Put off the old self; live as children of light

4:17 So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. 4:19 Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 4:20 But you did not learn about Christ like this, 4:21 if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in Jesus. 4:22 You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, 4:23 to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 4:24 and to put on the new man who has been created in God's image - in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth. 4:25 Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 4:26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger. 4:27 Do not give the devil an opportunity. 4:28 The one who steals must steal no longer; rather he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need. 4:29 You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear. 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 4:31 You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk. 4:32 Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. 5:1 Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children 5:2 and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. 5:3 But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. 5:4 Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting - all of which are out of character - but rather thanksgiving. 5:5 For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 5:6 Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God's wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. 5:7 Therefore do not be partakers with them, 5:8 for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light - 5:9 for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth - 5:10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 5:11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 5:12 For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. 5:13 But all things being exposed by the light are made evident. 5:14 For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says: "Awake, O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!" 5:15 Therefore be very careful how you live - not as unwise but as wise, 5:16 taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 5:17 For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord's will is. 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, 5:19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, 5:20 always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5:21 and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Believers have learned Christ, been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and become light in the Lord. Therefore they must leave behind their former sinful way of life and live in a manner that fits the new humanity God has created in Christ. Paul applies this to everyday matters such as speech, anger, work, purity, worship, thanksgiving, and relationships, while also giving serious warnings about continuing in immoral patterns.

Paul begins with a solemn charge, not a casual suggestion. In the Lord, he insists that believers must no longer live like the surrounding pagan world. That former way of life is not merely socially different; it is spiritually ruined from the inside out. Paul traces its downward course: empty thinking, darkened understanding, separation from the life of God, ignorance rooted in hardness of heart, loss of moral sensitivity, and then open surrender to impurity and greed. The problem, then, is not simply a lack of information. It is moral and spiritual resistance to God, and that resistance shows itself in corrupt living. That is not what these believers were taught when they came to know Christ. Paul’s wording is striking. They did not merely learn ideas about Christ; they learned Christ Himself, because the truth is in Jesus. What they were taught involved a decisive break with their former way of life. They were to put off the old man—that is, the old self or old way of life—bound up with deceitful desires and ongoing corruption. They were to be renewed in the spirit of their minds and to put on the new man, the new self or new humanity created according to God in righteousness and holiness that come from the truth. This is not bare self-improvement. It is moral transformation rooted in the new identity God has given, and it is expressed in the shared life of His people. Paul then shows what this looks like in the life of the church. Falsehood must give way to truth, because believers are members of one another. Anger is not automatically sinful, but it must not be allowed to become sin. It must be dealt with quickly, because lingering anger gives the devil an opening. The thief must not only stop stealing, but begin honest labor, doing good work with his own hands so that he can share with those in need. Speech must not be rotten, harmful, or corrupting. Instead, it should fit the need of the moment and build others up, so that it gives grace to those who hear. In this same context Paul warns, do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit is not an impersonal force. He is the personal divine presence who has sealed believers for the day of redemption. For that reason, sins such as destructive speech, bitterness, rage, slander, and malice are not merely social failures. They are offenses against the Holy Spirit, who marks God’s people as His own. In contrast, believers are to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving toward one another, because God in Christ forgave them. This leads naturally into the next section. Believers are to imitate God as dearly loved children. Yet that imitation is not vague or abstract. It is defined by Christ’s love: He loved us and gave Himself up for us as a sacrifice, a fragrant offering to God. So walking in love means costly, self-giving love shaped by Christ’s cross, not sentimental language or mere kindness detached from holiness. Because of that, certain sins must not characterize the church at all. Sexual immorality, every kind of impurity, and greed are unfitting for saints. Vulgar speech, foolish talk, and coarse joking are also out of place. Thanksgiving is to take their place. Paul then gives a very serious warning: the immoral, impure, and greedy person has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Greed is not treated as a minor flaw; it is idolatry, a rival devotion that competes with God. Paul does not soften this warning. He says believers must not be deceived by empty words, because God’s wrath comes because of these things upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore they must not join such people in these practices. Paul next explains this in terms of identity. They once were darkness, but now they are light in the Lord. He does not merely say they were in darkness; he says they were darkness, and now they are light. The contrast is deep and decisive. Therefore they must walk as children of light. The fruit of the light consists in goodness, righteousness, and truth, and believers are to keep learning what pleases the Lord. They must not share in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. In context, this exposure is not a call to graphic discussion or unhealthy fascination with evil. Paul immediately says the secret things done in darkness are shameful even to mention. The point is that light makes evil visible. Believers expose darkness by living openly in holiness and by truthful reproof where needed. The call in 5:14—“Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you”—serves as an urgent summons to leave spiritual stupor and come into Christ’s light. The exact source of the wording is uncertain, but its purpose in the passage is clear. Because the days are evil, believers must walk carefully, not foolishly but wisely. They are to make the most of their opportunities and understand the Lord’s will. Paul then contrasts two controlling influences: do not get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit. In this passage, being filled by the Spirit is not presented as a private mystical experience or as something reserved for a few. It is seen in the shared life of believers: speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in the heart to the Lord; giving thanks always to God the Father for all things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ; and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. These are visible expressions of Spirit-filled life in the church. Taken together, this passage calls the church to live in a way that fits the new humanity God has created in Christ. Paul grounds every command in the truth of who believers now are, whom they belong to, what Christ has done, and the coming day of redemption. He also makes clear that ongoing patterns of impurity, greed, corrupt speech, and participation in darkness are not small matters. They contradict life in Christ and stand under the warning of God’s wrath.

• Believers must no longer live according to their former pagan way of life. - Sinful conduct grows out of futile thinking, hardness of heart, and deceitful desires. - To learn Christ means a real break with the old life and the putting on of the new. - Christian ethics are grounded in new identity, not mere rule-keeping. - Truthful speech, quick reconciliation, honest work, edifying words, and forgiveness are essential to church life. - The Holy Spirit can be grieved by sinful speech and broken relationships among believers. - Christ’s self-giving sacrifice is the model for walking in love. - Sexual immorality, impurity, and greed are incompatible with the holiness of God’s people. - Greed is idolatry and must be treated with full moral seriousness. - The warning about inheritance and wrath in 5:5–7 is real and must not be softened. - Believers are now light in the Lord and must expose darkness by holy living and truthful reproof. - Spirit-filled living is expressed in worship, thanksgiving, and mutual submission in the church.

• Do not treat Paul’s contrast with the Gentiles as ethnic prejudice
• it refers to the alienated pagan way of life. - Do not reduce the old man/new man language to a merely private inner feeling
• Paul applies it in the shared life of the church. - Do not weaken the warning of 5:5-7 into a minor loss of rewards
• Paul speaks in terms of inheritance, idolatry, and wrath. - Do not turn exposing darkness into graphic speech about evil
• Paul says such deeds are shameful even to mention. - Do not isolate mutual submission in 5:21 from Spirit-filling in 5:18
• it is one expression of Spirit-shaped life.

The passage works with corporate and covenantal identity more than with modern therapeutic self-improvement. 'Old man/new man,' 'members of one another,' 'light/darkness,' inheritance, and grieving the Spirit all concern belonging, allegiance, and the holiness of a people. Several lines carry more weight than modern readers often grant them: greed is named as idolatry, Christ's love is described in sacrificial language, and exposing darkness is paired with the refusal to dwell on shameful deeds. The result is a moral vision in which persistent impurity, acquisitiveness, corrupt speech, and unreconciled anger are treated not as minor lapses but as contradictions of the new humanity.

- Examine sinful behavior at the level of thought, desire, and heart-hardness, not only at the level of outward acts. - Speak truthfully because fellow believers are members of one another in Christ. - Settle anger quickly so that resentment does not become sin or give the devil room to work. - View work not only as a way to provide for yourself but also as a means to share with those in need. - Use words that fit the moment, build others up, and give grace to those who hear. - Take bitterness, slander, and relational malice seriously, because such sins grieve the Holy Spirit. - Do not normalize sexual sin, greed, or filthy talk as ordinary cultural habits. - Practice thanksgiving, shared worship, and mutual submission as real marks of Spirit-filled church life.

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