Ephesians 4:18

“being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart”

“Being darkened”: “With their powers of discernment darkened” (TCNT). “They live blindfolded” (Phi). “In their understanding”: Imagination, mind. “The ‘understanding' may be regarded as the reason in action. It includes the ideas not only of thinking but of feeling and desiring. With all its boasted wisdom this world was moving in. sphere of illusions and unreality. It was unable to discover truth. It was absorbed in delusions. It was striving after vanity and after things devoid of worth” (Erdman p. 96). Rejection of God's truth leads to moral darkness (Romans 1:24); spiritual or religious darkness (Romans 1:23) and ignorance concerning the truth of the most basic relationships (Romans 1:26). An individual who rejects the Bible cannot be viewed as "enlightened" (Acts 26:18). The good news is that one can be delivered from this state of spiritual and moral ignorance (1 Peter 1:18; Acts 14:15). “Alienated”:. non-participant, estranged. “From the life of God”:

“Excluded from the life of God” (NASV). “Cut off from” (TCNT). “Having no share in” (Wey). Compare with Ephesians 2:12; Colossians 1:21. This was. self-caused alienation (Ephesians 2:1; Romans 1:18). They were not born alienated from God. People outside of Christ have absolutely no spiritual life. They are 100% spiritually dead in their sins (Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 2:1). If you do not have Jesus, then you do not have Life (John 14:6). Being cut off from God also being cut off from all His spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3), including His mercy, forgiveness and grace. “Because of the ignorance that is in them”: “Because ignorance prevails among them” (NEB).

Boles argues, “in Scripture the word ignorance implies. refusal to know. Not to know the Lord is as much as to ignore Him” (p. 285). The book of Romans seems to back up this contention, because in that book Paul argues that the ignorance of the Gentiles was. self-willed ignorance. People had to suppress the truth. in order to get around it (Romans 1:18). Ignorance of God or His Divine will is inexcusable (2 Thessalonians 1:8; Acts 3:17; Acts 17:30; 1 Peter 1:14). It is inexcusable because the evidence for God's existence is so abundant and so clear (Romans 1:20; Psalms 19:1), the existence of God is so logical (Acts 17:22), and God's revelation to mankind is so accessible (Matthew 28:19).

“Because”: This ignorance was the result of the following. “Of the hardening of their heart”: “Their closed minds” (Beck). “Their minds have grown hard as stone” (NEB). “They are not victims of inadvertent ignorance; their ignorance is. willful product of their hard hearts” (Boles p. 285). “Hardening”: Callousness. The Greek term rendered hardening originally meant. stone that was harder than marble. See Barclay p. 152. Once again this was. self-caused condition (Matthew 13:15; Mark 3:5).

This is also. gradual process. Barclay reminds us, “ No man becomes. great sinner all at once. At first he regards sin with horror. When he sins, there enters into his heart remorse and regret. But if he continues to sin there comes. time when he loses all sensation and can do the most shameful things without any feeling at all. His conscience is petrified” (pp. 152-153). In practical terms one is involved in the process of hardening their heart when they are convicted by the truth, but they refuse to act upon it, violate their conscience, allow opportunities for good works to just pass them by, refuse to acknowledge the wrongs they have committed, and commit sin, yet refuse to repent or ask God for forgiveness. “The word incorporates the idea of being covered with. stone. When the heart is petrified or turned to stone, the individual becomes calloused to sin and hard-skinned toward the reception of truth. This condition further promotes ignorance” (Caldwell p. 196). (Ezekiel 2:19).