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Ephesians 4:17-19
Ephesians 4:17-19
Emptiness, darkness, blindness and greediness. Not a very pretty picture is it? But it’s the picture that Paul paints of the unsaved person’s life. In Ephesians 4:17-19, “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk [that means unbelievers], in the vanity of their mind.” The word “vanity” means emptiness, empty minded. It doesn’t mean they don’t have intelligence. Perhaps they can fix automobiles or run computers or invent amazing things. It means that their minds are empty as far as spiritual truth is concerned. Not only emptiness, but darkness. “Having the understanding darkened,” he says in verse 18. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not.”
Satan doesn’t want people to see the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Well, when you have emptiness and darkness, add to that blindness, “being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart.” The word can also mean hardness. The hardness of their heart. Hardening their heart against the things of God. Emptiness, darkness, blindness. My, how can they walk through this world? Well, they’re walking without the Lord Jesus Christ. “Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness.” My, what a picture! Emptiness, darkness, blindness, greediness, lasciviousness, uncleanness. Greediness in sin. They just have to have more and more sin and the reason? They’re dead.
And because they’re dead they’re decaying. What they need is faith in Jesus Christ. They are alienated from the life of God. The Lord Jesus comes and the light shines into your mind and heart. You see the truth. You believe on the Lord Jesus. You surrender yourself to Him, and then all of this changes. Emptiness becomes fullness and darkness becomes light and blindness becomes sight and greediness becomes a great desire to live for the Lord Jesus and to serve Him completely.
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By Back to the BibleEphesians 4:17-19
Emptiness, darkness, blindness and greediness. Not a very pretty picture is it? But it’s the picture that Paul paints of the unsaved person’s life. In Ephesians 4:17-19, “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk [that means unbelievers], in the vanity of their mind.” The word “vanity” means emptiness, empty minded. It doesn’t mean they don’t have intelligence. Perhaps they can fix automobiles or run computers or invent amazing things. It means that their minds are empty as far as spiritual truth is concerned. Not only emptiness, but darkness. “Having the understanding darkened,” he says in verse 18. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not.”
Satan doesn’t want people to see the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Well, when you have emptiness and darkness, add to that blindness, “being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart.” The word can also mean hardness. The hardness of their heart. Hardening their heart against the things of God. Emptiness, darkness, blindness. My, how can they walk through this world? Well, they’re walking without the Lord Jesus Christ. “Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness.” My, what a picture! Emptiness, darkness, blindness, greediness, lasciviousness, uncleanness. Greediness in sin. They just have to have more and more sin and the reason? They’re dead.
And because they’re dead they’re decaying. What they need is faith in Jesus Christ. They are alienated from the life of God. The Lord Jesus comes and the light shines into your mind and heart. You see the truth. You believe on the Lord Jesus. You surrender yourself to Him, and then all of this changes. Emptiness becomes fullness and darkness becomes light and blindness becomes sight and greediness becomes a great desire to live for the Lord Jesus and to serve Him completely.