22 … that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
The dichotomy between the old, pre-conversion life and the new life in Christ is stark. And it should be. There is an element of passivity that often happens when a person first comes to Christ. It seems to the new believer that changes are happening to him, with no effort on his part. In actuality, he is making efforts, but the sense of God’s presence, the working of the Holy Spirit, the exhilaration of forgiveness and the new awareness of eternal life, all serve up an overwhelming experience. New commitments along with a new hope energize the person to make changes in his life that were impossible before.
In time the newness and exhilaration of new life are tempered and a challenge surfaces. That which came easily at our conversion to Christ, in time becomes difficult. God hasn’t changed, nor have His promises. What has changed is the believer. Paul’s call in the passage to “put off” and “put on” is really no different than what we did when coming to Christ in the first place. This is a reminder.
These three verses summarize the task: put off the old, put on the new. The old way of life is one that spirals downward despite the hollow promises of lust. The passions of the old self hold out for satiation, but it never completely happens. Desires of the sinful flesh lead to increased want, because the desire is to fulfill (or relieve) the inner self, the inner compulsion, the inner desires of the heart. It is a constant carrot on the stick leading the poor mule along, never attaining what he is really after.
The “new self” refers to the new life in Christ. It begins in the mind—we are to be “renewed in the spirit of your mind.” With this, other Scripture agrees (see Romans 12:1-2, 2 Cor 10:5, 1 Peter 1:13). Walking worthy of our calling (vs. 1) means a change of mind, a renewal in how we perceive life circumstances. It is bringing our thoughts in line with the image of God in us. Grace has renewed in us His likeness in which we were created and to which salvation is intended to restore us. We were created to be righteous and holy, and now, in Christ, we are returned to that. Our role is to not revert back to our unsaved life style but to consciously live in accordance with that likeness of God. That is the true way of living.
Lord, thank You for saving me from the spiritually dead treadmill of lustful living.
0 Comments