's speaking is based upon. These matters are truth and grace. The apostle's exhortation in verses 17 through 32 takes truth and grace as its basic elements (vv. 21, 24, 25, and 29). He wants us to live as Jesus did, a life full of grace and truth (John 1:14, 17). Grace is God given to us for our enjoyment, and truth is God revealed to us as our reality. When we live and speak truth (Eph. 4:21, 24), we express God as our reality, and others receive God as grace for their enjoyment (v. 29).
In the New Testament grace and truth are a pair. John 1:14 says that the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, full of grace and truth, and verse 17 says that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
HAVING PUT OFF THE FALSEHOOD
Let us now consider the details of a living of learning Christ. In verse 25 Paul says, "Wherefore, having put off the falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." Falsehood here refers to anything that is false in nature. As we have put off the old man, we have also put off everything false. If we have the enjoyment of Christ, then in a practical way in our daily living we shall put off every false thing. The most honest and faithful people are those who have the full enjoyment of Christ. When we are filled to the brim with Christ, all falsehood will be put away from us.
SPEAKING TRUTH EACH ONE WITH HIS NEIGHBOR
Having put off the falsehood, we should speak truth each one with his neighbor. When we are filled with Christ, our speaking will be of things that are true. In our speaking there will be no lies and no vanity.
BEING ANGRY AND NOT SINNING
Verses 26 and 27 say, "Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your indignation, neither give place to the Devil." Anger itself is not sin, but it is dangerously close to sin. We should not continue in anger, but rather relinquish our anger before the sun sets.
According to the four Gospels, the Lord Jesus sometimes was angry. But His anger was always under control. Hence, He could be angry and not sin. It must be the same with us in our daily living. Our anger must be under control. Otherwise, serious damage will result. In order to control our anger, we need much grace. The more we enjoy Christ, the more our anger will be limited and controlled.
Not Letting the Sun Go Down on Our Indignation
In verse 26 Paul tells us not to let the sun go down on our indignation. We should be slow to become angry, but we should be quick to relinquish our anger. According to this verse, we should not keep it past the setting of the sun. We should not let our anger carry over into the next day. According to the Scriptures, we must relinquish our anger before the sun goes down. We all need to practice this. For such a practice, we need God in Christ as grace. If we have the supply of grace, we shall be slow to anger, and we shall not remain angry very long when we do become angry. If we have grace, our anger will not linger.
Neither Giving Place to the Devil
Verse 27 says, "Neither give place to the Devil." According to the context, to continue in anger is to give place to the Devil. In nothing should we give any place to him. If we hold on to our anger, we are actually welcoming the Devil. But if we relinquish our anger, we close the door to the Devil and give him no place.
LETTING HIM WHO STEALS STEAL NO MORE
Verse 28 continues, "Let him who steals steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his own hands that which is good, that he may have to share with him who has need." In a book of such high revelation, the apostle still touches things on a practical level, even such low things as anger and stealing. Stealing is due mainly to slothfulness and greed. Hence, the apostle charges him who steals to labor instead of being slothful and to share what he gains with others instead of being greedy.
LETTING NO CORRUPT WORD PROCEED OUT OF THE MOUTH
Verse 29 says, "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good for needful building up, that it may give grace to those who hear." The Greek word for corrupt signifies something that is noxious, offensive, or worthless. Our conversation should not corrupt others, but should build them up. The church and every member of the church need the proper building up. This building up is accomplished primarily by our speaking. What proceeds out of our mouth should be that which is good for the building up of the church and all the saints.
Furthermore, the word out of our mouth should give grace to those who hear. Grace is God embodied in Christ as our enjoyment and supply. Our word should convey this as grace to others. The word that builds up others always ministers grace to the hearers. Our word should communicate God in Christ as enjoyment, imparting Christ to others as their life supply.
NOT GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD
In verse 30 Paul says, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in Whom you were sealed unto the day of redemption." The word "and" at the beginning of this verse indicates that in addition to all the things mentioned in verses 25 through 29, one crucial thing is needed, that is, that we should not grieve the Holy Spirit. To grieve the Holy Spirit is to displease Him. The Holy Spirit abides in us forever (John 14:16-17); He never leaves us. Hence, He is grieved when we do not walk according to Him (Rom. 8:4). If we have a life according to the principle of truth with grace for the details of our daily walk, we shall not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. However, if we do not live this way, the Spirit within us will be grieved.
For the Holy Spirit to be grieved means that He is not happy with us. Often when we feel unhappy, that feeling of unhappiness is actually the feeling of the Holy Spirit. However, when He feels happy within us, we are happy also. A proper life according to truth and in grace will always make the Holy Spirit happy and give us the joy of the Spirit.
In the apostle's exhortation in verses 17 through 32, there are not only grace and truth as the basic elements, but there are also the life of God (v. 18) and the Spirit of God as the basic factors on the positive side and the Devil (v. 27) on the negative side. It is by the life of God in the Spirit of God, with no place given to the Devil, that we can live a life full of grace and truth as the Lord Jesus did.
LETTING VARIOUS EVILS BE REMOVED FROM US
In verse 31 Paul says, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be removed from you, with all malice." All the evil things mentioned in this verse can be removed from us if we enjoy God in Christ as our grace. For example, there will be no clamor in our daily living, and there will be no evil speaking. No one who lives by the principle of truth and in grace will speak evil of others.
BEING KIND ONE TO ANOTHER
Finally, verse 32 says, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as also God in Christ forgave you." Only the enjoyment of Christ as our life supply and as our joy can make our hearts tender. If we are tenderhearted, we shall forgive others. In our daily walk, we need both to forgive others and to ask others to forgive us. This is necessary because we are easily offended and we easily offend others. If we have offended someone, we need to ask for forgiveness. But if we have been offended, we need to extend forgiveness to others, even as God in Christ has forgiven us.
In his exhortation in this section, the apostle presents God as the pattern of our daily life. By the life of God, in His Spirit, we can forgive as God forgives. If this is our daily living, we shall not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. To have such a living, we need to live according to truth and by God in Christ as our grace.
Ephesians Chapter 5
Notes and Cross-references
Eph 5:11a imitators  -   Matt. 5:48
What a glorious fact that since we are God’s beloved children, we can be imitators of God! As the children of God, we have His life and nature. We imitate Him not by our natural life but by His divine life. It is by our Father’s divine life that we, His children, can be perfect, as He is (Matt. 5:48).
Eph 5:21b love  -   Eph. 1:4
As grace and reality (truth) are the basic elements in 4:17-32, so love and light (vv. 8-9, 13) are the basic elements in the apostle’s exhortation in 5:1-33. Grace is the expression of love, and love is the source of grace. Truth is the revelation of light, and light is the origin of truth. God is love and God is light (1 John 4:8; 1:5). When God is expressed and revealed in the Lord Jesus, His love becomes grace and His light becomes truth. After we have, in the Lord, received God as grace and realized Him as truth, we come to Him and enjoy His love and light. Love and light are deeper than grace and truth. Hence, the apostle first took grace and truth as the basic elements for his exhortation, and then love and light. This implies that he wanted our daily walk to grow deeper, to progress from the outward elements to the inward.
Love is the inner substance of God, whereas light is the expressed element of God. The inward love of God is sensible, and the outward light of God is visible. Our walk in love should be constituted of both the loving substance and the shining element of God. These should be the inner source of our walk. They are deeper than grace and truth.
Eph 5:22 Christ
In 4:32 the apostle presented God as the pattern of our daily walk. Here he set forth Christ as the example of our living. In 4:32 God in Christ is our pattern, since in that section God’s grace and reality (truth) expressed in the life of Jesus are taken as the basic elements. But here Christ Himself is our example, since in this section love expressed by Christ to us (vv. 2, 25) and light shined by Christ upon us (v. 14) are taken as the basic elements.
Eph 5:91 goodness
Goodness is the nature of the fruit of the light; righteousness is the way or the procedure by which the fruit of the light is produced; and truth is the reality, the real expression (God Himself), of the fruit of the light. The fruit of the light must be good in nature, righteous in procedure, and real in expression, that God may be expressed as the reality of our daily walk.
The fruit of the light in goodness, righteousness, and truth is related to the Triune God. Goodness denotes God the Father, for the only one who is good is God (Matt. 19:17). Righteousness denotes God the Son, for Christ came to accomplish God’s purpose according to God’s righteous procedure (Rom. 5:17-18, 21). Truth denotes God the Spirit, for He is the Spirit of reality (John 14:17). Truth also denotes the expression of the fruit in the light.
Eph 5:151 Look
To live by being filled in spirit (vv. 15-21) is the fifth aspect of a walk that is worthy of God’s calling. The first four aspects of such a worthy walk are keeping the oneness, growing up into the Head, learning Christ, and living in love and light. The issue of having these four aspects of a worthy walk is that we are spontaneously filled in our spirit. Out of this inward filling will come submission, love, obedience, care, and all the other virtues of a proper Christian life, church life, family life, and community life. What a life we have when we demonstrate the five aspects of a walk that is worthy of God’s calling!
Eph 5:161a Redeeming  -   Col. 4:5
I.e., seizing every favorable opportunity. This is to be wise in our walk (v. 15).
Eph 5:162b days  -   Eph. 6:13
In this evil age (Gal. 1:4) every day is an evil day full of pernicious things that cause our time to be used ineffectively, to be reduced, and to be taken away. Therefore, we must walk wisely that we may redeem the time, seizing every available opportunity.