Paragraph 4:20–24

4:20

But this: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But shows a contrast between two groups of people. In 4:17–19 Paul talked about people who did not know God and the way they acted. Here in 4:20, he said that his readers were not like that. Another way to translate this is:

But you, you did not…

is not the way you came to know Christ: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as is not the way you came to know Christ is literally “did not thus learn Christ,” It means that when the Ephesians learned about Christ, they did not learn to continue to behave as Gentiles.

It is recommended that you follow the example of many English versions that retain the verb “learn.” For example:

That was not what you learned about Christ! (Good News Translation)
-or-
But you did not learn about Christ like this (NET Bible)

the way: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the way refers back to 4:17–19, “in the futility of their thinking,” etc. It refers to the way the Gentiles lived. Some versions simply translate this word as “that.” For example:

But that is not what you learned from Christ’s teachings. (God’s Word)

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