Ephesians 4:20-22

4:20

You, however – Major contrast between those still trapped in the rat race of sensuality versus “You”: i.e., followers of Christ, whether of Jewish or of Gentile bloodline; no longer part of the Gentile scene, no longer part of that crowd.

did not come to know Christ that way – From your introduction to Christ, you were taught to live a different lifestyle. The Christ you know satisfies, pleases at a different level than physical sensation. The Christ I know has not come with the goal of giving me physical pleasure or sensory stimulation. The Christ I know came to give me/us life—full, abundant life—full of purpose, meaning and significance. He has plugged me into a centuries-long campaign to complete the overthrow of the evil dictator of this world. He gives me various assignments, assisting frontline soldiers in our fight against the opponent(s) of Christ. That means He has given me a life full of significance. And that is how I have come to know Christ.

4:21

Surely – All of the churches were taught similarly. Paul is confident that the Ephesians received the same instruction.

you heard of him – informal discussions, conversations about Christ and what it means to follow Christ

and were taught in him – formal instruction, mentoring, catechism

in accordance with – consistent with, orthodoxy

the truth – established fact, verifiable way

that is in Jesus – He is the Truth and truth is in Him. He writes His law on my heart and tells me, “This is the way to live; walk in it.”

4:22

You were taught – past tense, formal system of instruction in the church. One of the major flaws of the modern evangelical movement is the lack of clear, systematic instruction of new believers. This results in myriads of opinions about what it means to follow Christ. And those varied views vie for verification until most people feel very uncertain about how to live the Christ-life. On the one hand, God’s Holy Spirit imprints on each heart the way for that individual. On the other hand, there remain some basic principles that can give structure to those individual applications. Paul proceeds to present these principles.

with regard – as concerns

to your former – what was in the past; clean break with the old

way of life – lifestyle, habits, addictions, obsessions, companions, style of dress, physical appearance

to put off – discard, throw away, have nothing to do with, make a complete break with...

your – belonging to me; take ownership, responsibility for my former life, can’t blame anyone else

old self – personification of former lifestyle, that was a different person from who I am now

which is being – present progressive. At first, this is a little bit surprising. If I have put off the old self, if I have become a new creature in Christ, then how is it that the former self is still being anything? However, NLT says, “which is corrupted.” This construction describes a current condition, but not necessarily one that is still in process. In either case, as long as I cling to the old self, the former life, I am holding onto something that is …

corrupted – rotten, decomposition or decay of death; another angle on this word: bribery, dishonest officials

by – the means by which corruption occurs …

its – belonging to the old self

deceitful – dishonest

desires – wants, longings, urges, lusts. As the old self incessantly caters to the urges that belong to it, the deceptive, false, misleading urges lead to decay instead of satisfaction. This decomposition is an ongoing process within and upon the old self, which these converts had been taught to throw away. Similarly, the call is for me to throw away the corrupted ways of the old self.

Verse 22 introduces a 3-part series tied to the phrase “You were taught.” NIV gives these three as, “to put off,” “to be made new,” and “to put on.”