Put Off the "old man" and Put On the "new man"
Put Off the “old man” and Put On the “new man”
Please meet Domingo and Irene Garcia. Domingo got Irene pregnant when both were 16 years in high school. They subsequently married with the reluctant permission of their parents. Domingo had long history with police of arrests and short imprisonments. He was drinking heavily and doing other unprintable things. He would come home and beat the wife Irene. Irene felt like she was in prison and the only weapon she had was her mouth which she used to tear and shred Domingo into pieces which resulted to more beatings. There was no hope for this couple until Christ got hold of them.
This is a powerful story of redemption and transformation as told by Domingo and Irene on FamilyLife Today radio program. It is not and endorsement of spousal physical abuse and if you are in that situation, please get immediate help. “Domingo and Irene Garcia gave their lives to Christ, miracles happened. Hear Domingo and Irene share how God filled their hearts to the brim; so much so that, they’ve fostered or raised 32 children, many of whom have special needs” Please check it out.
http://www.familylife.com/audio/topics/marriage/challenges/understanding-differences/rich-in-love/20141001-through-his-love
We are instructed to walk worthy of our calling in our new relationship with God. By grace we have come to a new relationship where all our sins are forgiven by God. This is just the beginning of the relationship. We have been saved by grace and not because of good works. We are saved for good works. As result, we owe our life and being to the One who died and redeemed us.
As we encounter the Scripture in Ephesians 4, some may think how come we now have a list of dos and don’ts just like in the Old Testament. It is a good question to ask. Are we still under grace if we have to do and behave these ways outlined by the Holy Spirit thru Apostle Paul? Is Paul taking us back to the laws of OT of which he is very familiar with?
The answer is no. Grace, meaning God working on our behalf to accomplish His purpose is at work always in our lives (at the beginning of salvation) and ongoing in the present work of sanctification and maturity to Christ-likeness. We must put off and put on new ways of thinking and behaving by the power of God’s grace. Grace always comes with power to do. As we read the following in Ephesians 4, let’s not think we can do these on our own though we have a responsibility to yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit for obedience. Grace is free but it is not cheap and we must value it. Ephesians 4:17-32.
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of[d] the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”[e] for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”:[f] do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Our old stinking thinking – It comes down to the lack of the knowledge of God or ignorance of God. Our thinking flows from our theology (knowledge and concept of God). Bad theology, bad thinking; bad thinking, bad behavior and vices. We are “no longer to walk as the rest of the Gentile”. We have a new way to walk. The walk of the rest of the Gentiles is the way we used to walk - Ephesians 2:1-6.
We are being asked to put off and put on. We cannot put off without putting on. It is like someone removing their clothes and walking out of the house without new clothes. It is unthinkable for us in the day to day natural life and it is also unthinkable in our spiritual life. “ Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”.
Notice what we are putting off. We are to put off the “old man”, “old self”, “old nature” which was ruled by deceitful lusts. The old man is controlled by the deceiver, Satan. We are to have nothing with him. Our old self is renewed through God’s word working in the “spirit of our minds”. The word of God comes and cleanses us from every unrighteousness. It is like the dialysis for patients with kidney disease. The old blood is cleansed and a new blood flows. Are you going thru your daily “Word Dialysis” cleansing?
We are to put on the “new man”, a “new self” made in the image of God which is righteousness and holiness. We are to put on Christ for He is our new self – the Righteous One. Paul said so in Galatians2:20 “20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
We are not being asked to improve our behavior. That is the way the World teaches. We are being asked to put on Christ so that Christ will live through us. Any other way of living apart from Christ living through us leads to frustration and dissatisfaction. We are not in a self-help program. We are in a Christ help living. Jesus said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing”. That is what happened in Domingo and Irene’s lives. Their story is actually the story of Christ living through messed up, hopeless and now redeemed people. No life is beyond salvation. Let’s believe, preach and live redemption.
Have you put off the “old man”? Have you put on the “new man”? Are you renewing your mind by the Word of God?Lord Jesus, we thank you for dying and redeeming us from death everlasting. We thank you for transforming our lives from darkness into light. I pray for any who has not experienced your grace that you will do a mighty work of salvation in his or her life. Lord, live your life through me,and help me to respond to obedience I pray. Amen.
Please meet Domingo and Irene Garcia. Domingo got Irene pregnant when both were 16 years in high school. They subsequently married with the reluctant permission of their parents. Domingo had long history with police of arrests and short imprisonments. He was drinking heavily and doing other unprintable things. He would come home and beat the wife Irene. Irene felt like she was in prison and the only weapon she had was her mouth which she used to tear and shred Domingo into pieces which resulted to more beatings. There was no hope for this couple until Christ got hold of them.
This is a powerful story of redemption and transformation as told by Domingo and Irene on FamilyLife Today radio program. It is not and endorsement of spousal physical abuse and if you are in that situation, please get immediate help. “Domingo and Irene Garcia gave their lives to Christ, miracles happened. Hear Domingo and Irene share how God filled their hearts to the brim; so much so that, they’ve fostered or raised 32 children, many of whom have special needs” Please check it out.
http://www.familylife.com/audio/topics/marriage/challenges/understanding-differences/rich-in-love/20141001-through-his-love
We are instructed to walk worthy of our calling in our new relationship with God. By grace we have come to a new relationship where all our sins are forgiven by God. This is just the beginning of the relationship. We have been saved by grace and not because of good works. We are saved for good works. As result, we owe our life and being to the One who died and redeemed us.
As we encounter the Scripture in Ephesians 4, some may think how come we now have a list of dos and don’ts just like in the Old Testament. It is a good question to ask. Are we still under grace if we have to do and behave these ways outlined by the Holy Spirit thru Apostle Paul? Is Paul taking us back to the laws of OT of which he is very familiar with?
The answer is no. Grace, meaning God working on our behalf to accomplish His purpose is at work always in our lives (at the beginning of salvation) and ongoing in the present work of sanctification and maturity to Christ-likeness. We must put off and put on new ways of thinking and behaving by the power of God’s grace. Grace always comes with power to do. As we read the following in Ephesians 4, let’s not think we can do these on our own though we have a responsibility to yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit for obedience. Grace is free but it is not cheap and we must value it. Ephesians 4:17-32.
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of[d] the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”[e] for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”:[f] do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Our old stinking thinking – It comes down to the lack of the knowledge of God or ignorance of God. Our thinking flows from our theology (knowledge and concept of God). Bad theology, bad thinking; bad thinking, bad behavior and vices. We are “no longer to walk as the rest of the Gentile”. We have a new way to walk. The walk of the rest of the Gentiles is the way we used to walk - Ephesians 2:1-6.
We are being asked to put off and put on. We cannot put off without putting on. It is like someone removing their clothes and walking out of the house without new clothes. It is unthinkable for us in the day to day natural life and it is also unthinkable in our spiritual life. “ Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”.
Notice what we are putting off. We are to put off the “old man”, “old self”, “old nature” which was ruled by deceitful lusts. The old man is controlled by the deceiver, Satan. We are to have nothing with him. Our old self is renewed through God’s word working in the “spirit of our minds”. The word of God comes and cleanses us from every unrighteousness. It is like the dialysis for patients with kidney disease. The old blood is cleansed and a new blood flows. Are you going thru your daily “Word Dialysis” cleansing?
We are to put on the “new man”, a “new self” made in the image of God which is righteousness and holiness. We are to put on Christ for He is our new self – the Righteous One. Paul said so in Galatians2:20 “20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
We are not being asked to improve our behavior. That is the way the World teaches. We are being asked to put on Christ so that Christ will live through us. Any other way of living apart from Christ living through us leads to frustration and dissatisfaction. We are not in a self-help program. We are in a Christ help living. Jesus said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing”. That is what happened in Domingo and Irene’s lives. Their story is actually the story of Christ living through messed up, hopeless and now redeemed people. No life is beyond salvation. Let’s believe, preach and live redemption.
Have you put off the “old man”? Have you put on the “new man”? Are you renewing your mind by the Word of God?Lord Jesus, we thank you for dying and redeeming us from death everlasting. We thank you for transforming our lives from darkness into light. I pray for any who has not experienced your grace that you will do a mighty work of salvation in his or her life. Lord, live your life through me,and help me to respond to obedience I pray. Amen.
Comments