Spot the Difference

Am I getting older, or is spot the difference getting harder? Sometimes the difference is obvious. Often it's subtle. Occasionally it's so minor that we hardly notice it at all.

In Ephesians 4: 17-24, Paul spells out very clearly that the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian should be plain for all to see.

He's writing to a relatively young Church, many of whom were "Gentiles by birth" and without God or hope. 'Gentiles' was an umbrella term for those who were far away from God, but the good news of Jesus that united the Church was that the distance from God could be closed; he who was far away could be brought near, exclusively through Jesus' perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrection.

So Paul's not trying to be divisive by arguing that there differences between Christians and non-Christians. Instead he's encouraging those who have come near to God for forgiveness, acceptance into God's family and into an inheritance that guarantees their future, to stop behaving as if they remained far away.

So spot the difference for yourself.

When they, and we, were far away from God, Paul says:

• Our minds are darkened (v17),
• Our hearts are hardened (v18).
• Our sensitivity is dulled (v19).

It's a pretty sobering view of humanity isn't it? We can't make complete sense of our environment; we stop looking for God in the world, and stop finding him; we chase after things that just can't satisfy.

But, when God draws us near and we accept his grace, expressed in his gift of Jesus to us, Paul describes us as:

• Having taught minds (v20-21)
• Being made new (v22-23)
• Re-clothed (v24)

So instead of how we used to be, the truth has been revealed and we can see the point of our lives, what was rotten has been removed and replaced with something new, and it makes a difference in how people see us.

It's a marked contrast isn't it? That's why Paul wants the Church in Ephesus, and the Church today, to stop living like we used to. We're not like that anymore.

When we recognise somebody from their uniform, we have expectations about what they will be like and how they will behave. Paul is laying down those expectations for Christians here in Ephesians.

What do people expect when they see you?