Bible Mastery - Ephesians 4:24-25

Thanks for listening to the Bible Mastery Podcast, brought to you by Teleios. In this episode, William and Jeanette Stewart will cover Ephesians 4:24-25.

The Bible Mastery Podcast brings you verse-by-verse teaching that’s clear, grounded, and life-changing. We take the Bible at its word—interpreting it in a normal, literal way—so you can uncover its deep truths about salvation, spiritual well-being, and daily living. Our goal is simple: to help you understand Scripture and equip you with the tools to interpret it confidently, without getting lost in noise or speculation.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello and welcome to the Bible Mastery Podcast, sponsored by Teleos and hosted by co-founders Bill and Jeanette Stewart. Here, we give you verse-by-verse teaching from the truth of Scripture that's clear, grounded, and life-changing. Our goal is to help you understand the Bible and equip you with tools to interpret it yourself confidently and correctly. Thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_03 0:34

Hello, I'm William Stewart. I'm here with my wife, Jeanette, and greetings to you.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Hello, everybody. So happy to have you with us today.

SPEAKER_03 0:44

Yes, thank you for joining us. We are going verse by verse through Ephesians, and this is a great book full of so much efficiently given information by our beloved Apostle Paul about Christ, his work, about the Christian walk. We are in chapter four talking about the Christian walk. This chapter introduces the Christian walk. Complicated, it starts with the basis of our Christian walk, our salvation and unity through the first 16 verses, and then tells us we don't act like non-Christians. And we're just coming to a section to say why we don't act like non-Christians. And then we're going to come to a group of positive commands. Now, Jeanette, I realize I've been perhaps confusing here that what I stated before, not acting like a non-Christian is negative. And we're coming to positive commands. But there's some don'ts in there too. So what I meant by negative commands was don't act like a non-Christian and consistently in your life versus the do's and don'ts, positive things that we do, whether we don't do them or we do do them. Is that clear? Am I as clear as in my marriage communication? Is that good?

SPEAKER_02 2:09

Don't do do do negative, positive. Yeah. So I think when we say negative commands, we don't mean that the command in and of itself is bad or negative, um, but it's telling us what not to do. And we always see in scripture.

SPEAKER_03 2:26

Yes, thank you for bailing me out there.

SPEAKER_02 2:29

When we're told to not do something, there's always a replacement behavior that's provided because we don't live in a vacuum. So as we're going to see the things that should not characterize a believer, those behaviors will be uh replaced with positive commands. In other words, the things that should replace.

SPEAKER_03 2:50

Wonderful. Having said all that, please check out our website of disclaimer. We're on YouTube as well, these episodes. If you want to see us in person, and uh as beautiful as we are, right? And we have please leave us a comment, a positive comment if you can, uh, which would of course be wonderful and helpful. And any questions that you have, please leave them through the website. Okay. Having said that, Jeanette, let's lead off. You're you're up, batter up.

SPEAKER_02 3:22

So, yes, we're picking up with verse 24 today, which comes on the heels of last time, which basically reiterates that we are regenerated people, we're new people when we believe we're transformed in the old uh person um has gone away. Um, and therefore, uh what how he basically Paul's saying, don't live like an unbeliever, the old person doesn't make sense. You're a new person, your minds have been transformed, you're recreated in Christ who's given you the truth. So then he says in verse 24, and that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. So here's the crux of the matter: you are a new person, you have been recreated as a new man. So that's how you should be living. Your characteristics, your behavior should link up with what that new person is.

SPEAKER_03 4:32

Now I'll just stop there for a second. Sorry to interrupt. First off, in terms, you know, we asked, I said my introduction, as confusing as it may have been, that we don't live like the old man. And then we just began learning why we don't have to live like the old man. So, how's this first explain my introduction? So I don't leave people hanging.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

I'm not sure I can ever explain your introduction. But but I think your point is that as a new person recreated in Christ, regenerated, we are our our behaviors must um, now I'm digging a hole for myself. Our behavior should I already have for myself.

SPEAKER_03 5:27

So please stay join me down here.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

Our behavior should reflect the new person that we are. And and so the difference is, and and we'll get to this actually more when we come to chapter six, that when we are regenerated, it's by the power of the Holy Spirit. And that Holy Spirit, He has sealed us, He indwells us, and by His power, we are able to produce the new behaviors. So it's not that we're in this um, you know, little battle with ourselves about who we're going to be, and it creates this big, terrible um, you know, struggle within uh that we can't overcome. We can because as new people, we belong to God, we have the power of the Spirit.

SPEAKER_03 6:15

Well, let's just take a minute and expand this because I so many Christians don't realize this, and it's not often taught this topic, and it's just key to the Christian life that a non-Christian can't behave like a Christian, they are enslaved. We learned from Ephesians 2, you remember the first chapter, by Satan, the world, and their own desires. It is impossible to please God. They can't, they will sin. When somebody believes, as you nicely say, they become regenerated, a new person. It's a spiritual baptism. Romans 6 is the key chapter here, the whole chapter. This new person identified with Christ's death, his resurrection. We also saw this in Ephesians 2. We thus have the power to serve God because we're a new person. And as you say, we have the spirit. So as Romans 6, 16 says, you're either serving yourself or Satan or God. There's no in-between, like you were saying, you don't go back and forth and here and there. It's one or the other, because when you're new, that new person, your desire will bring you back to serving God. And now you may sin, we all sin, but ultimately that new person wins in the spirit, and that Christian life continues. So just a it's it's a huge comfort to know that we aren't conquered by sin as true born-again believers who believe by faith alone in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_02 7:53

Yeah, thank you for expanding on that. And and Romans 6 uh is so important um to to build this uh theological point. So thank you.

SPEAKER_03 8:03

So can I make one other comment? Sorry, I think it's important to note that in 24 but on, it's still in the errors. This one time particular tense, it's not yet talking about how we live continuously in the Christian life, but I think it's still referring back to our salvation. So you've been regenerated, and thus the rest of the verse. I just wanted to clarify that.

SPEAKER_02 8:31

Yeah, just exactly what I was gonna say.

SPEAKER_03 8:33

Oh, sorry about that.

SPEAKER_02 8:34

That's fine. And this newly created person um is created in righteousness and true holiness. So uh remember, righteousness is the word diakasumic, it's a judicial legal term that you have been declared righteous before God, and then holiness, of course, is um being set apart, uh, where we get the word saint. Um, and and so he's basically saying, This is exciting stuff. You are a new person, you are uh legally uh declared righteous, you belong to God. Remember back in Ephesians 1, where he says we're adopted, we're regenerated, we're born, so we actually do belong to God. One other small point, just to mention that this term new man was not unfamiliar to Roman citizens, they had a similar uh term or uh in in um Latin, so uh novus homa, which would refer actually to people who became new citizens in Rome. Uh, but it really had a status there of meaning that they could acquire um legal rights and and maybe be in the Senate and things like that. So it they were familiar with the term, but Paul's applying it differently here. He's saying you're a new person. So it's not just a change in status, although in other places he does talk about citizenship. Um, so when these new people became citizens, they got this. But here he's talking about a complete new identity. So I think he's redefining the term for biblical purposes.

SPEAKER_03 10:21

I think more broadly your point indicates the uh importance and the benefit of knowing Roman Greek Hebrew culture and the history of the time of Christ to better understand scripture to understand the context in which it was written. So question to you. Oh, sorry. Go ahead. No, go ahead, sorry. Question to you. Uh you said um declared Lycious Yakasuna, a great one. Practically, what's that mean to a believer? How should they regard this?

SPEAKER_02 10:56

Uh, this is an important concept judicially, and you know, we know the name of Satan is uh means that he is the accuser, and so you know, Satan constantly goes up and accuses us before God and goes, Oh, look at her, look at him. They did this, they did that, and yet legally we have been declared righteous. So the accusations no longer have an effect on our status. This word is used throughout the book of Romans. It's so important, it's translated variously in English, but if you always look at the Greek word, you'll see the significance judicially of the word.

SPEAKER_03 11:38

Yes, I well said. I I would also say declared innocent, as in a court of law, because we've sinned, we fall short of the glory of God, we owe God a punishment, but yet by his grace through our belief in Christ, we're innocent in that court of law. And then we are seen then, if you comment on this, as holy. So as non-believers, we're not holy before God. We can't stand before God because we're full of sin and our depravity in our bodies and our actions. Yet, through Christ, amazingly, God has forgiven us and he sees us as holy. And again, this uh being identified with the resurrection, he sees us through resurrected Christ.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

Yes, and to add on to that, you know, sin requires it must be punished to be, and so it's not that the punishment um wasn't required, the punishment was required and it was taken by Christ. So that's why we understand when he died, he died for our sins. He took that punishment that we deserved, and that's why we can be declared innocent.

SPEAKER_03 12:51

Yes, yeah, excellent.

SPEAKER_02 12:53

And for past and future sins, once all oh, and that's such an important point as well, right?

SPEAKER_03 13:02

Yeah, I mean, we just we don't keep asking for forgiveness as time goes on.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

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SPEAKER_03 13:34

Okay, so 25.

SPEAKER_02 13:38

Yeah, what's the implication of all this, Bill? You get the fun verse here today.

SPEAKER_03 13:43

Well, it's it's all fun. Thank you. So wherefore in verse 25 is deal. This is therefore, and it's really the strongest therefore, like therefore on steroids, therefore plus. Um, and um meaning, of course, that base tells us that what Paul's about to say is based on what came before. We then have C. So he goes, therefore, putting away lying. Um and this is in a um in the still in the eros tense. So it says that I think basically because we didn't say we have this new man, these things are done away with. Otherwise, in terms of you being this error's opium, completed tense, these things in your life should be done. Okay, because we're just changed, new, person, hard to grasp, I realize that these are important theological points, I think. So um then he says speak, and this is a present command form in the original Greek, and that's important because where the heiress is a one-time auxiliary Finnish tense, the present tense is continuous, this is how we live, and it's a command form. So he's he's saying do this continuously, speak to every man true with his neighbor. Okay, so that's what should characterize our life. That's a pass thing that's done. Not a lie.

SPEAKER_02 15:49

So, Bill, what were they putting away?

SPEAKER_03 15:53

Well, that uh oh well put they were putting away a lie.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

Lying, okay, yeah. So this this comes up then again with the idea of replacement, right?

SPEAKER_03 16:04

Yes. Yeah, I yeah, I just uh to expand on that a little bit, because I think it's an important point. Oftentimes as Christians, we think in terms of what we don't do. And that's true, but we should be thinking about what we do. So if you say I don't do this, you're gonna sit around and think, I don't do this, I don't do this, and so you go out and do it, right? So it's even better to think of the positive things we should be doing, so we're not doing the things we shouldn't be doing, which is a motto in our marriage, right? Do the things that you should be doing, you won't be doing the things you shouldn't be doing.

SPEAKER_02 16:48

So well said. So they're supposed to speak, and what else?

SPEAKER_03 16:54

So it's speaking to truth. Okay, so the the section that's coming a lot of it is about how we speak to one another. And that's really important because so often, even as Christians, speech can be a very self-focused and what you think, and on and on and on. Yet you know I'll say this specifically in mind when we open our mouth to speak, it should be in the other person. Okay, so we're speaking truth. Part of that truth is of scripture and what's right and what's good. We as Christians should be very careful how we speak to one another, and speak to what's true, and it's that's an encouragement, and it's life-giving to those who hear. Now sometimes we're in such a bad, bad way, we we need somebody else to help us with our burdens. Scripture recognizes that like Galatians 6 2. But in general, we're speaking truth to other people. Now it says here the neighborhoods, the neighbor. Well, usually in scripture, this is anybody that's next door or nearby, Christian, non-Christian. I think in context here it's speaking about our Christian brothers and sisters. This is a work of uh how we act within the body, because it says then we're members of one another. But what's that means? This is a concept also in Romans 12. Uh I think it's first Corinthians 12 also. We're members of one another, we're all in the same body, we each have a function, we're each there to become holy, and serve God, we're committed to one another, we are to love one another. So when one person suffers, the other person suffers, and we're there to help them, as it says in 1 Corinthians 12. So part of that is speaking truth. And you know, if we're if we're lying, we're going to tear down the bottom. Zet, you want to say something?

SPEAKER_02 19:11

You know, it's interesting. He says, uh, speaking truth. And in the previous verse, he said, You're you've been created in true holiness. You know, in one sense, he didn't have to say true holiness, holiness is holiness, right? You've been set apart. But I think there's emphasis in uh by repetition here. So I think he's still going back to that, you know, because it's true holiness, then you should be speaking truth, right? And you know, what uh what uh strikes me is for him to have to say this to them tells me that they weren't doing this. So what were they saying to each other? You know, maybe to your point, Bill, it just wasn't speech that benefited the hearer. Um, you know, maybe it was outright lying. Um, that's what it seems to say. But, you know, put away things that aren't correct and replace it with the things that are good. And it just seems like such a basic concept. I'm kind of like, why did he have to tell them that? Well, obviously there was a problem or he wouldn't have addressed it.

SPEAKER_03 20:18

Well, it's probably true, yes.

SPEAKER_02 20:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:21

Totally truth. Two other quick points about truth. One is we speak truth to one another, and yet this is a concept, it seems obvious, but really it started with God, right? Uh, it started with God, he gave that truth to Jesus Christ, he gave the earth, he gave it to the apostles who led the early church. The apostles gave it to the second generation Christians. We're really part of that second generation group many generations later. But we speak it to the next generation, to that next group of people. It's a cascade that started with God and we should be continuing.

SPEAKER_02 21:04

It's a really good point. And just remembering that Christ Himself said, I am the way, the truth. But he claimed to be the truth, which he was. So very good point, Bill.

SPEAKER_03 21:14

That brings me to the second point is that we have truth. And that seems obvious. I think if we asked any born-again believer, do you have the truth? Most of them would say, Yes, we do. But do we live it? You know, we face a society that hates us, they hate Jesus Christ, the things for which he stands, they mock us, make fun of us, be unscientific, we're judgmental, we're racist, on and on. And yet we have the truth, yet it's easy to cower under this onslaught of mockery and sometimes violence. And um yet like any time. We have a fact. We have the facts. God's truth is correct. Not the world. We should internalize it and really believe it in such a way that it affects our confidence in actions and speech. What do you think?

SPEAKER_02 22:22

Good point. You know, and then I think culturally, people uh who want to uh fight against God and and disclaim the truth, they'll go, Oh, there are no absolute values, everything's relative, you know, it's how you interpret it, it's different. Excuse me.

SPEAKER_03 22:38

Well, except their truth.

SPEAKER_02 22:39

Except their truth, yes, exactly. That's the point. So, you know, we do have absolute truth. Truth is in God, is in Christ, is in scripture, and we should not be ashamed of that. We should say, there are absolutes that are true. Uh, this is not relative, and and really uh stand up and speak back against that because that's where people become uh timid and and ashamed.

SPEAKER_03 23:04

Well, well said. Okay, any other comments on verse 25? I think we both thought we'd do three verses this time. We were both wrong. We I guess we talk a lot to that. Um thank you for joining us today. Did you have any final comments on your hand?

SPEAKER_02 23:25

No, you know, I I hope that this really is a gain to our listeners and viewers. It's so so important, you know. And this really is the joy of living out our faith. Um, we'll see this more as we move forward, but these verses are just power-packed. So much fun.

SPEAKER_03 23:42

Yes, thanks, being God, for such wise truths in scripture. We'll see you next time. Look forward to it. Bye.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Bible Mastery Podcast. Join us next week for another exciting episode.

SPEAKER_01 24:03

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