What does Paul mean by “you learned Christ”?

Explanation:

Paul explains the futile life of the Gentiles and then says that this is not how the Ephesians learned Christ. The verb Paul uses for to learn is μανθάνω and the object of the verb is τὸν Χριστόν (Christ). It is not common for a person to be the object of the verb μανθάνω, so what does Paul mean when he refers to the Ephesians as learning Christ? That is, what does it mean to learn Christ? We can detect from earlier in his letter, and from his other writings, that to learn Christ has to do with knowing about Christ, his teachings, and being in a personal relationship with him.⁴

First, earlier in Ephesians, Paul explains that Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Ephesians 1:20), and the believers have been raised with him (Ephesians 2:6). He also explains that Christ dwells in their hearts by faith (Ephesians 3:17), and that Christ encourages believers to grow in their knowledge of him (Ephesians 4:13). All of this points to the fact that Christ is a living Saviour, and believers not only learn about him, but they also enter a personal relationship with him. Thus, learning Christ is to learn about him and grow in one’s relationship with him.

Second, Paul mentions the personal nature of our relationship with Christ in other writings, often characterizing Christ as living in believers. For example, in Galatians 2:20, he explains that it is no longer he himself who lives but Christ who lives in him. Also, in Philippians 1:21 he says that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Finally, in Colossians 3:3 he writes that the believers have died and their life is hidden with Christ in God.⁵

Counterargument:

There are two problems with this argument. First, while it might be the case that Paul explains that Christ is a living Saviour who sits at the right hand of God, this does not mean that to learn Christ has to do with being in a personal relationship with Christ. That is not to say that Paul does not think it is imperative for believers to be in a relationship with Christ, but it is to say that to learn Christ might mean something else. And in fact, the context suggests that it does mean something else, for Paul follows up his comment about learning Christ by adding, assuming that you heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus (Ephesians 4:21). In other words, after saying that ignorance of God is not how the Ephesians learned Christ, he mentions hearing about Christ and being taught in him. Likely, he has in mind the teaching about Christ and his ethics that were passed on to the Ephesians. And such a life and ethics are opposed to the way the Gentiles live.

Second, the passages from other letters offered to support the notion that to learn Christ has to do with being in a personal relationship with him are not to the point. While it is true that in Galatians 2:20 he says that Christ dwells in him, it is not easy to see what Christ dwelling in him has to do with learning Christ. Further, that to live is Christ and to die is gain, and that believers’ lives are hidden with Christ in God, do not seem to be at all relevant to learning Christ.

Response to counterargument:

In fact, Paul’s follow-up comments in Ephesians 4:21 only strengthen the fact that to learn Christ has to do with being in relationship with him. After explaining that living like the Gentiles is not how they learned Christ, Paul says, assuming that you heard about him and were taught in him (Ephesians 4:21). We know from the book of Acts that Paul spent two or three years in Ephesus teaching them the gospel, but he had not seen them for five or six years by the time he writes this letter.⁶ Thus, when he says he assumes they heard the gospel, he is reminding them of the gospel he preached to them. And when he says were taught in him, he likely has in mind the continual growth believers undergo as they learn to live in a personal relationship with Christ.⁷ First believers hear about Christ through the gospel, and then they are taught in him as they accept Christ into their hearts and grow in relationship with him. Thus, to learn Christ is to learn about him, as the Ephesians did when the gospel was preached to them, and to grow in relationship with him.

Explanation:

Paul explains that living in futility like the Gentiles is not how the Ephesians learned Christ. At first we are not sure what Paul means when he talks about learning Christ. In the New Testament, the verb μανθάνω (to learn) is used to denote learning about things, learning doctrine, learning a lesson, to learn by example, and to learn from person, but never used to denote learning a person.⁸ So what is Paul getting at with this somewhat peculiar and unique phrase? It is the peculiarity of the phrase that helps us understand what Paul has in mind.⁹ For Paul knows that the Christian life is multifaceted, having to do with learning about Christ, as well as growing in one’s personal relationship with him. Thus, when Paul refers to learning Christ, his remark offers insight into the unique nature of the Christian faith. Believers learn about Christ when the gospel is preached to them, but by faith, the living Christ lives in their hearts (Ephesians 3:17). As such, to learn Christ is to grow both in knowledge about him and what it is like to be in a relationship with the one who can recreate our hearts, minds, and desires. Paul captures all of this with the phrase to learn Christ. In other words, to learn Christ is to learn about Christ, his teachings, and to grow in a relationship with him as he recreates those who place their faith in him.

Counterargument:

We should not assume that Paul uses a phrase like to learn Christ in order to draw attention to some peculiarity of believing in Christ. Rather, we should assume that Paul is clear in what he means so that if we detect a peculiar statement, we should look to other writings to help us gain clarity. In fact, we can do just that when it comes to this passage, for when we look to Colossians 2:6–7, Paul mentions receiving Christ.¹⁰ Specifically he says, As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. Paul’s point in Colossians is strikingly similar to his point in Ephesians. For in both letters he is concerned with the believers’ walking in a manner worthy of Christ. So what does it mean to receive Christ Jesus the Lord? This has to do with receiving the tradition about Jesus, that is, receiving the teachings about Jesus and his life as true. Likely, then, when Paul refers to learning Christ, he has in mind the same concept, so that to learn Christ is to receive the teachings about Jesus and his life.¹¹

Response to counterargument:

The problem with this counterargument is that it begs the question against the interpretation that to learn Christ is to learn about him and to be in a personal relationship with him. For it is not difficult to see that the notion of receiving Christ, expressed in Colossians 2:6, is just as peculiar and unique as the notion of learning Christ. And this peculiarity is not a negative, but a device Paul uses to help his audience grasp the depth of what it is to follow Christ. For those who follow Christ certainly receive a teaching about Christ. That is, they learn who Christ is, the Messiah who God sent to save the world from their sins. Of course, becoming a follower of Christ is not like becoming a follower of a band. To become a follower of Christ is to learn about Christ, so that by faith, he may dwell in the believer’s heart (Ephesians 3:17). Thus, to receive Christ, or to learn Christ (if in fact these terms are somewhat equivalent), is to learn about him so that he enters our hearts so he can recreate us. So just as there is more to receiving Christ than simply learning about him, so too when it comes to learning Christ.

Possible weaknesses:

It is hard to see what the weakness of this view might be. We know that Christians learn about Christ, and learn him personally as their living Saviour. Also, while the phrase to learn Christ is peculiar, this view holds that the peculiarity is an argument for the fact that to learn Christ is to know him personally.

Explanation:

Paul recounts that the Gentiles walk in darkness, and that they are ignorant of God, but that this is not the way the Ephesians learned Christ. It is interesting that Paul refers to learning Christ, because it is not common for a person to be the object of the verb μανθάνω (to learn).¹⁷ Learning might have to do with learning about a person, but it is not clear what it means to learn a person, so what does Paul mean by this? We can deduce what he means when he speaks of learning Christ by considering his own testimony. Specifically in Philippians 3:7–14, he describes what it means for him to learn Christ. There he explains that he counts everything as a loss compared to the worth of knowing Christ (where knowing Christ is a synonym for learning Christ, Philippians 3:8). Now that he understands Christ’s identity, he wants to be found in him, righteous before God through faith in Christ (Philippians 3:9). Thus, he desires to share Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10), forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13). In other words, Paul’s coming to know Christ has to do with Paul’s coming to terms with Christ’s identity as the Messiah, as well as living a life that aligns with the life of Christ, even if such a life involves suffering and hardship. If we take it that coming to know Christ is equivalent to learning Christ, then learning Christ has to do with learning about Christ and living the way he lived. That is, there is both a cognitive and ethical dimension to learning Christ.

Counterargument:

It is hard to see how knowing Christ and learning Christ are equivalent. In Philippians 3:8, Paul uses the genitive form of the noun γνῶσις (knowledge) to refer to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. The term γνῶσις has to do with the content of one’s knowledge.¹⁸ Thus, Paul considers the content of what he knows about Christ to be of surpassing worth. On the other hand, the verb μανθάνω (to learn) is a verb that has to do with the process of gaining knowledge by skill or instruction.¹⁹ Of course, the notion of gaining knowledge by skill or instruction suggests the process by which one comes to γνῶσις but not the γνῶσις itself. Thus, Paul’s point in Ephesians 4:20 has less to do with knowing about Christ and his ethical teachings, which is what he has in mind in Philippians 3:8–14. Instead, he is saying that the Ephesians did not come to learn Christ through the process of living as Gentiles. Rather, they came to know Christ by putting of their old natures and living holy lives. So coming to know Christ has to do with how one lives, not knowledge about Christ and his ethical teachings.

Response to counterargument:

Paul’s usage of γνῶσις (knowledge) in Philippians 3:8, and the verb μανθάνω (to learn) in Ephesians 4:20 is much closer than it looks. For γνῶσις has to do not only with knowledge as in content but also with knowledge in the sense of comprehension. ²⁰ Thus, when Paul speaks of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8), he has in mind not only content about Christ but also comprehending Christ. So what does it mean to comprehend Christ, and how is this different from content about Christ? Paul explains what it is to comprehend Christ when he equates knowing Christ with sharing in his suffering, becoming like him in his death (Philippians 3:11). Thus, there is an experiential aspect to comprehending Christ, which has to do with suffering as Christ suffered, so that as one experiences the life of Christ, one comprehends him. In a similar way, the verb μανθάνω has to do with coming to a realization, through either instruction or experience.²¹ Likely, Paul wants us to take μανθάνω in the sense of instruction through experience. Thus, Paul is saying that the Ephesians came to a realization or comprehension of Christ, by experiencing what it is to live like him. That is, by learning about Christ, and the ethical dimensions of his teaching they have put off their old nature. Thus, there is a close connection between Philippians 3:7–14 and Ephesians 4:20.

Explanation:

While it might sound strange for our modern ears for a person to be the object of our learning, this was not the case in Paul’s ancient context. Rather, in Paul’s ancient context the ideal ruler, who in this case is the Messiah, was considered a living law.²² In other words, to learn the ideal ruler is not simply to learn the laws the ruler taught, but to consider the ruler himself to be an ideal to attain to. That is, to learn Christ is to consider Christ’s life as a whole as something to be emulated. In fact, Paul often describes the totality of Christ’s life as a living example for his followers. ²³

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that it offers no support to back it up. It is one thing to assert that the ancients considered their ideal rulers to be a living law, while it’s another to produce textual evidence to support this claim. Thus, while it might be that to learn Christ is to consider his life to be something like a living law, so that the Ephesians looked to Christ’s life as a whole for instruction, the claim is unsupported.

Possible weaknesses:

The weakness of this view is that it does not account for the context. The context has to do with putting off one’s sinful nature, so that one’s heart is no longer hardened, and one can enter a relationship with God. Such notions have to do with not only knowledge but also experiences. Thus, to learn Christ has to do with knowledge about Christ but also with experiencing him personally as the one who can soften our hardened hearts. In other words, it is not only that we come to learn about Christ by experiencing what he experienced, but that Christ himself is with us in our experiences, so that we come to learn Christ himself, not just Christ’s experiences.