This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on 16th August 2026, by Lasya. For the audio , please click here. For the worship, please click here.A New Way of Walking
Living Out Our New Identity in Christ
Ephesians 4:17–5:21
There are two phases in every epistle: teaching and
application. First comes the foundation—understanding what God has done for
us. Then comes the response: How should we live because of what God has
done?
Paul makes this transition beautifully in Ephesians.
Over the past few chapters, we have been reminded of who we
are in Christ. We have been chosen and adopted into God's glorious family
through Jesus Christ. We are a new creation. The old has gone, and the new has
come. Christ has broken down the dividing walls of hostility and brought those
who were once far away near to God. We are not merely visitors in God's
house—we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit.
So what is our response to such a great salvation?
Certainly, we say, "Thank You, Lord. We receive
it."
But Paul now moves from teaching to preaching—from what
we believe to how we live. And preaching calls us to action.
We Have Been Given a New Way
The early Christians did not initially call themselves
"Christians." They were known as followers of the Way.
What was this new way?
It was a way that brought together people who had previously
lived very differently. Jews who had lived under the law and Gentiles who had
lived without those boundaries were now being brought together into a new
and living way—a way of life, a way of love, and a way of light.
This is the challenge Paul presents in Ephesians 4:17:
"You must no longer live as the Gentiles do..."
Paul isn't simply telling believers to behave better. He is
saying, in effect:
You know who you are now. So live accordingly.
The picture is like a beggar who has been adopted into the
home of a wealthy man. He doesn't continue living as though he is still an
abandoned beggar. He has been given a completely new identity.
This isn't about putting on somebody else's clothes, like
David trying to wear Saul's armor.
This is who you are. So act accordingly.
Put Down the Lens of Shame
As we read passages like this, it can be easy to look at
ourselves through lenses of guilt, shame, or judgment.
But that is not the lens through which we should read this
passage.
Instead, let us look at it as investigators.
The question isn't simply, "How badly am I
failing?"
The better questions are:
What has changed because of Christ?
What does this new identity look like in everyday life?
What needs to come off, and what needs to be put on?
Paul gives us a very practical picture.
Did the Lesson Become a Lifestyle?
Paul asks us to consider something profound.
Did you hear about Christ?
Were you taught?
And, perhaps most importantly:
Has what you were taught become the way you live?
It is possible to know the truth without allowing the truth
to transform our lives.
Jesus used a similar picture when He spoke about the person
who hears His words and puts them into practice—the person who builds on the
rock rather than on sand.
The goal isn't simply to hear.
The goal is to do.
The Great Exchange: Put Off and Put On
Paul repeatedly gives us a pattern:
Put off the old. Put on the new.
But there is something important in between.
We are told to be "made new in the attitude of your
minds."
This is the lifelong process of transformation.
Let's look at what this new way of walking looks like.
1. Put Off the Old Self — Put On the New Self
Our old self is corrupted by deceitful desires. Our desires
are not always reliable; they can deceive us depending on where they come from.
Instead, we are called to put on the new self,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
There is something deeply freeing about this.
We don't have to spend our lives chasing every desire that
comes our way. Instead, we can pursue what pleases God.
And when we live according to what we were created for, we
discover genuine satisfaction.
2. Put Off Sinful Anger — Put On Healthy Relationships
Anger can become a breeding ground for sin.
Paul says:
"In your anger do not sin."
He warns us not to allow anger to linger and become an
opportunity for the enemy.
The challenge isn't necessarily that we will never feel
anger. The challenge is what we do with it.
We must learn to deal with anger rather than allowing it to
control us.
3. Put Off Stealing — Put On Generosity
Notice the transformation Paul describes.
The person who once stole is told to work with their own
hands—not merely so they can have enough for themselves, but so they can
share with those in need.
The same hands can produce two very different results:
Stealing → Sharing
The gospel doesn't merely change what we stop doing. It
changes what we start doing.
4. Put Off Falsehood — Put On Truth
Our words matter.
Instead of falsehood and unwholesome talk, we are called to
speak truthfully and to use our words to build others up according to their
needs.
Imagine what would happen if we approached every
conversation with one question:
"Will what I am about to say build this person
up?"
Our speech becomes an instrument of grace rather than
destruction.
5. Put Off Bitterness — Put On Compassion
Paul gives us another powerful contrast:
Bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice
are replaced with
kindness, compassion and forgiveness.
And the standard is incredibly high:
"Just as in Christ God forgave you."
Our ability to forgive others flows from the forgiveness we
ourselves have received.
6. Put Off Impurity — Walk in Love
Paul calls believers away from sexual immorality, impurity,
greed, obscenity, foolish talk and coarse joking.
But Christianity is not simply a list of things we are
forbidden to do.
We are called to something greater:
Walk in the way of love.
Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God.
The Christian life is therefore not merely about avoiding
darkness. It is about actively walking in love and thanksgiving.
7. Put Off Darkness — Walk as Children of Light
Paul reminds us:
"You were once darkness, but now you are light in
the Lord."
Notice that he doesn't merely say that we were in
darkness.
We were darkness.
But now we are light in the Lord.
Therefore, our lives should produce the fruit of
light—goodness, righteousness and truth.
We are called to discover what pleases the Lord and to have
nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness.
8. Put Off Foolishness — Walk Wisely
Paul tells us to be careful how we live.
Not as unwise people, but as wise people.
Why?
Because our time matters.
We are called to make the most of every opportunity and to
understand what the Lord's will is.
Every day is an opportunity to walk differently.
We Are Not Helpless
One of the most encouraging truths in this passage is that
we are not helpless in our struggle against sin.
Before Christ, we were dead in our transgressions and unable
to rescue ourselves.
But now, the Holy Spirit is our Helper.
So when we experience a struggle against sin, perhaps the
struggle itself is evidence that the Spirit is at work.
Think about wrestling with something five times your size.
The struggle is difficult—but the struggle is also strength
training.
Likewise, our struggle against sin can become an opportunity
for spiritual strengthening.
The goal isn't to become discouraged because the struggle
exists.
The goal is to recognize the Spirit's work and cooperate
with Him.
The Renewal Happens in the Mind
Between "putting off" and "putting on"
is one small phrase with enormous significance:
"Be made new in the attitude of your minds."
We are already a new creation in Christ.
And yet, we are continually being made new in the way we
think.
This is not merely an intellectual exercise.
Renewing our minds is a spiritual process.
It requires spiritual discipline.
This is where repentance becomes so important.
Repentance Is a Change of Direction
The word repentance can sometimes make us
uncomfortable because of the way it has been misused throughout church history.
But biblical repentance is not about living under guilt and
shame.
It is conviction that the direction we are walking is
away from God rather than toward Him.
It means changing our minds and changing our
direction—rejecting the path we are on and choosing to follow Jesus.
Think about the fishermen who left their nets to follow
Jesus.
Think about Saul, who stopped persecuting Christians and
began preaching the gospel.
They changed direction.
That is repentance.
Repentance is not shame.
It is not condemnation.
It is conviction that leads to a changed mind—and a changed
mind eventually produces changed action.
A New Way of Walking
Ephesians 4:17–5:21 gives us a beautiful picture of what the
Christian life looks like.
It is a life of transformation:
Old self → New self
Anger → Reconciliation
Stealing → Sharing
Falsehood → Truth
Unwholesome speech → Words that build up
Bitterness → Compassion
Impurity → Love
Darkness → Light
Foolishness → Wisdom
Self-indulgence → Being filled with the Spirit
And ultimately:
Complaining → Thanksgiving
The Christian life is not simply about trying harder to
behave well.
It begins with understanding who we are in Christ.
We have been adopted.
We have been made new.
We have been brought near.
We are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
And because that is who we are, we are invited to walk in
a new way.
Not through shame.
Not through guilt.
Not through condemnation.
But through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, as our
minds are renewed and our lives increasingly reflect the One who has called us.
So the question for us is not simply:
"Do I know what Christ has taught?"
The deeper question is:
"Has what I have learned about Christ become the way
I walk?"
May our learning become living.
May our conviction become repentance.
May our renewed minds produce renewed lives.
And may we increasingly walk in the way of love, in the
way of light, and in the way of Christ.
