A Call to Transformation

As we continue to walk through Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, this passage in Ephesians 4:17 calls us to one of the most crucial transformations in the Christian life—putting off the old self and putting on the new self in Christ.

Maybe you’re here today, and you feel stuck in between. You’ve placed your faith in Jesus, but something is holding you back. Maybe it’s your past—sins, shame, guilt—things that Jesus has already forgiven but that the enemy continues to use against you. That is not from God.

📖 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

The Father doesn’t remind you of your sin—He has set you free from it. But Satan wants to keep you bound. He wants to hold you hostage to your past, to keep you wrapped up in grave clothes when Jesus has called you to walk in grace.

Maybe today is the day that someone finally steps into freedom. Maybe today, someone rebukes the strongholds that the enemy has placed over their life and declares:

“I am no longer who I was. I am new in Christ!”

The Shift from Learning to Living

Ephesians 4 marks a shift. The first part of Paul’s letter was doctrine—what we believe. But now, we transition from learning to living, from doctrine to duty, from knowledge to obedience.

Paul reminds us that the Bible wasn’t given to us just for knowledge—it was given so that we might live in its truth.

📖 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)

It’s one thing to know the truth. It’s another thing to live in it.

📖 “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” (Ephesians 4:1)

Paul is calling us to action.

Christianity isn’t just about information—it’s about transformation.

• Information tells us about Jesus.
• Transformation turns us to Jesus.

And when we truly surrender to Him, we begin to walk not as we once did, but as new creations in Christ.

Through Jesus, We Are Free From Our Old Selves

If you’re a follower of Jesus, then your old self is gone.

📖 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

That’s the truth. But too many of us still live in bondage.

Some of us still carry shame from our past.
Some of us still walk in guilt for things Jesus already forgave.
Some of us have given the enemy strongholds in our lives.

But Jesus didn’t save us so we could remain trapped in old chains. He saved us so we could walk in freedom!

Sometimes, we just need to say it out loud:

➡️ I am no longer who I was.
➡️ I am forgiven.
➡️ I am redeemed.
➡️ I am free!

Don’t let the enemy convince you otherwise. Satan wants to keep you bound, but Jesus has called you to new life.

How Do We Walk in This Freedom?

If we are going to live in the freedom of Christ, there are three things we must do:

1. Be Distinctive – Walk Differently

📖 “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.” (Ephesians 4:17)

Paul says: No longer walk like the world.

Before Christ, we walked in darkness.
Before Christ, we walked in ignorance.
Before Christ, we were separated from God.

But now?

➡️ We walk in light.
➡️ We walk in truth.
➡️ We walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

There should be a distinct difference between the life of a Christian and the life of someone who doesn’t know Jesus.

Paul is clear: If you are saved, you don’t live the way you used to live.

That doesn’t mean we become perfect overnight. But it does mean that God begins to change us.

➡️ Our thinking changes.
➡️ Our actions change.
➡️ Our hearts change.

We don’t seek after the same things the world seeks after. We seek after Jesus.

📖 “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)

If there is no change in your life, you have to ask: Do I truly know Jesus?

2. Be Renewed – Let God Change Your Heart and Mind

Paul describes the old life as being:

❌ Futile in thinking
❌ Darkened in understanding
❌ Alienated from God
❌ Callous and hardened in heart

That’s who we were. But in Christ, we are made new.

📖 “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)

We have to let go of the old self and embrace the new self.

🚪 Close the door to your past.
🚪 Close the door to shame.
🚪 Close the door to the lies of the enemy.

And open the door to who God says you are.

3. Be Empowered – Walk in the Strength of the Holy Spirit

We don’t do this in our own power.

If we try to change ourselves, we’ll fail.
If we try to be “better people” without the Holy Spirit, we’ll fall short.

But when we rely on God’s power, transformation happens.

📖 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

This isn’t about trying harder—this is about trusting deeper.

When the enemy comes knocking, don’t fight him in your own strength. Rebuke him in the name of Jesus!

📖 “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Final Thought: Take Off the Grave Clothes, Put On the Grace Clothes

Remember when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead?

What was the first thing He told the people to do?

📖 “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:44)

Lazarus had been brought back to life, but he was still wrapped in grave clothes.

Some of us are the same way. Jesus has saved us, but we’re still wrapped in our old baggage.

➡️ Take off the grave clothes.
➡️ Put on the grace clothes.
➡️ Live in the freedom Jesus died to give you.

Because through Jesus, we are no longer who we were.

We are made new.

And it’s time to walk in it.