Suggestions for leading a study:

• Familiarize yourself with the passage in context, including the book itself.  Who wrote it to whom, and why?
• Read through the study guide a couple times to get the “big idea” as well as the flow of the argument
• Have the group read through the passage in it’s entirety before beginning the study.  One of the goals is to try to get your members to learn how to study Scripture methodically, and this is an important step.
• Be prayed up
• Have fun!
  

Attitude Adjustment

²²You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
²⁵Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
²⁹Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 5
¹Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children ²and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Discussion Questions

-According to verse 22, what is it that corrupts us?

-What is the way to fix this, according to verse 23?

-According to verse 24, what will changing the way we think enable us to do? 

-How does this verse describe what our new selves were created to be like?  How does having a goal that high help in creating the right attitude?

-Skip ahead to 5:1,2 where Christ is given as the example of the right kind of attitude.  How is the way he behaved different from being “corrupted by deceitful desires?” 

-Verses 25-32 mention a series of things that an attitude adjustment will help us accomplish.   For each one, tell how our behavior would be different if we were motivated by selfish desires, or by a willingness to sacrifice for the benefit of others.

-v. 25: put off falsehood and speak truthfully.

-v. 26: Don’t let anger cause you to sin and don’t let it be an ongoing issue.

-v. 28: Don’t lie cheat and steal to get ahead.  Earn an honest living so you can be generous.

-v.29: Don’t let your talk be nasty and disrespectful, but decent and uplifting.

-v. 32: Be willing to really forgive people.

-Which area would benefit most from an attitude adjustment? 

This lesson underscores how important having a sacrificial attitude like God does rather than a selfish one like we tend to have can be, especially in regards to some of the practical ways that we relate to other people.

-According to verse 22, what is it that corrupts us?

            This verse specifies our own deceitful desires as that which corrupts the “old self.” 

-What is the way to fix this, according to verse 23? 

            The sense of flow in verses 22-24 is the problem, the solution, and the result.  Verse 22 was the problem: an old self being corrupted by our own selfishness.  In verse 23 is the solution: a new attitude.  Literally, “be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”  A completely different way of looking at life than the one that is primarily motivated by selfish desires.  A serious “attitude adjustment”.

-According to verse 24, what will changing the way we think enable us to do? 

            It will enable us to put on the new self.  The real kicker for this one is in the next question.

-How does this verse describe what our new selves were created to be like?  How does having a goal that high help in creating the right attitude?

            Oops.  The new self is supposed to be what we were created to be, which is like God in true righteousness and holiness.  Having expectations that high can have two possible results.  One might be a sense of futility that would cause us to not even try.  Obviously, that is not what the author had in mind.  The other would be something to strive for that would keep us always looking up and striving to improve.  To be exactly like God in this world is obviously not possible, which is why God has imputed the righteousness of Christ to us (see 1 Cor. 5:17-21).  But we wouldn’t ever want to “get there” anyway, since our motivation would disappear. 

-Skip ahead to 5:1,2 where Christ is given as the example of the right kind of attitude.  How is the way he behaved different from being “corrupted by deceitful desires?” 

            Many times biblical authors will bracket what they are trying to say in a given passage, rather than moving from an introduction at the beginning to a conclusion at the end, like we are used to.  Here is one of those times.  The description in the first couple verses of chapter 5 is meant to clarify what it means to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  It isn’t about sinless perfection, it is about a love for other people that displays itself in a willingness to sacrifice for their benefit.  Jesus Christ and his sacrifice is the ultimate example of that.

-Verses 25-32 mention a series of things that an attitude adjustment will help us accomplish.   For each one, tell how our behavior would be different if we were motivated by selfish desires, or by a willingness to sacrifice for the benefit of others.

            The center of the “brackets” which explain what a godly attitude really is, include a series of very practical ways having a sacrificial attitude like Jesus did rather than a selfish one like we tend to will help us relate to other people in healthy ways.  Note that none of these is about personal piety, but about treating other people well.  That is always the goal of becoming more like Christ.  For each of these, if you can draw out a practical example from the group as to how a different kind of attitude would alter a behavior, it will help bring this lesson home.  If it looks like you’ll have the time, try asking for each one: “What might be an example of how this would work out in your life”?, or something to that effect.

-v. 25: put off falsehood and speak truthfully.

                        Selfishness will cause us to say what we need to in order to benefit ourselves.  Truthfulness can be costly at times, and require sacrifice, but it will always benefit relationships in the long run.

-v. 26: Don’t let anger cause you to sin and don’t let it be an ongoing issue.

                        Anger is always caused by a blocked goal—something we wanted didn’t happen.  Selfishness is the root of all anger.  If our primary attitude is one of being concerned about what is best for other people rather than ourselves, than the root of anger is removed.  Short term emotional responses are sometimes unavoidable, as this passage admits, but getting away from selfish mode into sacrifice mode should help us “put it to bed” before we retire ourselves.

-v. 28: Don’t lie cheat and steal to get ahead.  Earn an honest living so you can be generous.

            The way selfishness relates to this is obvious in regards to the issue of stealing.  The unique addition to earning an honest living as having the goal of being able to help others with it is where a sacrificial attitude will change the work equation for us.  Thinking of our jobs as ways that we help others will create success in business (we help our bosses, our customers, etc.), but also our relationships (we help our families, our church, other people).  If the first goal for our employment is to help ourselves, we will be catering to our old selves again.

-v.29: Don’t let your talk be nasty and disrespectful, but decent and uplifting.

            Talking other people down is always a way to elevate ourselves relative to them.  Not being motivated by our selfish desires, especially the one we all have to feel good about ourselves and important in this world, will help solve that one.  If we train ourselves to always be asking how we can sacrifice for others, than we will find that using our speech to build other people up and sacrificing the opportunities to toot our own horn, or tear other people down, will be one of the most powerful ways God has given us to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

-v. 32: Be willing to really forgive people.

                        Selfishness disallows forgiveness.  To do so is to give up your own rights and felt need for vengeance.  But one of the most powerful and positive things you can do for people is to forgive them.  Since you benefit even more from doing that, having a self-less attitude shouldn’t be required, but alas our “old selves” have a hard time seeing through the emotional mist that victimization creates. 

-Which area would benefit most from an attitude adjustment?  

            A practical wrap-up question if you have time and your group dynamics allow for some soul-searching in these areas.  Where will putting your own desires aside and being willing to sacrifice for others really change things in regards to these important ways of relating to people?