🛡️WEB · Ephesians 4:22
What does Ephesians 4:22 mean?
"that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit;"
— Ephesians 4:22 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But you did not learn Christ that way;
if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:
that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit;
and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.
Therefore putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.
Explanation
Ephesians 4:22 comes from a passage in which Paul urges believers to change how they live because of who they now are in Christ. In plain language, the verse tells Christians to take off, like a piece of old clothing, the way of life they used to have before knowing Christ—a way of life Paul calls "the old man," which is being ruined and corrupted by desires built on deception and falsehood. It's a call to actively discard a former identity and pattern of living that no longer fits who they are meant to be.
This verse sits within Ephesians, a letter traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul, written to the church at Ephesus (and likely circulated among other churches in Asia Minor) while Paul was imprisoned, probably in Rome. The letter's first half explains the rich theological reality of what God has done in Christ—uniting Jews and Gentiles into one body, the church, and reconciling humanity to himself. The second half, beginning in chapter 4, shifts to practical instruction: since believers have this new identity, they must live differently. Paul contrasts the "old self" with the "new self" (described in verse 24), urging the Ephesians to stop living like the surrounding pagan culture, characterized by futile thinking, hardened hearts, and moral corruption (verses 17-19).
Theologically, this verse reflects a key New Testament theme: conversion involves a decisive break with one's former nature. The phrase "old man" (or "old self") refers not merely to bad habits but to the whole orientation of a person apart from Christ—an identity shaped by sin and
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