Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more.They, having become callous, gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.who being past feeling gave themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
10 sermons cite this verse
… the ignorance that is in them because of the hardness of their heart. They too, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way." Then he goes on in verse 22 to say, "'That was your former manner of life, but you laid aside that old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit, and And you have been renewed in the spirit of your mind, verse 24, and put on the new self. So we are new creatures in Christ, and we no longer walk the way we used to walk. How do we walk? Chapter 5, verse 1, as imitators of God, as His beloved children. He is our Father. We are in His family. We show evidence of that by our life. In verse 2, he says, walk in love as Christ loved you and gave Himself up for you. In verse 8, he says, walk as children of light. …
… hardness of their heart. They having become callous have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. So you, on the one hand, are marked by humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance, love, unity, peace, etc., and you used to be marked by futility of mind, darkened understanding, exclusion from the life of God, ignorance, hardness of heart, callousness, sensuality, impurity, and greediness. Verse 20 marks the distinction, you did not learn Christ in this way. If you have been taught by Christ and received the truth, verse 21 says, you have left behind your old manner of life, verse 22. You laid aside the old self, verse 23. You've been renewed in the spirit of your mind. You put on the new self. You are a different person, completely, radically changed. And the elements of that difference are marked. For one, the sum of it all would be chapter 5, verse 1, be imitators of God as beloved children. So now instead of imitating your father, the devil, you imitate God. …
… You were excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in all unbelievers. You were marked by hardness of heart, verse 19, callous, given over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. You were. But please notice, it doesn't say you were formerly in darkness. It says you were formerly darkness. The darkness is the composite accumulation of all the dark people. It's not that you're in the darkness as a victim. You're in the darkness as a contributor. You are the darkness. Apart from Christ, you are the darkness. You are a contributor. You are a perpetrator. Proverbs 4.19 says, The way of the wicked is darkness. They know not at what they stumble. That, of course, is part of the deception. Second Corinthians 4.4 says, The God of this age has blinded the minds of them that believe not. You are blinded by Satan. You're blinded by the darkness of sin. The darkness is a system. It is a realm. …
… that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart. And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way. If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him just as truth is in Jesus, that in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. And do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. …
… hardness of their heart. And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. And here's the transition. But you did not learn Christ in this way. If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him just as truth is in Jesus, that in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry and yet do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. …
… hardness of their heart. And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way. If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that in reference to your former manner of life you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry and sin not. Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. …
… ignorance that is in them because of the hardness of their heart. They having become callous have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness." Okay, that's a description of unconverted people. They walk like pagans, because they are. They're futile in their mind, empty, darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, ignorant, hard-hearted, callous, and given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. You look at the world around you, the unrestrained world in which we live now, and you wonder how can people be so dissolute, so reprobate, live at such an aggressive level of going from one transgression to another as fast as they can possibly go. It's because that's who they really are. And the last word in verse 19 is very important. The unconverted people pursue sensuality and impurity with greediness. They never have enough. They're greedy. They never have enough. You and I as believers may sin, but we're not greedy to sin. …
… hardness of their heart. And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way. If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. What marks a person who is unconverted is unrighteousness, unholiness, and deception. The transformation produces one who has been created in righteousness and holiness and truth. So by the time you get to chapter 4, verse 24, that last verse that I read, you have the theology of transformation. You have the theology of salvation. We have the theology of conversion. …
… It's the same text that we looked at last week. But we were unable to finish it, so we'll do that this morning, Ephesians 4, verses 17 to 24. And I'm going to read it, and then we're going to look again at these wonderful words of divine revelation. So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer, just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart. And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him just as truth is in Jesus. That in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." Now we here have a comparison between the people before salvation and the same people afterward. …
… life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart, and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way. If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him just as truth is in Jesus, that in reference to your former manner of life, you laid aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit, and you are renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. You know what salvation does? It takes you from being described as futile in mind, darkened in understanding, excluded from the life of God, ignorant, hard-hearted, callous, sensual, impure, with greediness, and it makes you righteous and holy. That's how you know the difference. I don't hear much about transformation. …