Ephesians 4.24c-The Means the Father Used to Create the New Man
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday September 20, 2025
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:24c-The Means the Father Used to Create the New Man
Lesson # 280
Ephesians 4:24 Specifically, each and every one of you as a corporate unit were taught to clothe yourselves with the new man, which has been created in conformity with God’s image by the exemplification of righteousness, yes the exemplification of a holy righteousness as well by means of the one and only truth. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 4:24 is composed of the following: (1) infinitival clause endysasthai ton kainon anthrōpon (ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον), “each and every one of you as a corporate unit were taught to clothe yourselves with the new man. (Lecturer’s translation) (2) attributive participial clause ton kata theon ktisthenta (τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα), “which has been created in conformity with God’s image. (Lecturer’s translation) (3) prepositional phrase en dikaiosynē kai hosiotēti tēs alētheias (ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ὁσιότητι τῆς ἀληθείας), “by the one and only truth exemplifying righteousness, indeed by exemplifying a holy righteousness.” (Lecturer’s translation)
Syntactically, the infinitival clause completes the protasis of a first class condition, which began in Ephesians 4:21 and whose apodosis appears in Ephesians 4:20.
This infinitival clause also defines what Paul means when he asserts in Ephesians 4:23 that the recipients of this epistle were taught to replenish their human spirit, which is their regenerate mind or mind of Christ.
It reminds them that they were to replenish their human spirit or regenerate mind by clothing themselves with the new man, which is the new identity because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ.
This infinitival clause is modified by a participial clause, which serves to describe the new man as being created in conformity with God the Father’s image.
The prepositional phrase modifies this participial clause by presenting the means by which the Father created the new man in conformity with His image and it also presents the agency through whom the Father did this.
Namely, the Father created this new man in conformity with His image by perfectly exemplifying His holy righteousness by means of the one and only truth, who is His Son, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, Paul is reminding the recipients of this epistle that the new man was created by the Father through the person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ in the sense that His Son became the head and prototype of the new creation as a result of His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at His Father’s right hand.
Now, as we noted the attributive participial clause ton kata theon ktisthenta (τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα), “which has been created in conformity with God’s image. (Lecturer’s translation) is modified by the prepositional phrase en dikaiosynē kai hosiotēti tēs alētheias (ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ὁσιότητι τῆς ἀληθείας), “by exemplifying righteousness, indeed exemplifying holy righteousness by means of the one and only truth.” (Lecturer’s translation)
This prepositional phrase contains the noun dikaiosune (δικαιοσύνη), which refers to the righteousness of Jesus Christ and contains the figure of metonymy meaning that divine righteousness is put for the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly exemplifying it during His First Advent.
This is indicated by the fact that the new man which the believer is taught to clothe themselves with after justification was created in conformity with the Father’s image, which Jesus Christ perfectly exhibited during His First Advent since He is the incarnate Son of God (John 1:14; 14:9-10).
Thus, the new man is the nature of Jesus Christ, which the believer appropriated at their justification through the work of the Holy Spirit in baptism and regeneration.
Therefore, the noun dikaiosune (δικαιοσύνη) expresses the idea that Jesus Christ during His First Advent perfectly manifested God’s righteousness by perfectly exemplifying His Father’s perfect integrity and virtue.
It also speaks of Him perfectly adhering to His Father’s perfect standards as revealed in the Mosaic Law.
It also expresses the fact that during His First Advent, Jesus Christ perfectly did all that God the Father commanded Him to do as His one and only Son.
This noun also expresses the fact that Jesus Christ during His First Advent perfectly fulfilled His obligations to both God the Father and His fellow human being.
In relation to the former, he perfectly loved the Father with His entire being and strength by perfectly obeying everything His Father commanded Him to do during His First Advent.
On other hand, in relation to the latter He perfectly loved His fellow human being as Himself.
In Ephesians 4:24, this prepositional phrase also contains the noun hosiotes (ὁσιότης), which refers to the divine nature of Jesus Christ and thus His transcendent character, which stands in contrast to the character and nature of both human and angelic beings.
This word also contains the figure of metonymy meaning that divine holiness is put for the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly exemplifying it during His First Advent.
Therefore, this word expresses the idea that Jesus Christ during His First Advent perfectly manifested the aggregate (i.e., sum total) of perfect features and traits that form the divine nature.
In other words, He perfectly exemplified all of the divine attributes during His First Advent.
The holiness of Jesus Christ like that of the Father and the Spirit is the aggregate of perfect divine attributes that form the nature of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Thus, God’s holiness is related to all of divine attributes of the triune God.
The term hosiotes (ὁσιότης), “holiness” refers to the absolute perfection of the character of Jesus Christ, expressing His purity of character or moral perfection and excellence, thus making Him totally separate from sin and sinners.
During His First Advent, Jesus Christ perfectly manifested the absolute perfection of God and thus the purity of God’s character and moral perfection and excellence.
Thus, He was totally separate from sin and sinners.
However, by living a sinless life under the Law and suffering the wrath of God in the place of all of sinful humanity, He created through His person and finished work on the cross a way for sinners to be made holy, which was based upon the merits of His impeccable Person and Finished Work on the cross.
The prepositional phrase en dikaiosynē kai hosiotēti tēs alētheias (ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ὁσιότητι τῆς ἀληθείας), “by exemplifying righteousness, indeed exemplifying holy righteousness by means of the one and only truth.” (Lecturer’s translation) contains the figure of hendiadys.
It takes place when two nouns are used to express one idea or concept and it literally means “one by means of two” and takes place when the author uses two words but only one idea is intended.
The two words are of the same parts of speech, i.e., two nouns, and are always joined together by the conjunction “and” and are also always in the same case.
One of the two words expresses the thing, and the other intensifies it by being changed (if a noun) into an adjective of the superlative degree, which is, by this means, made especially emphatic.
Here in Ephesians 4:24, the conjunction kai (καί) is used to connect together the nouns dikaiosune (δικαιοσύνη) and hosiotes (ὁσιότης), “holiness.”
Therefore, this figure indicates that the nouns dikaiosune (δικαιοσύνη) and hosiotes (ὁσιότης), “holiness” are not referring to two different concepts.
Rather, they are referring to one since both of these words speak of the character of the Lord Jesus Christ.
These two words are related to each because as we noted God’s holiness refers to the aggregate (i.e., sum total) of perfect features and traits that form the divine nature and one of these attributes is righteousness.
In other words, He perfectly exemplified all of the divine attributes during His First Advent and righteousness is one of the attributes.
This figure indicates that hosiotes (ὁσιότης), “holiness” is intensifying or advancing upon the idea expressed by dikaiosune (δικαιοσύνη).
Therefore, this figure expresses the idea that Father created the new man in conformity to His image by means of His Son exemplifying divine righteousness during His First Advent, indeed a holy righteousness.
This would also indicate that the exemplification of divine righteousness by the Lord Jesus Christ during His First Advent was divine in quality and character because righteousness is one of the attributes, which helps to compose God’s holiness.
Both of these noun dikaiosune (δικαιοσύνη) and hosiotes (ὁσιότης), “holiness” function as the object of the preposition en (ἐν), which functions as a marker of means.
This would indicate that the Father created the believer’s new man in conformity with His image “by means of” His Son perfectly exemplifying His righteousness during His First Advent was a righteousness that was holy in character since righteousness to compose God’s holiness.
