What are the deceitful lusts in Ephesians 4:22?

Ephesians 4:22 urges believers to “put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (NKJV). The phrase, “deceitful lusts,” refers to desires and cravings that lead people away from God’s truth and righteousness. Deceitful lusts promise satisfaction and fulfillment but result in sin and death.

In James 1:14–15, the apostle explains the relationship between lust (or desire), sin, and death. He says, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (ESV). Deceitful lusts draw people into a cycle of sin and death. Yet through Jesus Christ, people can break free from them.

Deceitful lusts manifest in many ways, such as sensuality, greed, and impurity (Ephesians 4:19). These sins lead people away from God’s holiness and into a state of spiritual and moral ruin, as Paul articulates in Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death” (ESV). In other words, there is a high cost to deceitful lusts.

Deceitful lusts disguise themselves as desirable. This is how the serpent persuaded Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:6 ESV).

Deceitful lusts, then, blind us to the truth of God in Christ. Paul says, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV). Although Paul is speaking about Satan’s influence on unbelievers, believers can also become blinded by deceitful lusts. For example, wealth can be a legitimate pursuit, but when it turns to greed, it becomes a deceitful lust that corrupts our character. Likewise, sexual desire for a spouse is healthy, but lust for someone who is not our spouse is a deceitful desire. These desires may seem “normal” or “okay,” but they are dangerous. This is why we must “put to death” (Colossians 3:5 ESV) deceitful lusts and “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24 ESV).

To overcome deceitful lusts, we must submit to Paul’s instruction in Romans 12:1–2. Paul says, “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (ESV). Both submission to God and a renewed mind are the antidotes to deceitful lusts, as they reorient our minds and hearts toward godly desires (cf. Colossians 3:1–2).

Deceitful lusts offer nothing but an illusion of satisfaction while draining us of spiritual nourishment in Christ. By recognizing the deceptive nature of lust, we can guard ourselves against sin and remain on the path of righteousness and everlasting life. The writer of Hebrews tells believers to help each other in doing this: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13).