Dressed for Success (1): Don’t Go Back

(Ephesians 4:17-24)

Today, I just want to introduce the section in verses 17-32 of Ephesians 4.

A man and his wife went for their first visit to their son during his freshman
year at college. Like most parents in that boat they were shocked at the
mess his room was in – clothes, books and rubbish lay everywhere. Later,
over dinner, they tried to touch on the informal versus formal dress codes
that life after college might require. Their son, however, shared his own
firmly held dress-code guidelines:
1. Informal: socks not required
2. Semiformal: two socks required
3. Formal: both socks must match

I suspect that the boy had to adjust somewhat when he actually did get out
into the real world because there is always a dress code, spoken or not.
Things are less formal than they were even 20 years ago, but dress codes
still apply. Dress for success books always do well and I can tell you from
experience that employers caught on long ago that how one dresses says a
lot about a person. Patty told me this weekend, you can either wear a
cowboy hat and jeans, or you can wear shorts and no hat – but if you are
going with me, you can’t wear a hat and shorts! Women seem particularly
sensitive to this issue. This may explain why they dress their husbands.
One husband tried to protest what he considered an infringement of his
personal rights. His wife dismissed him with a simple comment:
“Dressing is a privilege. You abused it and now you’ve lost it.”

Setting Context -- Now, Paul’s point in verses 17-24 of Ephesians 4 – it is

possible for us to abuse our dress code as a Christian. One can never lose
his or her salvation if a real commitment to Christ has been made. But one
can look like it by stepping back into our old pre-conversion rags. This
passage is vividly descriptive. But before we get into this passage in detail,
let’s set the stage again. In the first three chapters of Ephesians Paul spelled
out in detail some of the wonderful privileges that Christians have in Christ.
We have been chosen, adopted into God’s family, redeemed from slavery to
sin, sealed for future privileges – we’ve moved from being absolutely dead
in trespasses to being the very habitation of God on earth. Our position in
Christ is privileged beyond expression.

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But, now in chapters 4-6 he is reminding us of the need to live in the good
of who we are. It’s one thing to have a standing with God; it’s entirely
another thing to live like it. Paul is saying in 4-6 you are princes and
princesses – live like it. Live like the royalty that you are as children of the
King. Wear rags and that’s who people will think you are.

It was the first day of school. As the principal made his rounds, he heard a
terrible commotion coming from one of the classrooms. He rushed in and
saw that the tallest boy also seemed to be making the most noise. He seized
the lad, dragged him to the hall, and told him to wait there until he was
excused. Returning to the classroom, the principal restored order and
lectured the class for half an hour about the importance of good behavior.
Now," he said," are there any questions? "One girl stood up timidly and
asked, "Please sir, may we have our teacher back?" "Where exactly is your
teacher?" "He’s in the hall, sir." There are consequences when we do not
live up to our position.

Walk – “Walk” is a key word in these last chapters. The summary

statement is found right off in 4:1, “1) I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been
called”. Walk worthy. “Walk”, of course, refers to conduct – manner of
life – lifestyle, if you will. Paul uses it to introduce his outline of the last
three practical chapters. What does it mean to walk worthy? It means five
things -- walk in unity as we have seen in 4:7-16. It also means to walk in
renewal or holiness (4:17-32); walk in love (5:1-7); walk in the light (5:8-
14) and walk in wisdom (5:17-6:9). In all these ways, act like who you are.
Dress for success.

Walk In Unity -- First – walk in unity. First priority. Think of it this way.
We represent a Triune God. In a mystery that we can never fully
understand or unravel, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God
the Holy Spirit have lived eternally in a relationship of perfect love,
harmony and unity. There has never been a harsh word – never a second
guess – never a question. Each highlights the other. Each seeks the good of
the other and as God’s chosen children and amazingly joint heirs with
Christ, He is most adamant that we, too, live in peace and unity.

Now, as we have seen, unity does not mean duplication or sameness; in

fact, the genius of the body of Christ is that there are no two believers who
are alike. In unity, there is great diversity. Just like there are no two
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snowflakes alike – no two fingerprints – so there are no two Christians
alike. But in our diversity, our common goal is to be like Him. Step one –
walk in unity.

Walk in Renewal (Holiness) -- Now, in verses 17-32 he is emphasizing the

need to walk in renewal. Walk in renewal. Paul is saying, “You’re a
Christian now. You have a whole new life. Walk in it. Live like it. Don’t
go back. Don’t even look back. Realize that the pull is going to be strong,
but -- resist. Live like who you are in Christ – not who you were in the
world. Don’t go back to the pit from whence you came.”

So many things pull at us to cause us to reconsider our decision to follow

Christ. Someone does us wrong; we feel abused, misused, unappreciated
and unwanted. So -- we turn back. Or, sometimes we just sort of slide
back. It doesn't happen all at once. We miss church or Bible study a time
or two, and the next thing you know we just stop going altogether. Or,
perhaps we simply yield to some temptation to worldliness. After we've
done it once, we do it twice. Before long it's a habit. By the time we realize
what's going on, we feel unworthy and so we check out.

It is so easy to get caught up in the glamour and substance of that which we

can touch and feel and experience. Paul's message is, “Surely you realize
by now that it is all glitz without gold, promise without performance,
seduction without satisfaction. Don’t go back.” That’s the basic message.
Now, this Walk in Renewal section, verses 17-32, divides nicely into two
parts – a general over view, verses 17-24, and then specific application
found in verses 25-32. We’ve called the series “Dress for Success”
because that is the metaphor Paul chooses to illustrate the part we have to
play in determining what image we show the world – do we look like our
new self in Christ, or do we look like our old dead self? Keep in mind, this
passage is not about who we are; it is about what we look like. What image
are we projecting.

Intro in v. 17 – Verse 17: 17) Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you
must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” Note
that Paul does not mince words here. In the strongest possible terms he is
urging at the instruction of the Lord Himself that they no longer walk as
Gentiles – that is, as they did prior to their conversion – their old dead self.
To do so is totally inconsistent with who they have become in Christ. And
yet, Paul’s use of the present tense here with the strongest possible negation
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(μηκετι) is an indication that some were doing just that. There was some
leakage going on – some reverting to old ways, and Paul is saying to live
like that is like a chicken trying to swim or a dog trying to fly. It’s not who
we are. So verse 17 introduces the section with this strong negative
imperative not to walk as before. Don’t Go Back! Don’t abuse dress code.
So – where does the dress code come from?

Key Concept (vv. 22-24) Three infinitives -- Now, jump for a moment to
verse 22. Here is the key to the passage found in 3 infinitives in verses 22-
24. Follow closely. Paul instructs that they are “22) to put off your old self,
which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through
deceitful desires, 23) and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24) and to
put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness
and holiness.” The simple outline of this section is Put off; Be renewed
and Put on. The words “put off” and “put on” are regularly used to speak
of putting on and taking off everyday clothing. Paul is saying, “Listen, just
as you choose what physical clothing you will wear each morning when you
get up, so you much choose whether you that day, that hour, that minute are
going to be wearing the old self – acting in the same sensual, worldly driven
way that you did before – or whether you will be wearing the new creation
you have become in Christ.”

Apparently some of them, like some of us, were quick-change artists who
were wearing one thing one minute and another the next. Think I’ll wear
this old self with this crowd and the new creation with the church crowd.
And, of course, in so doing we have become the hypocrites that the world
despises. Choose your clothing carefully and make sure it doesn’t just fit
the occasion or the crowd – that it reflects who you really are, assuming
you’ve truly trusted Christ as Savior. Don’t abuse the dress code.

Definitions – Now, to help us further understand this passage, let’s define

some terms. Paul’s reference to the “old self” in verse 22 is a reference to
who you were prior to accepting Christ as Savior – prior to that moment in
time when you truly and with all your heart received Him as your Lord. If
you’ve never done that, the “old self” is all you have. There is nothing else.
You are “dead in trespasses and sin.” This old self is also called by other
names in Scripture – the flesh, the old man, the sin nature, just plain “sin” –
some translations use old man. It’s clothing is selfishness.

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The “new self”, that Paul mentions in verse 24 is who we become the
moment we bow in prayer, confess our sins to Christ, accept forgiveness
based on His death on the cross and make Him Lord of life. At that
moment we become the “new self” mentioned in verse 24. This is who you
are in Christ. The new self has the Holy Spirit living within which brings a
whole new orientation. Paul explains this elsewhere in II Cor 5:17, “17)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed
away; behold, the new has come.” This is a spiritual reality that cannot be
measured by any physical devices, but is as real as Christ himself. The
old passed away; you are no longer who you were and you are a whole new
spiritual being. The pull to live like that old self, however, remains. But
while the pull remains, there must be some transformation in life. Christ
transforms lives when He comes in.

Paul emphasizes this truth in Romans 6:6, “6) We know that our old self was
crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing,
so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” The old you is dead – and
yet you can put him back on – not in the sense of losing salvation, but in the
sense of living how you used to live. That’s why Paul goes on in Romans
6:11 and says, “11) So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and
alive to God in Christ Jesus.” He is saying there exactly the same thing as
Ephesians 4:22 – Live like who you are – not like who you used to be.

This is an oversimplification, but in one sense, it is like someone who goes

into the witness-protection program. When that happens they are given a
whole new identity, right? They get a new name; they get a new family
history; they get a new social security number and a new driver’s license;
they are moved to a new location; they get a new job. They have no choice
but to develop new friends and live in a new home. As far as possible, their
old life is gone and they have a whole new identity. So, in Christ, in a far
more wonderful, meaningful, and joyous way, we get a whole new identity.

Of course, it would be possible for someone in witness protection to decide

to spend some time as their old self, wouldn’t it? In fact, I would imagine
that it is a great temptation at times. They might hear of an old friend or
desire to see again a much treasured location. They could choose to take a
weekend away now and then, couldn’t they? Not without threat to their
well-being, but they could do it. And if they had not truly committed to
their new identity, they could even give it up at some point. All of these
possibilities are imperfect representations of what can happen spiritually.
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Three Infinitives -- Redux -- Now look again at the three infinitives in
verses 22-24. Put off, be renewed and put on. Listen carefully. There is an
interesting grammatical construction associated with these. The first and
last – put off and put on – are in the Greek aorist tense, while the middle
one – be renewed – is in the present tense. This has caused some very good
commentators to conclude that the putting off and putting on speak of the
moment of conversion – that specific time when we pray and accept Christ
as Lord and Savior. They conclude that at that moment, we put off our old
self, our old identity and put on the new and it is all over. When we are
saved, we definitely lose our old identity and gain a new identity in Christ.
After that point, if you have truly accepted Christ, you can never become
again your old identity or shed your new identity. But this passage is not
about identity. It is about lifestyle. You can’t keep changing identification
on a whim, but you can change your lifestyle – how you represent yourself.

However, the thrust of this passage is different. Watch carefully. Note

verse 23: “23) and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,” Renewed.
Present tense implying a continuous, ongoing activity. Why? Why is Paul
so concerned with the continual, ongoing renewing of the mind? Because it
is the thing that establishes our identity? No. Our identity is already
established. We are in Christ? But -- and it is a big “but” here, but -- the
renewing of the mind is the key to helping us determine which identity we
will be looking like, living like, following the dictates of at any given
moment in time. The old identity is no longer us – but we can still live
like it is as we will see. Our choice. The dress we wear is our choice!
Now – the Greek aorist tense of “put on” and “put off” does not indicate
past tense; it simply indicates a particular moment in time. It’s like a
photograph that freezes time. And what Paul is saying is, “Keep on having
your mind renewed, so that at any moment in time – at any moment that
someone might choose to photograph you -- you have put off the old self
(that is, are not living like that), and have put on the new self (that is are
living like that).” Do you see? Always have your mind being renewed so
at any moment you are dressed right. Don’t go back! Don’t abuse dress
code.

That is the thrust of this whole passage. Look at verse 17 again. He

instructs “that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do” that is, as you
used to when you were your old self. He is instructing that they not do
this for the very reason that they very well could do this. You don’t tell
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your children not to run in the streets of New York, do you? Why not?
Wouldn’t it be dangerous for them to do so? Of course, it would, but you
know that they are physically so far removed from there that they could not
do it, so no need for an instruction. But you do caution them not to run in
the streets of Eaton, do you not? Because that is a real possibility for them.
Same thing here. Paul issues an instruction because it is a real possibility
that they could walk as they used to walk, -- act like they used to act. The
Bible says, Don’t Go Back!

Here is another way to think about it. Having come to Christ and accepted
him as Savior, we have much bigger things to live for than what this world
has to offer. Whole new vistas of eternal reality have opened up to us. It's
not that the temporal things cannot still entice, he says, or be of interest to
us; it's simply that they are suddenly unimportant in light of the new calling
we have which is so much bigger and far-reaching.

Conclusion

Sadie Smithson grew up in Johnson Falls, West Virginia. Her father kept a
livery stable, Sadie herself contributed to the family income by sewing, and
the family floated just above the poverty level. But Sadie craved respect.
She wanted to mingle with the upper crust of Johnson Falls, and she had a
plan for doing it. Her secret ambition was to join the Laurel Literary
Society, an organization that represented all that was socially prestigious in
her town. After high school graduation, she applied for admission into the
Laurel Literary Society. Nothing doing. She was rejected.

“Well,” she thought, “perhaps they’ll think better of me if I tour Europe.”

Few in Johnson Falls had ever been abroad. So she saved her money,
daydreaming of the soft-gloved hands clapping after she had read her paper
on “My Trip to Europe.” For many years she carefully saved her money
until she finally had enough to take her long-planned excursion. Sadie took
her trip abroad, traveling with a professor and his wife. She richly enjoyed
the first part of her adventure, but her luck ran out when she was caught in
the opening shots of World War I.

Sadie, in Belgium at the time, managed to get a ride to Paris; but the driver
lost his way, and inexplicably, in the disjointed early days of the war, they
found themselves crossing a battlefield. Almost before they knew what was
happening, they were among soldiers who were seeing action, and right
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beside the car lay one young soldier, badly wounded. They driver stopped,
of course, so they could try to get their bearings and try to help the wounded
soldier. The soldier looked into Sadie’s eyes and moaned, “Water, for
God’s sake!” Sadie immediately jumped out of the car with her drinking
cup and made her way to a near-by spring. Then another dying soldier
wanted a drink. Sadie refused to leave those boys, and finally the car drove
off without her.

All night long, she ran back and forth to the spring with her little cup,
carrying water to injured men. She tore her skirt into bandages. She
scribbled notes and messages for loved ones at home. And as she worked
with each wounded man, she offered a prayer: “The Lord bless you and
keep you and make his face to shine upon you.” It was a night of horror, of
darkness, and of moaning, dying men. Finally, the darkness gave way to the
dawn and with it an ambulance and young doctor. He was astonished to find
a poor girl from West Virginia amid all the blood and carnage of war. “Who
are you?” he asked, “and what in thunder are you doing here?”
“I’m Sadie Smithson,” she said, “and I’ve been holding hell back all night.”
“Well!” said the young doctor quietly, “Miss Sadie Smithson, I’m glad you
held some of it back, for everybody else in the world was letting it loose last
night.”

Sadie eventually made her way to safety and found passage on a ship
heading home. As she was returning to America, she told her story to a
fellow passenger on the ship. “I’ve never been married—never known what
it was to have children—but that night all those men were my children,
even the biggest and roughest of them, and I believe I could have died for
any one of them.” “Well,” said the friend, “the Laurel Literary Society will
be glad enough to have you belong to it now.” “No,” Sadie Smithson
replied, “I’ve been face to face with war and death and hell and God. Now
little things like the Laurel Literary Society don’t matter to me anymore.”
“What does matter?” asked the friend. “What matters?,” Sadie said.
“Nothing but God and love—and doing what I can do for those he sends me
to.”

That same change in perspective should be the experience of every true

believer in Christ. Once we truly understand and believe what Christ has
done for us, the pleasures of this world will seem trivial. As our mind is
renewed though His Word, we will want less and less of them and more
and more of Him. That, Beloved, is what Paul is saying in these verses that
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we have before us. Put off the old, renew your mind. Think big and put on
the new. Now – all of that by way of introduction. We’ll unpack this
passage further next week, but God help us to take the big view. Whatever
our life’s work; whatever our career; whatever our place in this world, let’s
get the big picture, make sure that our lives are not being lived just for here
and now. That’s the old way. Live for eternity. Put on the new self. Don’t
abuse the dress code. Don’t Go Back! Let’s pray.