4:17Ephesians 4:17

This is a solemn testimony in the Lord that those who have received light must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in emptiness and futility of mind with thoughts fixed on worthless things apart from God.Ms 8, 1914, par. 21–24+4 That Gentile walk is a darkened understanding alienated from the life of God through ignorance and blindness and hardness of heart, ending in loss of feeling and greedy indulgence in sensuality and impurity.Ms 8, 1914, par. 21–24+2 Those converted to God must break with their former talk and life and show by daily conduct and speech that they are truly converted, having learned Christ by putting off the corrupt old self ruled by deceitful lusts, being renewed in the spirit of the mind, and putting on the new man created in righteousness and true holiness.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+4 That new life puts away lying, sinful anger, theft, corrupting talk, bitterness and malice, to speak truth, labor honestly to give to the needy, speak only what edifies, and be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving without grieving the Holy Spirit.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+1 It calls believers to leave divided, self-centered living and walk in the love that dwelt in Jesus, keeping the unity revealed in Ephesians 4 so the body grows to perfection in Christ, obeys God's commandments, and stands as a safeguard when Satan seeks to tear up faith in the last days.Lt 121, 1898, par. 21–23+4

This is solemn testimony in the Lord, a charge no longer to live as the Gentiles live in emptiness of mind.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+1 It is inspired truth to be studied and obeyed, not ignored or treated with indifference, belonging to instruction that means much and must be read publicly and impressed upon minds.7MR 198.2–199.1+1 The teaching of the chapter must be put into daily practice, for living by the Bible makes believers strong in the Lord, while relying on personal ideas and opinions can mislead others.Lt 398, 1906, par. 6+1 It rebukes hard-spiritedness that comes from being strangers to the working of the Holy Spirit and calls for great reformation in words and works and spiritual understanding, learning daily to catch the inspiration of the angels in the heavenly courts and to breathe the atmosphere of heaven.Lt 60, 1906, par. 8–11

Vanity of mind is emptiness and futility of mind, minds fixed on empty or futile things.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+2 It is living separate from God, with darkened understanding and a blind heart ignorant of divine life.Ms 8, 1914, par. 21–24+2 No one who is in Christ represents that class, which stands in contrast with those who are in Christ and strive to do God's will.Ms 94, 1898, par. 20–24

The following words explain that Gentile walk as darkened understanding and alienation from the life of God through ignorance and blindness and hardness of heart.Ms 8, 1914, par. 21–24+4 That hardness ends in loss of feeling and loss of moral feeling.Ms 8, 1914, par. 21–24+2 From there it goes on to greedy indulgence in sensuality and lust, impurity, uncleanness and greed.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+3

The warning is addressed to believers, to those who have professed the gospel and received light.5T 171.3–172.1+2 It warns followers of Jesus even in heathen communities not to live as other Gentiles do, guided by vain minds.AA 470.1–2 Those converted to God do not talk and live as before conversion, but must henceforth break with the former empty-minded walk and must not live or speak like the Gentiles.Lt 11, 1897, par. 10–13+2

Remaining in that condition lets the enemy work by and through church members so that God cannot work in the church.Ms 8, 1914, par. 21–24 It makes them distrust those with whom they are associated because they distrust themselves, and keeps them from yielding to repentance until they are past feeling.Ms 8, 1914, par. 21–24 Obeying the instruction as doers of the word closes the advantage by which Satan seeks to control minds and counteract God's work, and only doers will receive the reward.7MR 198.2–199.1

The charge not to walk in emptiness of mind stands against having learned Christ as the truth is in Jesus.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+2 Learning Him means putting off the former life, the corrupt old self ruled by deceitful lusts.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+2 It means being renewed in the spirit of the mind.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+2 It means putting on the new man, the new self created after God in righteousness and true holiness.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+2

That new creation puts away lying in order to speak truth with one another.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+1 It refuses sinful and lingering anger, for such anger gives place to the devil.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+1 It ceases theft and labors honestly instead, so as to have something to give to the needy.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16 It allows no corrupting talk to proceed, but only speech that edifies and ministers grace to the hearers.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+1 It does not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom believers are sealed unto the day of redemption.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16 It puts away all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking with all malice, and is instead kind and tenderhearted and forgiving, even as God for Christ's sake forgave.Ms 59, 1902, par. 15–16+1

Those taught the truth must show by daily conduct that they are truly converted.5T 171.3–172.1+2 That change must appear in speech as well as life, as part of growing up into Him in all things, who is the Head, even Christ, speaking the truth in love, with the whole body fitly joined together and making increase unto edifying in love in unity of faith.5T 171.3–172.1+2 Self must be humbled and brought under the Holy Spirit's control, and conversion must be renewed daily.Ms 11, 1910, par. 11–13 Those who refuse to walk in the light become confused and are overcome by darkness, while those who follow the path of obedience grow in wisdom and goodness.Ms 11, 1910, par. 11–13 Speech and conduct like the Gentiles are unfit for the heavenly courts, while God's righteous demands are met through the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work.Ms 11, 1910, par. 11–13

The call is to leave poor, weak, self-centered and divided living and to walk instead in the love that dwelt in Jesus, standing on vantage ground by loving one another as Christ loved.Lt 121, 1898, par. 21–23 It is part of God's plan plainly and simply revealed in Ephesians 4, which all His children may lay hold upon, declaring the means He appointed to keep unity in His church so its members reveal to the world a healthy religious experience.Ms 67, 1907, par. 17 That united life is to testify to the unbelieving world that believers have left corrupt ways, live in Christ, and no longer walk as other Gentiles do.Ms 68, 1900, par. 15–19+1 Holding that unity requires blending labor with those God has appointed and holding diversity of gifts in perfect unity, without separating missionary work from ordained ministry, for God's work is to be managed as a whole and to depart from that order leads to human plans that cannot stand.Lt 121, 1898, par. 21–23+1 It requires practicing the golden rule of doing to others as they would have others do to them, bearing a living testimony that the Father loves them even as He loves His Son, and cooperating as laborers together with God by using heaven's provision made at infinite cost to draw souls to obedience.Ms 67, 1907, par. 17

Conforming life to this call means obedience to the commandments of God and unity in the faith of the Scriptures, with lives hid with Christ in God and bound together as one in Christ Jesus.Ms 67, 1907, par. 17+1 It means living in loyalty to God's law, whose blessings come to those who obey, rejecting the disobedient way of life.Ms 116, 1897, par. 27–29 It means becoming partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption in the world through lust.Ms 67, 1907, par. 17 It means magnifying the law of God and making it honorable before the world by courtesy, unwavering fidelity, justice and mercy that demonstrate the law is perfect to convert the soul, so conduct is shaped by God's law.Ms 67, 1907, par. 17+1

Each person must fight his own battle for daily conversion and Christian perfection so the body becomes complete and harmonious and the work is not one-sided but a complete whole.Lt 121, 1898, par. 21–23 By that growth saints are perfected for ministry and edified in love, brought to unity of faith and knowledge of the Son unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.Lt 121, 1898, par. 21–23 They are no more children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and cunning deceit, but speak the truth in love and grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ.Lt 121, 1898, par. 21–23+1 The whole body is then fitly joined together and compacted by what every joint supplies according to the working in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto edifying itself in love as those converted to God break with talking and living as before.Lt 121, 1898, par. 21–23+2

Together with all of Ephesians 4 and 5 and Ephesians 6:10-18, the verse is a safeguard to be seen and heeded when every effort Satan can make is made to tear up the foundation of faith in the third angel's message.Lt 224a, 1906, par. 6 It belongs to the warning in Ephesians 4:1-32 that every soul must take in the last days, calling for faith and works in clear distinct lines, for gathering every ray of light given amid moral darkness to substantiate the truth, and for bearing aloft the banner of the third angel's message.Ms 147, 1904, par. 4–6 That warning calls for setting the churches in order and closing the door of unbelief, for resisting Satan's increasing seducing power that would deceive even the elect, and for making straight paths for the feet so the weak are not turned out of the way.14MR 222.2+1 Its teaching must be put into daily practice and be read publicly and impressed upon minds because it means much, for living by the Bible makes believers strong in the Lord while relying on personal ideas and opinions can mislead others, and not a pin or pillar of the building of the work is to be moved as past, present and future light is communicated by reprinting the history of the past.Lt 398, 1906, par. 6+2