Confused?

Ephesians 4:17
With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. -The Bible

It struck me as I read this chapter that the Gentiles are not just confused, they are hopelessly confused. There is no use trying to tell a Gentile (read: unbeliever) to live a decent life because they are hopelessly confused.

I was at a lecture the other day given by a congressman who was amazed at the lack of common sense displayed by those in congress. He was assigned to a committee that met at 8 PM and allowed members to give input on the topic at hand. It amazes me, he said, that these men were so long winded, so late in the day. Didn't they know we would like them better if they kept it brief? Common sense? Not when the pride of life is at stake. People are confused.

What really struck me in the term hopelessly is the fact that Paul felt he had to use the qualifier in the first place. This implies that the Church was confused as well. Again, the Church was confused as well. Sometimes we think that the Church has the light of Christ and is immune from the confusion of darkness. And we should be. But that's not always the case.

Don't believe me? Keep reading the chapter. Paul tells the Saints not to lie (25), dwell on anger (26), steal (28) or use foul language (29). These are things that people with the Holy Spirit were doing. Talk about confusion! They had Holy God as their guide, and they still went the wrong direction. We can do it too.

Praise God that we are not hopeless though. Praise Him that we have Hope as our guide, if we only listen to Him.