Ephesians 4:17 - 5:2

Just got through preparing for our Youth Bible Study tonight. Read through Ephesians 4:17 - 5:2 again. This stuff is great. The topic of this section of Paul's letter is our sanctification - big word, I know, but it just means "the process by which we are being made more like Christ." Basically, it's what our lives as Christians are supposed to look like. I noticed that Paul basically gives us a three step process to becoming more like Jesus: 1) Put off the "old self," 2) Get a new attitude, and 3) Put on the "new self."
The "old self" is simply who we are / were before becoming followers of Christ. The fact that Paul speaks about an "old self" implies that there's something about us before we begin to follow Jesus that needs to be done away with. In other words, we're not born Christians. We have to become Christians. And the first step is to rid ourselves of whatever it is that defines us before we become Christians. Question: If you claim to be a Christian, what were you before you started following Christ? At what point did you get rid of whatever it was that defined you, and when did you start to follow Jesus?
The second step in becoming more like Jesus is to get a new attitude. Paul says, "Be made new in the attitude of your minds." The language is passive. It's something that has to happen to us. We have to "be made new." It's not that we have to change our attitudes; we need to receive a new attitude. Paul wrote to the Philippians that our attitudes "should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" (Phil 2:5). But this is impossible for us to have in our own strength. To have this attitude, we must receive it from the Holy Spirit.
The third step in becoming more like Jesus is to put on the "new self." In the Greek, this phrase indicates a continual action. In other words, we're to be always putting on the new self. It's not a one time deal. Our sanctification is an ongoing process in which we have an ongoing responsibility to take part.
What does all this look like practically? Paul gives us a list of ways that this three step process is accomplished in 4:25 - 5:2. As those who are putting off the old self, receiving new attitudes, and putting on the new self, we are are to be putting off falsehood and speaking truth; not sinning in our anger, but dealing with our anger on a continual basis; not stealing, but working; not speaking unwholesome words, but saying things that build each other up; we're to be pleasing the Holy Spirit rather than grieving Him with our words and actions; and we're to be getting rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and malice; and we're to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving.
In short, we're to be "imitators of God" living a life of love with Christ Jesus as our ultimate example. Just as Christ sacrificed himself for us, we're to love one another by sacrificing ourselves for each other. Only the "new self" is able to live and love this way. And only by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit are we able to put on the "new self." The good news is that God enables us to live this life increasingly as we continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory. Amen.

Being Different

The other night, I had the privilege of chaperoning a group of our Sr. High youth and some of their friends to “Winter Jam 2008” - a Christian concert event held at the Colonial Center in Columbia. A recurring theme of the night seemed to be a call to be different than the world says we have to be. One band member even quoted 1 Peter 2:9 (in the New King James presumably) encouraging the audience to be the “chosen generation” that would “proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Putting aside context and hermeneutical issues for just a moment, that statement seems like a wonderful goal for all who call themselves Christian. But it made me think, “How are we really being different than the world around us?” I wondered, “How is the way this band dresses different than the way the world says they should dress in order to reach their intended audience?” How is their music any different than the way the world says it has to be in order to capture the attention of the youth of this generation? Surely being different than the world around us involves more than simply adding the word “Christian” to the most popular styles and the latest fads. If I had walked into that concert for only a song or two during some of the performances, I’m not sure I could have pointed out the difference between what I was hearing and watching on the stage and any given video I might see from the 1980s on VH1 Classic . The music sounded the same. The clothes looked very similar (one musician actually reminded me of a member of Boy George’s band - not that I was a big Boy George fan in middle school, it’s just an observation). The way the musicians stood on the speakers or ran across the stage or even leaned back to back as they bent their knees in conjunction with the guitar solos, all seemed eerily familiar to this child of the “big hair band” era. Part of me appreciates that these musicians are trying to reach this generation for Christ. But doing so in a way that looks so much like the culture around us while speaking about changing that same culture smacks to some degree of insincerity. And so, as I drove home that night in my SUV, dressed in my Carhartt jeans and my Land’s End shirt, I thought about these things. I wondered, “What makes me different than the world says I need to be so that I can proclaim the praises of Him who called me out of darkness into His marvelous light?” What really makes any of us different?