Putting Off the Old, Putting On the New: A Journey of Transformation
The Christian life is marked by a radical transformation—one that calls us to leave behind our old patterns and embrace an entirely new way of living. This isn't merely about behavior modification or trying harder to be good. It's about recognizing that we've been made into new creations, transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's beloved Son.
Think about the clothes hanging in your closet. You probably have some old work shirts—paint-stained, hole-ridden, tattered and torn. They're comfortable in their familiarity, but you'd never wear them to an important occasion. Then there are your special clothes—clean, pressed, appropriate for significant events.
Now consider royalty. When you see King Charles, Prince William, or Prince George, they wear garments befitting their position—regal robes with gold trim, specially made to reflect their royal lineage. They don't wear raggedy work clothes because that's not who they are. Their clothing matches their identity.
The same principle applies to us as believers. We've been adopted into God's royal family. We're princes and princesses in His kingdom. Yet how often do we continue wearing the tattered clothes of our old life instead of the royal garments God has provided?
The Call to Walk Worthy
Scripture urges us to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called." We've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We've been chosen, predestined for adoption, redeemed, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. We have an inheritance waiting for us.
But here's where theology meets reality: How do we live this out? If we are truly new creations in Christ—uniquely created by God, completely different from who we were—then our lives should reflect that transformation. We're called to grow up in every way into Christ, putting off the old self that belongs to our former manner of life and putting on the new self, created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness.
Romans 13:14 makes it clear: "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires." Jesus Himself is the prototype of this new self. He's the express image of God, and when we want to know God's preferences and character, we look at Jesus.
Four Transformations of the New Life
1. The New Self Speaks Truth
"Having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another."
Studies show that Americans tell approximately eleven lies per week. We've become so accustomed to deception—even in small ways—that we barely notice it anymore. "How are you doing?" "Fine." But are we really fine?
Lying comes naturally to our unregenerate self. Jesus identified Satan as "the father of lies," noting that "when he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar." When Satan was our spiritual father, lying was our native language. But now we belong to God, and with Him it is impossible to lie.
The rationale for truthfulness isn't just that it's the right thing to do. It's because we're members of one another. When your eyes deceive your feet about the height of a curb, you stumble. Similarly, when we lie to each other in the body of Christ, we cause each other to stumble. We're designed to be light in this world, but if we work in opposition to one another through deception, we dishonor God and weaken His church.
This calls for radical honesty—not becoming a "sin sniffer" who points out everyone else's faults, but walking in truth ourselves, being transparent, speaking truth in love to build up the body of Christ.
2. The New Self Exercises Self-Control
"Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil."
Anger itself isn't necessarily sin. It's an emotion, like happiness or sadness. God gets angry. Jesus got angry. But anger becomes sin when we nurture it, when we allow it to simmer and brood, when we hold grudges and refuse reconciliation.
Unresolved anger gives Satan a foothold—a beachhead in our lives. The word used here literally means "a place, position, or region." When we let bitterness and resentment linger, we're allowing the enemy to establish a base of operations in our hearts. Remember, Satan's purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. He doesn't need a huge opening—just the slightest foothold to begin working toward our defeat.
The solution? Don't let the sun go down on your anger. Take care of issues quickly. If you have something against someone, speak the truth in love. Seek to understand their perspective. Pursue reconciliation. Work to maintain the unity that the Spirit has already created between believers.
Jesus modeled righteous anger. When the Pharisees tested Him in the synagogue, He looked at them "with anger, grieved at the hardness of their heart." His anger wasn't about personal offense—it was spiritual grief over their condition. As we spend time with the Lord, we'll gain His mind and heart, learning to be "quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger."
3. The New Self Gives Generously
"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have something to share with anyone in need."
The command seems straightforward: don't steal. But how do we steal today? Withholding wages, committing fraud, not paying debts, shoplifting (even "just a stick of gum"), plagiarism—taking what isn't ours in countless ways.
But notice the positive command: work hard, doing honest work, not just to provide for yourself, but "so that you may have something to share with anyone in need." God gives us jobs and resources not merely for our own benefit, but so we can provide for others in the body.
This might mean monetary resources, but it could also mean your time—helping someone install a microwave, raking leaves for those who can't, putting up shelves. It's about being other-centered, scanning constantly for needs you might meet. "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but to the interests of others."
4. The New Self Expresses Grace
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."
Every one of us has a mouth, and Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." Corrupting talk—words that cause decay, that are rotten, foul, worthless—should never characterize our speech. Yet how easily unwholesome words slip out in the workplace, on the golf course, even at home.
Why does this happen? Because we pick up what we hear in our environment. You hang around a barbecue, you'll smell like barbecue. Spend time in the presence of the Lord, saturated in His Word, and gracious words will flow from you.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue." We can be death dealers or life givers with our words. We're called to be selective, speaking only words that build others up, custom-fit to each occasion, expressing the heart of the Father and giving grace to those who hear.
The Heart of the Matter
This transformation isn't about trying harder or following rules. It's about allowing God to search our hearts, confessing our weaknesses, and being filled with the power of His Spirit to walk in all He's provided.
We've been made new in Jesus. We're commanded to abandon the old patterns and live according to the new life God has provided. The question is: Will we continue wearing the tattered clothes of our old life, or will we put on the royal garments that befit our position as children of the King?
The choice is ours. May we daily put off the old self and put on Christ.
Think about the clothes hanging in your closet. You probably have some old work shirts—paint-stained, hole-ridden, tattered and torn. They're comfortable in their familiarity, but you'd never wear them to an important occasion. Then there are your special clothes—clean, pressed, appropriate for significant events.
Now consider royalty. When you see King Charles, Prince William, or Prince George, they wear garments befitting their position—regal robes with gold trim, specially made to reflect their royal lineage. They don't wear raggedy work clothes because that's not who they are. Their clothing matches their identity.
The same principle applies to us as believers. We've been adopted into God's royal family. We're princes and princesses in His kingdom. Yet how often do we continue wearing the tattered clothes of our old life instead of the royal garments God has provided?
The Call to Walk Worthy
Scripture urges us to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called." We've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We've been chosen, predestined for adoption, redeemed, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. We have an inheritance waiting for us.
But here's where theology meets reality: How do we live this out? If we are truly new creations in Christ—uniquely created by God, completely different from who we were—then our lives should reflect that transformation. We're called to grow up in every way into Christ, putting off the old self that belongs to our former manner of life and putting on the new self, created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness.
Romans 13:14 makes it clear: "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires." Jesus Himself is the prototype of this new self. He's the express image of God, and when we want to know God's preferences and character, we look at Jesus.
Four Transformations of the New Life
1. The New Self Speaks Truth
"Having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another."
Studies show that Americans tell approximately eleven lies per week. We've become so accustomed to deception—even in small ways—that we barely notice it anymore. "How are you doing?" "Fine." But are we really fine?
Lying comes naturally to our unregenerate self. Jesus identified Satan as "the father of lies," noting that "when he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar." When Satan was our spiritual father, lying was our native language. But now we belong to God, and with Him it is impossible to lie.
The rationale for truthfulness isn't just that it's the right thing to do. It's because we're members of one another. When your eyes deceive your feet about the height of a curb, you stumble. Similarly, when we lie to each other in the body of Christ, we cause each other to stumble. We're designed to be light in this world, but if we work in opposition to one another through deception, we dishonor God and weaken His church.
This calls for radical honesty—not becoming a "sin sniffer" who points out everyone else's faults, but walking in truth ourselves, being transparent, speaking truth in love to build up the body of Christ.
2. The New Self Exercises Self-Control
"Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil."
Anger itself isn't necessarily sin. It's an emotion, like happiness or sadness. God gets angry. Jesus got angry. But anger becomes sin when we nurture it, when we allow it to simmer and brood, when we hold grudges and refuse reconciliation.
Unresolved anger gives Satan a foothold—a beachhead in our lives. The word used here literally means "a place, position, or region." When we let bitterness and resentment linger, we're allowing the enemy to establish a base of operations in our hearts. Remember, Satan's purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. He doesn't need a huge opening—just the slightest foothold to begin working toward our defeat.
The solution? Don't let the sun go down on your anger. Take care of issues quickly. If you have something against someone, speak the truth in love. Seek to understand their perspective. Pursue reconciliation. Work to maintain the unity that the Spirit has already created between believers.
Jesus modeled righteous anger. When the Pharisees tested Him in the synagogue, He looked at them "with anger, grieved at the hardness of their heart." His anger wasn't about personal offense—it was spiritual grief over their condition. As we spend time with the Lord, we'll gain His mind and heart, learning to be "quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger."
3. The New Self Gives Generously
"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have something to share with anyone in need."
The command seems straightforward: don't steal. But how do we steal today? Withholding wages, committing fraud, not paying debts, shoplifting (even "just a stick of gum"), plagiarism—taking what isn't ours in countless ways.
But notice the positive command: work hard, doing honest work, not just to provide for yourself, but "so that you may have something to share with anyone in need." God gives us jobs and resources not merely for our own benefit, but so we can provide for others in the body.
This might mean monetary resources, but it could also mean your time—helping someone install a microwave, raking leaves for those who can't, putting up shelves. It's about being other-centered, scanning constantly for needs you might meet. "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but to the interests of others."
4. The New Self Expresses Grace
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."
Every one of us has a mouth, and Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." Corrupting talk—words that cause decay, that are rotten, foul, worthless—should never characterize our speech. Yet how easily unwholesome words slip out in the workplace, on the golf course, even at home.
Why does this happen? Because we pick up what we hear in our environment. You hang around a barbecue, you'll smell like barbecue. Spend time in the presence of the Lord, saturated in His Word, and gracious words will flow from you.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue." We can be death dealers or life givers with our words. We're called to be selective, speaking only words that build others up, custom-fit to each occasion, expressing the heart of the Father and giving grace to those who hear.
The Heart of the Matter
This transformation isn't about trying harder or following rules. It's about allowing God to search our hearts, confessing our weaknesses, and being filled with the power of His Spirit to walk in all He's provided.
We've been made new in Jesus. We're commanded to abandon the old patterns and live according to the new life God has provided. The question is: Will we continue wearing the tattered clothes of our old life, or will we put on the royal garments that befit our position as children of the King?
The choice is ours. May we daily put off the old self and put on Christ.
Posted in Book of Ephesians