Sermon 8-11-24

Pastor Ray Lorthioir

Trinity Lutheran Church

W. Hempstead, NY

Based on the Second Lesson for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost, Ephesians 4:17-5:2

Old Self, New Self

You must no longer walk as the Gentiles do. That’s how our second lesson begins in Ephesians 4:17. It’s the same as saying, “no longer live as a Gentile, observing Gentile cultural norms.”

Just what was defective about first century Gentile culture? Paul lays it out in the subsequent verses. First, he called the Gentile mindset and philosophy of life “futile.” Futility is when you work and labor and it all fails and comes to nothing. Next, he called Gentile thinking about life “darkened.” Another word for it is blinded. Then, Paul pinpointed the reason for the futility and darkness. The Gentiles were strangers to the living God, Creator of all things. Gentile lives were not connected to Yahweh in any way, shape or form. Paul explained that this was partly due to ignorance — sheer lack of information about Yahweh. But, the other part was hardness of heart. Gentiles were determined to remain ignorant of God, even though there is vast evidence of intentional, Intelligent Design in everything that exists, including humans.

Then Paul went on to describe the human behavior that results from futile, darkened thinking and lack of connection with our Creator. First, people become callous. Another way of saying this is that they give up caring. They no longer care about the difference between good and evil. Everything is equal. It’s callousness that sprays paint on great works of art, and injures for the fun of it.

Having become callous, people give themselves entirely over to sensuality — the pursuit of nothing but pleasure. But as anyone who has ever done this knows, pleasure is elusive. It’s fleeting and momentary. It must be pursued to the point of addiction. Pleasure almost always looks beautiful, but very often has nasty — even deadly — side effects and consequences. And ultimately, pleasure for its own sake is empty — futile.

Sensuality has the ability to take what is beautiful and make it ugly, dirty and harmful. It also has the power to make us greedy — ever ready — to roll in its mud.

Ephesians 4:17-19 has a much more thorough parallel text in Romans 1:18-32. That text traces what happens when a culture denies the obvious — that there is a Creator God. It ends this way: Romans 1:28-32, “28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

So, how did first century Gentile culture get into such condition? The late theologian, Michael S. Heiser offered this thesis. It all began when Yahweh punished humanity at the Tower of Babel for disobeying His command to fill the earth. At Babel, Yahweh confused our language and scattered us. But He did something more. We read in Deuteronomy 32:7-9, “7 Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you. 8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, [at the Tower of Babel] he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. 9 But the LORD’S portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.”

Based on these verses, Heiser’s thesis is that Yahweh divorced the nations He newly created at Babel. He put them under the spiritual authority of the Sons of God. Later, Yahweh would covenant with a man named Abraham and his descendants, that Yahweh would be Israel’s God and Israel would be Yahweh’s people. But the rest of the nations were under the spiritual authority of the spiritual creatures that the Bible calls the Sons of God. These creatures rebelled against Yahweh and made themselves gods over all the nations. Thus, all the nations of the world wound up worshipping and serving false gods — supernatural beings created by God — instead of serving Yahweh, the uncreated Creator of the universe. And it doesn’t matter whether false gods are worshipped or no god is worshipped. In both cases Yahweh, Creator of the universe, has been denied. And once that happens, as we’ve seen, futility of thinking and much worse sets in.

Before we go on, I’ve preached before that our own society is suffering all the ills of godlessness enumerated in Romans 1:18-32. What I didn’t include in my quote from Romans 1 is what happens in the initial descent into godlessness — namely the rise of promiscuity and homosexuality. The current sexual revolution in which porn, promiscuity, abortion, homosexuality, and now trans, has been glorified began about 1965. But here 60 years later, there’s been an unexpected turn of events. In all cultures penetrated by the current godless Western ethos, a significant number of young people are actually turning away from sex and refusing to get involved with living with a person of the opposite sex. This is especially true of men in the wake of “me too,” false paternity claims, child support and no fault divorce. In addition, marriage is no longer the thing to do. And family is no longer the thing to do. And the sexual revolution was supposedly going to liberate us, make us happier and more satisfied. No. It hasn’t. And that’s what Scripture predicts will be the outcome of futile and darkened thinking that’s greedy for impurity. In the end, it’s all meaningless and ugly.

History shows that the Western descent into godlessness actually began much earlier than 1965 — more like 1665, with the beginning of the so-called Enlightenment. “The Enlightenment” is actually deceptive devil speech for what became the darkening of the Western mind, not its enlightenment. Descent into godlessness progressed through the 1700’s but really picked up speed in the 1850’s. That’s when so-called higher criticism of the Bible first appeared in Germany and Charles Darwin published his little book on the Origin of the Species. Then, the publication of two books — one in 1874, the other in 1896 — made a case for what all of us were taught in school — namely that Christianity is mere superstition while science is real knowledge. And so, by the beginning of the 1900’s atheism and godlessness were well established in a significant portion of academia. It would take another 60 years to begin the revolutions against Christianity that have gotten us to the present point in history. But it all began with a case for the denial of our Creator God.

Two things. First, as I’ve explained to you before, the whole idea that Christianity and science are opposed to each other is bogus, and has been bogus from the start. The statement that Christianity is superstition is in no way a scientific statement. In reality, it’s a religious/philosophical position that someone adopts without any evidence before they do any scientific work.

Godlessness is its own religion. So, there’s no real antagonism between science and Christianity. But there is definite antagonism between Christianity and the religion of radical, materialist Atheism that cunningly and falsely claims to be science.

Indeed, the history of philosophy proves that without the philosophy contained within Christianity, Western science could not have even begun. Before it was taken over by the religion of Materialism, science initially was founded on the Christian philosophy that a rational God created a rationally designed universe that could be rationally examined by rational creatures created in the image of the rational God. And that’s the best way to do science. It avoids having to waste time and resources trying to concoct the atheist origin myths that honest scientists have themselves described as “patently absurd,” “wholly unsubstantiated” and “extravagantly failed.”

Indeed, it takes much more faith to be an atheist than to be a Christian. You have to believe the most fantastic claims — like cattle hanging around the ocean, incrementally turned themselves into whales. And that the very first single celled organism already contained within itself the will and knowledge to survive against all the odds. Where did that will and power come from? Darwinism can give us no answer. For, Survival of the Fittest is a first principle of Darwinism. So, in Darwinism there’s no way that instinct could have evolved.

Second, the discoveries of modern science are wrecking the atheist origin myth. We’ve just seen that the new telescope is throwing the atheist origin myth into convulsions. And then there is the single living cell. It’s been discovered that within any given living cell there is an incredibly complex world of function governed by the genetic code. Where did that code come from? It all had to be there in the very first living cell of any kind. This is why in their despair materialists have been forced into a so-called “scientific” explanation for the origin of life that largely depends on horny aliens from outer space having sex with the rocks of earth and bringing forth life from non-life. Where did the aliens come from? And why did they think the rocks were attractive?

And the multi-universe theory is no help either. If there are myriads of universes of which only ours chanced to bring forth life, what mechanism generated all of those universes? The militant atheists have no answer except “duh, stuff happens.” This is a sermon. That’s why I have to say “stuff” instead of the more appropriate word.

OK. Back to Ephesians. Now, when Paul called on the Ephesians to give up living as Gentiles had historically done since Babel, he didn’t call them to live as Jews. Rather, as can be seen elsewhere in the Ephesian letter, Paul called both Jews and Gentiles to live as something new — Christians. In Ephesians 4:22, Paul commanded Christians “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires.” In Ephesians 4:23, he commanded Christians, “to be renewed in the spirit of your minds.” Finally, in Ephesians 4:24, he commanded Christians “to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” This is similar to what he wrote in Romans 12:1-2, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

So, let’s see what all this means. First, as we saw last week, Yahweh has issued a call to all humanity through Jesus, true human and also God, the Son. That call is for us to come to Jesus, the Savior of humanity.

The work that Jesus did on earth is multi fold. The fact that we crucified the Son of God exposed for all time the radical hatred for God that we’re all born with that’s called in theology: Original Sin. This sin is the intense desire to be our own gods and/or to create our own designer gods.

Ironically, though, by being put to death on a cross, Jesus, the Son of God conquered Original Sin. In a short 24 hour period, God the Son, incarnate in mortal human flesh, suffered the wrath of Yahweh against all of humanity for all time. Only God the Son could have done that for us. In that short 24 hour period of suffering, Jesus was able to satisfy Yahweh’s just claims and wrath against all of us. With His blood, He was able to pay for all the crimes with which we attempt to assault our loving Father in heaven. Chief among those crimes is unbelief.

Having satisfied Yahweh’s justice and wrath, Jesus gained real forgiveness of our sins and justification of our lives before our Creator, for all humanity. The blood of Messiah Jesus declares every human righteous before the throne of God, no matter what they’ve done.

There’s only one problem. In order to be forgiven of sin and be declared righteous before God, a person needs to believe that the Jesus who has come in the flesh is their one and only possible source of forgiveness and justification before Almighty God. Such faith in the Gospel comes as a free gift from Lord Holy Spirit.

Moreover, we all need to see our rebellion against Yahweh for the deadly thing it is. Seeing it, we need to repent of it. We need to deny rebellion and evil the right to rule our lives. Instead, we need to give Yahweh’s righteousness the right to rule our lives. This also comes from Lord Holy Spirit.

Jesus is Yahweh’s righteousness. We know this because Jesus was totally obedient in dying for us. He was totally rewarded for His obedience by being resurrected from the dead in an immortal, righteous body — a destiny He also gained for all who put their faith and trust in Him.

So what are we to do, once we have received Jesus by faith? That’s where we come to an understanding of what putting on the new self is all about. The old self is the self born in Original Sin. It desires to live as its own god and make up its own rules. The old self is the origin of futile thinking, darkness and the greed for all forms unrighteousness.

On the other hand, the new self is a gift from God through Messiah Jesus. The new self is a preview of the pure and righteous being we are destined to be in the resurrection to life before Yahweh — Yahweh, who is the origin of all goodness and righteousness. Here in this life, we are helpless to put on Yahweh’s kind of righteousness because of Original Sin. Therefore, Lord Holy Spirit is the power behind the gift of the new self.

As we saw last week in Galatians 5:16-17, there’s an intense struggle in the Christian life. The sinful old nature empowered by Original Sin is in combat to the death with the Holy Spirit and the new nature He brings. And so the old nature has to die in order for the new to be revealed. The futile thinking, darkness and greed for unrighteousness has to die with Messiah on the cross. Holy Spirit given faith in the Word and the Sacraments accomplishes this. At the same time Holy Spirit given faith in the Word and the Sacraments brings forth the new nature with its truly enlightened thinking.

The new self sees the universe as Yahweh sees it — His marvelous creation. The new self sees the destiny of eternal righteous life that Yahweh purposes for every human on earth, without exception. The new self sees and is grateful for the forgiveness of sins and justification before Yahweh that makes eternal righteous life possible. The new self sees and appropriates the means of grace — the Word and the Sacraments — that bring forgiveness of sins, justification and righteous eternal life to us. The new self can see Scripture for what it is, the authoritative Word of God. Within the pages of Scripture, the new self finds the true, fulfilling and righteous ways of life. Within the pages of Scripture the new self can find the righteous, godly wisdom that extends to all areas of this earthly life. All this is possible by the power of Lord Holy Spirit.

Most importantly, Lord Holy Spirit holds the Christian fast in the midst of all this world’s futile thinking, darkness and greed for unrighteousness. For, Adam’s sin has corrupted everything in this world. It even brings sorrow and tribulation into the good, beautiful and noble things of this world. For this, the Christian must be prepared.

But when we’re renewed by the transformation of our minds and our thinking, Lord Holy Spirit will lead us through the dark times. The good news is that like everything else in this world, the dark times don’t last forever. And those who understand their Creator God, our situation in the present universe and our Creator’s saving work for us are guaranteed to make it through.

Jesus said that He doesn’t lose any that are His own. He said in John 6:38-39, “38 ‘For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.’”

How glorious is that assurance? Only those who have been clothed with the new self can believe it and receive it. Amen.

All Bible quotes are from the ESV.