PUTTING ON THE NEW
Ephesians 4:21-32 NKJV
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," for we are members of one another. 26 "Be angry, and do not sin": 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.
I typically don't list this many scriptures for the devotionals, but there is a flow here that I wanted us to see. In Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, he spends the best part of the first four chapters discussing spiritual truths that pertain to us in Christ. Paul speaks of our acceptance, salvation by grace, forgiveness, and the blessings that are ours in Christ. He writes of what Jesus did for us in His death, burial, and resurrection, and how we are one body in HIm.
As we get into the fourth through the sixth chapters of Ephesians, Paul, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, lays out the more practical side of these spiritual truths. And this is what we see in our verses for today. Paul is giving the church at Ephesus and the church here in Texas what we are to do now that we are new creations in Christ.
Put off the old way of living and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Paul is exhorting the church to live differently because they are different. Our minds, and we can say mindset, have to be renewed or renovated with new thoughts about who we are and how we are to live. This new man has been created in true righteousness and holiness. Obviously, not a feeling, nor is it an automatic process, but spiritually we are not the same people that we were prior to receiving Christ. So based on this new spiritual reality, Paul writes as to how we are to live. What putting on the new man looks like. That's why Paul says, therefore.
I heard a minister once say that when you see the word therefore, check to see what it is there for. Bad pun, but the principle is correct. Therefore, because we are new creations made according to God in righteousness and true holiness, put away lying and speak truth with one another. After all, we are connected to one another. Verse 25 begins the list of what putting on the new man looks like in real time. Dealing with anger. Not giving the devil a foothold. Not stealing, but working instead, so you can have something to give to the person who has needs. Not speaking any corrupting, toxic words (see yesterday's devo), but instead words of life that impart grace to the hearers. And by the way, this will include words you speak about yourself. You are a hearer of your own words. And don't grieve the Holy Spirit with your words and actions.
Paul then lists more things to put away because we are putting off the old and putting on the new. The new man is not bitter, explosive, angry, quarreling, slanderous, or malicious. And put on the new man who looks kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving as Jesus forgave us. Whew that's quite the list. Aren't you glad we have been equipped to put on this new man and live this new way?
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that I am not the person I used to be. Show me the areas where I need the most mind renewal. I purpose to live this new life.