The following message was delivered on Sunday, April 5, 2009:

DARKEST DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DEAD – PART 2

Ephesians 4:17-19

INTRODUCTION

Because we are the new creations in Christ, Paul exhorts his readers to live like the new people of God and not go back to the former ways of life.[1] And that is the main point of this section. What is unique about this particular text is that Paul’s descriptions of the life of unbelievers are the darkest in this section.[2] Next to Romans 1, this section is perhaps the darkest and the most awful descriptions of those who reject God’s revealed truths. Paul wants to make this point absolutely clear that there is a great divide between those that are outside of Christ and those that are in Christ.

Thus, we are about to come face to face with, perhaps, the most awful and the darkest descriptions of unbelievers. Hence, title of the series, “Darkest Descriptions of the Dead,” namely the spiritually dead. So in this series, I want to point out several descriptions that Paul points out in this text.

Last Sunday we have examined the first description from verse 17, namely the nonbelievers constantly live their lives in the futility of their mind. Here is the second description of the spiritually dead.

2. The nonbelievers’ futile mind is due to having their understanding darkened (v. 18a).

Almost all major English Bibles have translated the word dianoia to “understanding.” In other places in the NT, it is rendered “mind, intelligence, insight, disposition, thought, attitude, sense, and of reasoning process” (BADG). Likewise, according to Calvin, understanding (dianoia) refers to “the thinking faculty.”[3]

Also, what is important to point out is that, grammatically, verse 18 is subordinate to the last phrase of verse 17 – i.e., “just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind.” What this means is that verse 18 helps define what “walking in the futility of their mind” means. Hence, according to verse 18, the futile mind of unbelievers is described as “being darkened in their understanding.” Another way to say this is that the nonbelievers’ futile mind is due to having understanding darkened. And this can mean both literal and/or a figure of speech. The point is the nonbelievers are clueless, because their mind, intelligence, insight, disposition, thought, attitude, sense, and of reasoning process are darkened.

But this is not a characteristic of a Christian. According to 1 Peter 2:9,

· ^NAU 1 Peter 2:9 ¶ But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Moreover, Paul says:

· ^NAU 1 Thessalonians 5:5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;

That is the indicative statement that we must constantly remember; and that is part of Paul’s exhortation here.

3. The nonbelievers’ futile mind is due to being excluded from the life of God (v. 18b).

Let me point out an interesting grammatical observation here. Grammatically, the first two verbs are in perfect participles. What this means is these two verbs stress “a completed action with continuing results in their present state.”[4] Hence a better translation is “being darkened in their understanding” and “being excluded from the life of God.”

Here, the implication is clear, namely that God is the source of life. In other words, in God there is life. But without him, there is no life. Hence, the nonbelievers live without the true and the living God, thus they are being excluded from the life of God.

4. The cause of the nonbelievers’ spiritual condition is due to their ignorance (v. 18c).

Make no mistake about it. The text clearly reads, “Being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them.” Ignorance is the cause of their exclusion and alienation.

This particular word is found only four times (including our text) in the entire NT.

· ^NAU Acts 3:17 ¶ “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also.

· ^NAU Acts 17:30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,

· ^NAU 1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,

Biblically, there is undeniable connection between ignorance and spiritual deadness. But this should not be a characteristic of a professing Christian; and that is Paul’s point here! Ignorance should never be a Christian character. That is why we must wage war against ignorance. To be a biblically and theologically illiterate at this present time when we have the most available resources in history of the church is simply unthinkable.

One of the sayings during the Protestant Reformation was in Latin “Post Tenebras Lux,” which means “After Darkness Light.” But now, I’m afraid it is “After Light Darkness.” Nothing thrills my heart more than to hear that people of Sovereign Grace Bible Church are intelligent people because they pursue the truth.

5. The cause of the nonbelievers’ spiritual condition is due to their hardened heart (vv. 18d-19a).

The text clearly states, “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; ¹⁹ and they, having become callous.”

The word hardness means “dullness, insensibility, being of closed mind” (BADG). Paul repeats the similar description in verse 19, “having become callous,” which it means “having no sense of feeling, such as pain.” Here, it is a figure of speech for people who have no shame or embarrassment for their sinful actions. They have no feelings of shame. Their conscious is neither disturbed nor bothered.

This is the vivid imagery of everyone who is spiritually dead. The core of who they are, their being, namely their heart is hardened, calloused and unbroken.

· ^NAU Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

6. Sinful disposition will lead to sinful deeds.

In other words, the state of spiritual condition will dictate the state of sinful conducts. That is to say, sinful disposition will lead to sinful deeds. And this leads to very important theological implications.

THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

When you are confronted by what is mentioned in verses 17-19, you should raise the question of why. So, here’s a million dollar question. Why do unbelievers walk in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, ignorant, hardened heart, calloused, and do every kind of impure deeds? Why?

So, here is a fundamental theological implication. First of all, a clear distinction needs to be made between disposition and deeds. That is to say, sin cannot be viewed or understood only in terms of our actions against God, but more so, our natural disposition. For instance, we are not thieves because we steal; rather, we steal because we are thieves. Likewise, we are not sinners because we sin; rather, we sin because we are sinners. In other words, it is the natural disposition that is the cause of our actions. To say it another way, sin is a state of condition before it is an action. And there is no better example than here in this text. Verses 17 to 19a describe the sinful disposition, and then in verse 19b the sinful deeds. The point is sin is a state of condition before it is an action. Hence, a clear distinction needs to be made between disposition and deeds, because without it, you don’t have the right answer for why?

Secondly, unless the sinful disposition changes, sinners will always remain in that awful condition and commit awful conducts. A case in point – almost all the verbs that support these descriptions are in the perfect participles (e.g., “being darkened,” “being excluded,” and “having become callous”), which means that these conditions have the continuing effects. That is why, unless the sinful disposition changes, sinners will always remain in that awful condition and commit awful conducts. Clearly, what we are talking about here is the doctrine of original sin. According to John Calvin, original sin is “a hereditary depravity and corruption of our nature, diffused into all parts of the soul, which first makes us liable to God’s wrath, then also brings forth in us those works which Scripture calls ‘works of the flesh’ [Gal. 5:19)]” (2.1.8).[5] Hence, when you understand the doctrine of original sin, it only makes sense then to embrace the doctrine of total depravity or total inability of man.

Lastly, both sinful disposition and sinful deeds will have the wrath of God as its consequence. Here’s a frightening description, namely “having become callous, [they] have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness” (v. 19). Grammatically, the fact that there is reflexive pronoun (i.e., “they have given themselves over”) clearly indicates that it was their own act of sinfulness that is to be blamed. Doesn’t that particular phrase sound too familiar from another letter by Paul? Yes, it is the reiteration of Romans 1 (cf. 1:18-32). According to Augustine, “The punishment of sin is sin.” That is to say, God punishes sin with sin. That is why unless you repent of your sin and submit your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ, you will forever be perished. I beg you, please consider what you are hearing right now. Unless you confess and repent of your sin and submit to your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ, God may choose to punish you with sin, which would be a horrible predicament to be in.

Charles Hodge, one of the Reformed theologians from two centuries ago, rightfully said, “The blind cannot see – therefore they are ignorant of the beauty of creation, therefore they are destitute of light in its glories. You cannot heal them by light. Their eye must first be opened. Then comes vision, and then joy and love.”[6] Here’s a case in point. A dead person does not appreciate the tastiest food. No food can revive them because it’s not the food they need, but rebirth. That is why, perhaps, it is not more books you need to read or more sermons you need to listen to, or more Bible studies to do, but that you have not been spiritually born-again, when you truly experienced spiritual conversion. Because without the spiritual conversion, you will continually remain in darkness, alienated, ignorance, and have heart that is dead and insensitive to the things of God.

On the other hand, what does this mean to Christians? For one thing, it is joyful thanksgiving to God. It is doxology. It is worship to God alone.

Moreover, there is also a greater sense of responsibility and accountability to God’s truth, because knowledge carries responsibility. According to Hodge, “Truth is not merely speculative, the object of cognition; it has moral beauty.”[7] In other words, with truth there are moral consequences. And one of them is holiness. According to Hodge:

Truth and holiness are united as light and heat in the same way. There cannot be the one without the other. To know God is eternal life; to be without the knowledge of God is to be utterly depraved. Saints are the children of light; the wicked are the children of darkness. To be enlightened is to be renewed; to be blinded is to be reprobated. Such is the constant representation of Scripture.[8]

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[1] Although there are no imperatives in this section, this is a hortatory speech, without a doubt.

[2] Peter T. O’Brien, The Letters to the Ephesians, PNTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 320.

[3] John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 21: 289.

[4] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004), 586.

[5] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 Volumes, edited by John T. McNeill (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006), 1:251.

[6] Charles Hodge, Ephesians (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1991), 183.

[7] Ibid., 180.

[8] Ibid.