December 19 2025

Friday December 19

“The Truth is in Jesus”

Ephesians 4:20-24

20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Today we’re continuing our study in Ephesians 4:20–24. These powerful verses remind us that we are no longer to walk as the Gentiles walk, or as the lost world walks. We are different. Through Jesus Christ, we have been made citizens of heaven. Because Christ lives in us, we now have a different goal, a different mindset, and a different attitude.

Paul says in verse 20, “But ye have not so learned Christ.” Then he goes on to say, “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21). My friend, everything changes when truth is being absorbed into your mind and into your heart. For many years—over fifty years of counseling and talking with people as a pastor—I have observed that the core problem in most lives is this: people have listened to the lies of the devil. They have listened to the lies and philosophies of the world while trying to figure out what to do about life, about problems, and about difficult decisions. As a result, they make choices based on deception, thinking they are making good decisions when in reality they are being led astray by a lie. My role as a pastor is to bring people back to the truth of God’s Word so they can make decisions based on truth.

What is the truth? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The truth is found in God’s Word. Jesus also prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The Word of God is the truth of God revealed to us—in the person of Jesus Christ and in the Scriptures of the Bible. That is why Paul says, “If indeed ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.” Have you heard Him?

When Jesus speaks, He calls us by name. In John 10, we are told that the Shepherd knows His sheep and calls them by name. And what is the evidence of that relationship? We hear His voice. When He calls us, we follow Him. We are not forced to follow Him—we desire to follow Him. Why? Because we are His sheep, and we belong to His fold. Jesus cares for His sheep. That’s why we can truly say, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). He leads us in paths of righteousness—that is, paths that are right, paths that please God, paths that align with the principles and truths of God’s Word. Those paths lead to life, and to life more abundantly (John 10:10), a life that is distinctly different from the world around us.

I get excited when I think about this truth—that we have been taught by Him. Not only does He speak to us and call us, but He also teaches us. And the truth He teaches is found in Himself. Then in Ephesians 4:22–24, Paul tells us what that truth looks like in daily living: “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Throughout the New Testament, Paul explains this process in his letters to the churches at Ephesus, Colosse, and Rome. In Romans 5 through 8, he teaches us that, because of our salvation in Jesus Christ, we now have a new identity. We can live differently—because we are different. We have been made new creatures. We have put off the old man. Like Lazarus, we have been raised from the dead. The spiritual death that once consumed us, condemned us, and weighed us down with guilt no longer has power over us. We were once condemned to eternity in a place called hell, but now we have been set free.

We are alive in Christ. Because He lives, we live. And because of that, we can live a different life. Oh, I encourage you today—study these verses carefully. We will come back to this truth of putting off the old man and putting on the new man in the days ahead. But I trust you will be encouraged today to know that you have life in Christ. You learn the truth in Him and from Him. He speaks to you. He walks with you. He is your friend, and He desires to walk with you every day.

Today, will you let Him walk with you? That choice is up to you.

God bless!