Bible Study Letting the Enemy In.

[Tenchi]

Ephesians 4:22-27
22 ...put off your old self, which belongs to your former
manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
24 and put on the new self, created after the
likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you
speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27 and give no place to the devil.
​

"Give no place to the devil." This verse was quoted in another thread in this subforum but without any explanation and so I thought it would be helpful to consider the meaning of the verse in its immediate context. Always, of course, a word or verse must be understood in its immediate context, not lifted out and massaged into saying whatever the reader wants it to say. When verse 27 in the passage above is connected to what immediately precedes it, the verse comes into focus.

The "old self" (verse 22) is bound under the power of the World, the Flesh and the devil, the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1-3. This is the "natural" state of the old Self, whom Paul described also as "...foolish, disobedient, deceived; living in malice and envy; hateful and hating..." (Titus 3:3). Paul offers other characteristics of the "old Self" in the passage above from his letter to the believers at Ephesus: The "old Self" is "corrupt through deceitful desires" (verse 22); to put it off, or to put it away, is to put off/away "falsehood" (verse 25). Those under the sway of the "old Self," who are yet to be "born-again," are called "tares" by Jesus and these "tares" he said, are "sons (and daughters) of the evil one" (Matthew 13:38). The apostle John wrote that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19) and only those who are Christ's, who have put off the "old Self" and put on the "new Self" and have thus been "renewed in the spirit of their minds," are exempt from the evil one's direct control (verses 23 and 24).

So, then, to "give no place to the devil" requires that one do as Paul instructed in the quotation above from Ephesians and "put off the old Self." Not to do so is to remain under the evil one's power and thus to "give place" to him. The person who "puts off the old Self" and "puts on the new Self" created in "true righteousness and holiness" leaves falsehood behind - or, they should - and "speaks truth with his neighbor," being properly angry at evil and thus avoiding sin.

What does Paul mean by "put on the new Self"?

Galatians 3:27
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Romans 13:12-14
12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

The "new Self" created in true righteousness and holiness" is the "new creature in Christ" of 2 Corinthians 5:17, who has become so by the work of the Holy Spirit who "baptizes" all who trust in Christ as their Savior and yielded to him as their Lord (Romans 10:9-10) into him. By this "baptism" - an entirely spiritual event - a person is "clothed in Christ" and in so doing ceases to "give place to the devil."

Have you "put off the old Self" and put on the "new Self" who is derived from Christ? If not, you're the devil's "real estate," his "child," in fact, bound under his power and headed for hell. To you I echo the apostle Paul and say, "Give no place to the devil"!

 

[Christ_empowered]

Good post. Just a question
What do you think of Chip Ingram and other spiritual warfare focused people? I’m just asking because I rather like what little Chip Ingram I’ve read, but I don’t think he’s necessarily writing the sort of material that many people think of when they hear “spiritual warfare…”

And spiritual warfare seems to have become something of a cottage industry within the church ️…

 

[Hopeful 2]

Ephesians 4:22-27
22 ...put off your old self, which belongs to your former
manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
24 and put on the new self, created after the
likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you
speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27 and give no place to the devil.
​

"Give no place to the devil." This verse was quoted in another thread in this subforum but without any explanation and so I thought it would be helpful to consider the meaning of the verse in its immediate context. Always, of course, a word or verse must be understood in its immediate context, not lifted out and massaged into saying whatever the reader wants it to say. When verse 27 in the passage above is connected to what immediately precedes it, the verse comes into focus.

The "old self" (verse 22) is bound under the power of the World, the Flesh and the devil, the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1-3. This is the "natural" state of the old Self, whom Paul described also as "...foolish, disobedient, deceived; living in malice and envy; hateful and hating..." (Titus 3:3). Paul offers other characteristics of the "old Self" in the passage above from his letter to the believers at Ephesus: The "old Self" is "corrupt through deceitful desires" (verse 22); to put it off, or to put it away, is to put off/away "falsehood" (verse 25). Those under the sway of the "old Self," who are yet to be "born-again," are called "tares" by Jesus and these "tares" he said, are "sons (and daughters) of the evil one" (Matthew 13:38). The apostle John wrote that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19) and only those who are Christ's, who have put off the "old Self" and put on the "new Self" and have thus been "renewed in the spirit of their minds," are exempt from the evil one's direct control (verses 23 and 24).

So, then, to "give no place to the devil" requires that one do as Paul instructed in the quotation above from Ephesians and "put off the old Self." Not to do so is to remain under the evil one's power and thus to "give place" to him. The person who "puts off the old Self" and "puts on the new Self" created in "true righteousness and holiness" leaves falsehood behind - or, they should - and "speaks truth with his neighbor," being properly angry at evil and thus avoiding sin.

What does Paul mean by "put on the new Self"?

Galatians 3:27
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Romans 13:12-14
12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

The "new Self" created in true righteousness and holiness" is the "new creature in Christ" of 2 Corinthians 5:17, who has become so by the work of the Holy Spirit who "baptizes" all who trust in Christ as their Savior and yielded to him as their Lord (Romans 10:9-10) into him. By this "baptism" - an entirely spiritual event - a person is "clothed in Christ" and in so doing ceases to "give place to the devil."

Have you "put off the old Self" and put on the "new Self" who is derived from Christ? If not, you're the devil's "real estate," his "child," in fact, bound under his power and headed for hell. To you I echo the apostle Paul and say, "Give no place to the devil"!

Obedience to scriptures like that make is possible to live without sin.
A POV you were previously against, but now I pray you have adopted with an open heart.

 

[Tenchi]

And spiritual warfare seems to have become something of a cottage industry within the church

Hah. Very insightful. In North America, Christianity has accrued to itself an entire industry of "teaching helps," and "instructional series," and various spiritual conferences "reviving" the believer spiritually (for only $300.00 for the entire conference, of course). Scripture warns believers to watch out for those who would "make merchandise" of them, if possible (2 Peter 2:8).

I don't know much about Chip Ingram, so I don't have much to offer in assessment of his teaching.

I would, though, be careful of any teacher/pastor who is "empire building," selling "new and vital instructional materials" on a regular basis, making themselves central to their spiritual "products" and empire rather than Christ. Believers in North America are so reflexively consumerist now in their thinking and conduct that they no longer wonder at the pastor/teacher who is always marketing himself and his array of materials to fellow believers. In fact, this is so much the case that consumerist believers are suspicious of those who don't, wondering what it means that such marketing-disinterested pastors/teachers aren't trying to sell them their latest book or "spiritual survival kit." Weird.

 

[Christ_empowered]

I dunno
The chip Ingram material was well written lots of appropriately selected Bible verses and…yeah. But…

A quick search on Amazon shows that a lot of Christian material is moving towards superstitions and or a sort of folk magic …

And then the mainstream stuff seems mostly therapeutic which…as a psych survivor…

I find especially troubling because that’s an especially deadly form of worldly wisdom.