Put Off the Old Man and Put on the New Man
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17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of 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.
We have spent the last several weeks unpacking vs 17-21.
Paul began this paragraph with “This I say therefore” linking this back to the previous paragraph in which he told us the end game for the people of God is to grow in unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Seeing as this is the purpose for which we are predestined Paul urges us therefore the we should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk because that would be inconsistent with our calling. We must be moving towards our calling not away from it.
The only reason that the Gentiles walk as they do is because they are alienated from the life of God, futile in their thoughts, ignorant, blind, hardened in their hearts and their understanding is darkened.
But that is not the case for us. As we grow in “the knowledge of the Son of God” We “so learn Christ” and the truth is in Christ. And it is this knowledge of the truth which frees us from the lies of our old way of life.
This is why, as we looked at last time, that the question “should continue in sin that grace might abound?” is so far from truth that to even ask the question demonstrates we have not learned Christ.
So Paul says But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him. Christ said my sheep hear my voice and follow me. So if we have heard the Shepherd and followed Him and have been taught by Him then we have known the truth. and as Christ said
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
So if we have so learned Christ Paul says that we will Put off the old man and put on the new man.
Put Off the Old Man
Put Off the Old Man
When Paul says put off the old man and put on the new man he is using the language of clothing. Take off your old clothes and put on the new clothes.
At first glance this seems superficial. almost hypocritical. As if I’m putting on some sort of clothing that will cover up my true self masking it from others. But no Paul says put off the old man and put on the new man. This is anything but hypocritical. This is integrity. This is taking off a whole person and putting on a whole new person.
We looked a couple of weeks ago at
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
The old man has been put to death. And in
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So the old man that Paul tells us to put off is dead. He is crucified with Christ so the the body of sin might be destroyed. This is the truth. So he says reckon yourself to be dead unto sin. That is know the truth, acknowledge the truth. You are not your old self that self is dead.
So who are you now? This is so good. this is so relevant because this is identity.
Everyone is talking about who are what they identify as. And all this talk of identity is centred on self. It’s all egotistical and narcissistic. And it has no basis in reality, it has no association with truth.
What Paul is teaching is that our identity as believers in Christ rest on a foundation of truth. That truth is that our old self died on the cross with Christ so now reckon yourselves to be dead indeed. Acknowledge the truth, live the truth, your old self is dead.
Interestingly the word in vs 11 translated yourselves in the Greek literally means him, her, them, they. These are your pronouns, your identity. For the Christian struggling with gender identity I believe Paul would say that was all crucified with Christ on the cross. So reckon your gender confusion dead. Put off that identity.
Coming back to our text
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
So this old person, Paul say grows corrupt which I believe is a summery of the previous verses. That through the hardness or heart it grow corrupt through alienation from God and darkness of understanding to work all uncleanness with greediness.
It grow corrupt according to the deceitful lust.
Why did he use the word deceitful?
I believe that this highlights the real battle. Truth vs lies. The lust and corrupt life style of the old man is based on lies. Essential we sin because we have been deceived. Sin itself is a deception.
Satan told Eve the lie, “you will not surely die” Then He told her that God was withholding something good from them. This is at the heart of all sin. It promises to give something good something that God is withholding from you. But all it holds for us is death.
In Heb 3:13
13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Notice the urgency. Quickly, today, while it is still call “today”. lest you be hardened through the lie of sin.
This is why Christ told us that freedom from sin is to know the truth. What is the truth?
The same as it was in the Garden, God loves you, God only wants what is best for you. God will give you everything you could ever need and He will fulfil every good desire. He is not withholding good from us, and if he says don’t do something then it is to protect us from heartache and pain. The fulness of joy if found only in Him.
So we put off the old person and then what?
Put On the New Man
Put On the New Man
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.
This si what Paul talks about in
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
The old man he said was according to deceitful lust but the new man was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness
The old is according to deceit the new according to God and truth. the old according to lust the new according to righteousness and holiness.
This is an acknowledgement of the truth and living the truth. Paul is not asking us to act like we are something that we are not.
7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
Leaven here is representative of sin.
We don’t purge out the old leaven in order to be unleavened. In other words we don’t stop sinning in order to be righteous. We are already righteous because we are justified by faith in Christ. But because we are righteous we should stop sinning. Since you are truly unleavened purge our the leaven in your life.
If putting off the old is putting off my old identity then what is the identity of the new?
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
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.
Let us live in truth. Let us be who we are in Christ.