In studying Ephesians, it came as a bit of a shock for me to realize that Paul is basically urging Christians, in response to the Gospel (chapters 1-3, or perhaps 1-4:16 since there’s something like a “false start” in the beginning, a possible mirror image to the “non-conclusion” in 3:1 that is then resumed in 3:14), to adopt or learn new habits.
Can new habits do anything?
When we despise new habits and the “natural” processes that form them, are we really being so Spiritual? Remember Naaman the Syrian who almost didn’t bothered to be healed because the instructions given him were too mundane:
But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
2 Kings 5:11–14 ESV
If Paul writes to you that the peace that is the crucified and risen Christ (Eph 2:14-15), and our unity in the one Spirit (Eph 2:18) must be maintained by our new “walk” (Eph 4:1-3), are you or I in a position to say that such a strategy is too “human.” Maybe the impotence of humanity is the whole point. Maybe we should follow Paul’s inspired directions as an acknowledgment that God must continue to do miracles for anything good to come from congregations that merely “walk in love” (Eph 5:2).
After all, according to Paul, the Devil himself is hoping we give him opportunities to disrupt that unity (Eph 4:27). Does he think more highly of the power of adopting new habits than we do? Is he the one trying to get us to discount the importance of our actions so that we aren’t as eager as we should be? (Eph 4:3)
We are enthroned in the heavens (Eph 1:3; 2:7 etc). But we are at war for our lives in those same heavens (Eph 6:10ff). Wisdom would suggest that we not despise God’s armor.