Their Hardness of Heart

Ephesians 4:17-19 ESV

“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.”

The term Gentile can be used to speak of anyone who is not Jewish by natural birth, or it can be used as a term to describe the ungodly of this world who are not of genuine and God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ. And this can include many people who profess faith in Christ, too. For it is not what our lips profess which makes us who we are in truth and in character, but it is how we live which defines who we are. For what we truly believe in our hearts will be acted out in how we live. 

Now when we are born into this world physically as babies, we come into this world with sin natures, in the image of Adam, who was the first man God created and the first man to sin against God. Ever since Eve and Adam sinned against the Lord, all of humanity has been born with sin natures in the image of Adam, even though we were created in the wombs of our mothers in the likeness of God. So we come into this world with an inbred propensity to sin against God.

But when God the Father draws us to Christ, and he gifts us with the faith to believe in Jesus, and he persuades us as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to be delivered from our slavery to sin, so that we can live holy lives pleasing to God, we are then crucified with Christ in death to sin. And we are reborn of the Spirit of God to now walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus, no longer living as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness (Romans 6:1-23). 

Thus, if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine faith, of the Spirit of God, and not of the flesh of man, our lives should change, and our attitudes and actions should change, and we should no longer live like we did when we were among the ungodly of this world. We should no longer be hardened in heart and mind against the will of God for our lives, and we should not be giving ourselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. And this is good how this is worded, and here is why.

I will begin with the example that Jesus gave:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

Now, this is not to be applied strictly to men, for women can be guilty of this, too, but typically men are more drawn to this than women. So, it isn’t adultery only when there are physical sexual relations between two people not married to each other. And looking at another to lust after that person is not the only expression of what can be called “adultery” or sexual sin, either. For this word “sensuality” means, “outrageous conduct, conduct shocking to public decency, a wanton violence, wantonness, lewdness, lawlessness.”

And “every kind of impurity” covers a whole list of possibilities, such as homosexuality, the sexually immoral, adulterers, orgies, idolatry, obscene talk, and the control of one’s own body in passion of lust. And that can include masturbation (self-gratification), lewdness, voyeurism, exhibitionism, sex texting, viewing of sexually explicit material, rape and child molestation, etc. And all this is considered to be what is dishonorable, improper, immoral, and a departure from basic moral standards of what is right and wrong.

[Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:5-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8]

Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV

“But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Now, if you were taught the truth that is in Christ Jesus, you should have learned that coming to Jesus Christ means self-denial, dying daily to sin and to self, and walking in obedience to our Lord in walks of holiness and righteousness (Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23). And you would have learned that if you profess to be in fellowship with God, but you are still walking in sin, that you are a liar. And if you profess to know God, but you do not obey him and his word, you are a liar (see 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6).

And you would have learned that if you walk in these sins listed above, and many more, that you will not inherit eternal life with God, you don’t know God, you are not born of God, but you are of the devil. For it is those who practice righteousness who are righteous in the eyes of the Lord, and those who make a practice of sin are not of God (Galatians 5:16-21; 1 John 3:4-10). So, we can’t just make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now all our sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed us when we die. Not true!

For we must walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and we must walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands and not in sin. For if sin is what we practice, it will end in death, not life eternal. But if righteousness is what we practice, and obedience to our Lord is what we practice, it will end in eternal life with God. For not everyone who says to Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven (see Matthew 7:21-23).

So, the truth that is in Christ Jesus which we should have been taught is that we must put off our old self, which belongs to our former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires. And we must be renewed in the spirit of our minds away from living to the flesh to now living to God and to his righteousness. And then, by the Spirit of God, we are to put on the new self which is created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. And we are to no longer walk in sin, but in obedience to our Lord.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Seek the Lord  

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you, 

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296