Whether you are using the KJV, NKJV, ESV, or NRSV, the line is virtually the same: “But you didn’t learn Christ that way" (Eph 4:20). It doesn’t say “you didn’t learn about Christ,” as if he is the subject and we gain information about him.

No, just as the thirsty hiker learns the refreshing nature of a drink of water, just as the Olympian learns victory the moment she crosses the finish line and looks up at her score, you, believers, learn Christ: a new way of seeing the world, a gush of refreshment and a new lifestyle of habits that re-orient your life.

If you have an NIV, the verse is actually translated that way: instead of “you didn’t learn Christ that way,” it translates “but that is not the way of life you learned.” 

When you learn Christ, says Paul, nothing about that old way of life fits within the vision you now see before you, so it all has to go. Just as you are a new creation, behold everything becomes new, as God moves inside, reworking the gears, rewiring the senses, replenishing your soul, and renewing your mind, and your life becomes radically different as God, through His spirit, “reproduces his own character in you" (MSG). 

The sermon today is titled "Learning Christ." The Scripture reading is from Ephesians 4:20-21. Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on July 17, 2022.

These lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is in the series "Learning Christ," and is filed under Discover: A New Reality.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide and even kids notes on the sermon notes page.
• Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter/tiktok)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

---

In partnership with:

• West Side Church of Christ
• Life on the West Side: Nathan's Weekly Substack