Ephesians 4:17-32Holman
Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)Living
the New Life17 Therefore,
I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles
walk, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are
darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the
ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They
became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of
every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.[a]20 But that
is not how you learned about the Messiah, 21 assuming
you heard about Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus. 22 You took
off[b] your former way of
life, the old self[c]that is corrupted by
deceitful desires; 23 you are being renewed[d] in the spirit of
your minds; 24 you put on[e] the new self, the one
created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of
the truth.25 Since you
put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor,[f] because we are
members of one another. 26 Be angry
and do not sin.[g] Don’t let the sun go
down on your anger, 27 and don’t
give the Devil an opportunity. 28 The thief
must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so
that he has something to share with anyone in need. 29 No foul
language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up
someone in need,[h] so that it gives
grace to those who hear. 30 And don’t
grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him[i] for the day of
redemption. 31 All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and
slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be
kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another,
just as God also forgave you[j] in Christ.
Questions:
1.
Why are Gentiles separated from a life of God?
A. They are
ignorant, excluded from God, gave themselves to promiscuity, and want more and
more. This is everyone with our old
self. Anyone can accept Christ’s love
and put on the new self.
2.
What was our former life like?
How are we different now?
A. We were separated
from God’s love. We can still go back to
our old ways, but we need repent and ask God for forgiveness.
3.
What does it mean to take off your old self and put on your new
self?
A. Get rid
of your bad habits and repent and start to do as Jesus did. When you believe in Jesus you put on your new
self without any help. He does it for
us.
4.
What does it mean to not let the sun go down on your anger?
A. Do not go
to sleep upset at a loved one. Talk it
out, resolve your problems5.
How easy is it to not be bitter, anger, shouting, slander, and
malice?
A. ???? Talk
6.
What causes us to be sealed in Him?
A. The Holy
Spirit, we repent and ask Him to stay in our hearts.
