“This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. 19. Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20. But you have not so learned Christ.”
Being alienated from the “life of God” is a sad thing. The opposite of life is death, and when a person is alienated from God, he. or she. is spiritually dead. That is a sad condition. It is described in verse 17 as “walking in the vanity of their mind.” This is also translated, “in the futility of their thinking.” Their thinking is futile because it is based solely on the wisdom and way of the world and not on the wisdom and way of God. This doesn’t mean that all of the wisdom of the world is bad, but it does mean that if that is the only wisdom that one has it is insufficient. Being “alienated from the life of God” also means to have one’s “understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God.” The righteous way is described as light, while the unrighteous way is described as darkness. This describes a life that is alienated from the life of God. John wrote about this in 1 John 1:5-6: “This is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. 6. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” The reason so many walk in darkness is that they prefer darkness to light. They do not see it as darkness, but in the eyes of God it is living in darkness, and He is the one who really counts in this matter. Being “alienated from the life of God” also means to live in ignorance of the things of God, and the way of God, “because of the blindness of their heart.” This is a matter of the heart. Many people have given their hearts to Satan and to the world. They do not see it this way, because their hearts are blind to the truth. People who live away from God, and ignore the sacrifice of Jesus, accuse us of self-righteousness and bigotry when we say that their hearts are blind. People who live alienated from the life of God are not considered our enemies, nor do we hate them. We don’t have some “phobia” that the world’s people accuse us of if we walk in the light. We are not as “phobic” about their lifestyle and they are about our lifestyle. I call this “Christophobia.” Being “alienated from the life of God” means to be “past feeling” and “giving themselves over to lasciviousness, uncleanness and greediness.” Wow! That covers a lot of territory. This does not just describe sexual sins, but it describes all kinds of sins that we will commit if we are “past feeling.” Not loving people and having their best interests at heart is an example of this unfeeling way of living. Paul reminded the Ephesians, and us, that we are not to live in darkness, spiritual ignorance and blindness of our hearts, because “we have not so learned Christ.” It is Christ who directs us into the light because He is the “light of the world.” (John 8:12) Do not live “alienated from the life of God.” It doesn’t lead to anything good. Bro. Joe
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