Putting on the New Man

Ephesians 4:17-24 (KJV)
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. have spent too much time trying to understand why I am the way I am, and not nearly enough time thinking about who God says I am. He tells me that all the old is passed away, and behold, the new is come. 

Turning around a self-image that you have spent years making is perhaps the toughest thing you will ever do. The devil will do his best to tell you it is impossible. But you must do it, and there is grace for it. God does not command what He doesn’t give grace for.

God tells us “put on the new self” (Ephesians 4:24). It is interesting that He does not say He is putting on the new self for us, so that we needn’t bother. No, though He is the giver of our new life, yet He tells us we must put it on. We must take off the old thoughts and actions, like dirty clothes, and put on His new suit and walk around in it. “Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

Even though we are encouraged to put off the old man, it cannot be done by self-effort, nor can it be done by striving to imitate Christ's conduct. It has been done for the believing sinner by the death of Christ. We are like babes who cannot dress themselves. I have learned with my little grandson that a child doesn't do very well when he tries to dress himself. As Christians we never reach the place where we can do that, and we don't need to try. It already has been done for us. We are told in the Epistle to the Romans that the old man has already been crucified in the death of Christ. "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin" (Rom. 6:6). In view of the truth that the old man has already been crucified with Christ, we are to put it off in the power of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that the flesh, the old nature, is ever eliminated in this life. We do not get rid of the old nature, but we are not to live in it; that is, we are not to allow it to control our lives.

But we do have a new nature. as a result of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Any man in Christ is a new creature. We are to live in that new nature, that new man. This is a repetition "Which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." This shows that this is the imputed righteousness of Christ, and that all is to be done consistent with the holy character of God. Since we have been declared righteous and we are in Christ seated in the heavenlies, our walk down here should be commensurate with our position.

Wait till you see how challenging this is when you get serious about it. But it is the way to live.