Meketi appears 22 times in the New Testament, combining me (not) + eti (still/longer) to create 'no more' or 'no longer.' It is frequently Paul's word for the radical discontinuity of Christian conversion — 'no longer live as the Gentiles do' (Ephesians 4:17); 'no longer be slaves to sin' (Romans 6:6); 'no longer a slave' (Galatians 4:7). The word carries the weight of a decisive turning point that has permanently changed the landscape.
Meketi is the grammar of repentance and new creation. Every use implies a 'before' — a state that has been definitively left behind. Ephesians 4:17-32 builds an entire ethics on meketi: 'no longer live in the futility of their thinking... no longer lie to each other... no longer steal.' The repeated negations mark the boundary between old self and new self. Yet Paul always grounds the imperative in the indicative — 'you are no longer a slave' (what God has done) precedes 'live no longer as one' (what you must do). The 'no longer' of the Gospel is liberation, not mere prohibition.