Ephesians 4:21 (DBY)

Passage

if ye have heard him and been instructed in him according as [the] truth is in Jesus;

Nearby Context

Ephesians 4:19 who having cast off all feeling, have given themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greedy unsatisfied lust.

Ephesians 4:20 But *ye* have not thus learnt the Christ,

Ephesians 4:21 if ye have heard him and been instructed in him according as [the] truth is in Jesus;

Ephesians 4:22 [namely] your having put off according to the former conversation the old man which corrupts itself according to the deceitful lusts;

Ephesians 4:23 and being renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heard", "been", "instructed", "truth", and "jesus". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heard" and "been", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "But ye have not thus learnt the..." into verse 22's "namely your having put off according to...", so "heard" and "been" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "heard" and "been" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.