One little verse in Ephesians spoke to me today.
You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. ~Ephesians 4:20
Okay, so, what?
What is it about these nine words that brought me to my knees?
For starters, Ephesians was written to the believers in the area more or less around Ephesus, sort of as a general lesson for the numerous early churches near Ephesus. The absence of any personal greetings from Paul shows it's really not written to anyone in specific, other than to believers in Jesus as the promised savior of God. While Paul did not have me in consideration at all when he wrote this letter, as a believer in Jesus Christ, the letter invites me to apply its teachings to my life.
The reason I feel the need to explain myself here is the very first word of Ephesians 4:20, "You." If the letter is addressed to Christians, I need to pay attention.
The second word, "however," separates the intended audience from some other group of people. Something about Christians is different than with everyone else.
To find out what is different, I read the rest of the sentence.
You, however, did not come to know Jesus that way. ~Ephesians 4:20
There's an prepositional phrase at the end of the sentence that changes the way the verbs in the sentence work. The sentence now either means everyone knows Jesus and has a personal relationship with him, or that one way of life does not lead to a personal relationship with Jesus while another does.
Because the whole world is not saved by faith in Jesus, I wondered what way did not lead to knowing Jesus.
The paragraph prior to verse 20 sheds some light on what way Paul is talking about.
Paul states Christians must not live in the futility of worldly thinking, that a life spent resisting God's truths can only lead to a lack of understanding. Those who harden their hearts to God submit to their passions and desires, craving progressively more depraved and sinful behavior.
So, now Ephesians 4:20 makes a little more sense.
You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. ~Ephesians 4:20
Still, the verse brings up the question of how believers actually come to know Jesus Christ.
Verses 21 through 24 begin to illustrate the process.
Believers first hear about the truth of Jesus little by little throughout their lives. At some point, they accept these teachings and learn to leave behind their old self in exchange for who they could be in Jesus, and from then on, they live a new life devoted to God as best they can.
I think this verse really spoke to me because I caught myself wishing I led a playboy life. Part of me yearned to have my sensual desires satisfied, however, I did not come to know Christ that way.
In my struggle, I wanted a right relationship with God more than sex.
God is so worth the wait.
