Paul Exhorts the Ephesians to Put Off the Old Man
and Put on the New Man
Ephesians
4:20-24 But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard Him, and
have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning
the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on
the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. KJVThe Apostle Paul having concluding his exhortation and warning to these Ephesian believers about not going back to the lifestyles they lived and practiced in the days of their ignorance before hearing and believing the Gospel of Grace now reaffirms to them that that way of life is not what they have learned and are learning from our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ by way of the Holy Spirit living and dwelling in them and us today. Paul declares that they and every one of us today who have received Christ have not understood Him in this manner as many of the false teachers all about are trying to espouse. The Apostle most certainly has in his mind one of the clear instances in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ when He was confronted with sinners and their sinfulness (John 8:3-12) while showing loving compassion at the same time enlisting, employing, and empowering the sinner whom He forgives to receive the change of life and behavior that only He can impart as we see at the end of this encounter with an adulterous woman recorded for us by the Apostle John, “When Jesus raised Himself up, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?’ She answered, ‘No one, Lord!’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more.’ Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, ‘I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life.’” (John 8:10-12).
Paul declares to them and to us today that “the truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21). The little English phrase “the truth” Paul uses here is translated by one Greek word aletheia meaning true (as not concealing); truth or verity, that is, conformity to reality or actuality. In other words, Paul in verses 20 and 21 wants to solidify what theses Ephesian Gentile believers have received in their union with our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ and that is truth because our Lord Jesus does not just teach them and us the truth (though He does that), but Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6) by nature and therefore, He can only lead those of us in union with Him into truth (John 1:17) and not error or a lie as unbelievers will not receive the truth and this is why they perish eternally. This is why Paul began by saying to these Ephesian brethren according to my translation (this is just how I read it from the Greek language) “You did not learn Christ in this way” or “You did not learn from Christ to live this way” (Ephesians 4:20). These words together “learned Christ” occur nowhere else in the entire New Testament or the Gospels or the Book of Revelation because Paul wanted an emphatic and exclamatory impact made upon their hearts and minds to make it clear to them who they are in Jesus Christ which is polar opposite of who they were before their encounter with Jesus Christ as our Lord Jesus declared Himself would be the case for all of His true followers when He said, “But He who enters by the door is a Shepherd of the sheep. To Him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He puts forth all His own, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:2-5).
The Apostle now concludes all of this by exhorting them and us today “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;” (Ephesians 4:22). First, Paul tells these Ephesian believers and us today that we must “put off” and this English phrase is translated by one Greek word apotithemi meaning to put away (literally or figuratively): - cast off, lay aside, or lay down. Second, Paul tells these Ephesian believers and us today it is the “former conversation” that is to be put off and the English word former is translated by the Greek word proteros meaning prior or previous (it is only used this one time in the Bible). The English word conversation is translated by the Greek word anastrophe meaning behavior or way of life or living. Thirdly, Paul declares that it is the “old man” that must be put away or put off and this is meant by Paul here as the old nature that every person is born with. Therefore, we find the Apostle exhorting and urging his fellow brethren and sisteren to cease from allowing their old nature to occupy the place of dominance in their daily lives because our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ did not teach them or us that this is His will for us, but instead as He commanded the first Apostles with these words, “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20). Our Lord Jesus Christ is with us always and in us forever and it is absolutely with His strength that we can do all things through Him (Philippians 4:13).
The Apostle Paul taught the Roman believers the reality of us putting off our “old man” like taking off old filthy smelly clothes and showering and then putting on new garments that are washed clean and fresh as he declared to them with these words, “We know that our old (un-renewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective {and} inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin.” (Romans 6:6). Note: “The ‘old nature’ can never be improved, but on the contrary just progressively gets worse and worse and those who have not a ‘new nature’ will go out into outer darkness separated from God and His Love forever with that ‘old nature’ getting worse and worse eternally and never satisfying, but serving as a part of the unbelievers eternal punishment, like someone being thirsty for water, yet not dying, but never getting a drop or sip of water to quench their thirst.”
Paul then tells them and us to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind;” (Ephesians 4:23). The English phrase “be renewed” is used this one and only time in the Bible and it is translated by the Greek word ananeoo which means to renovate, that is, reform. In other words, the “spirit of the mind” Paul refers to here is the purpose or the desire of the mind being renewed by the soul yielding to the leading of the Holy Spirit as He feeds the Word of God into our redeemed minds transforming it to see as He sees, think as He thinks, and operate as He operates in the world. Paul now directs them “that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). The English phrase “that ye put on” is translated by one Greek word enduo (where we get our English word endow) meaning (in the sense of sinking into a garment); to invest with clothing (literally or figuratively): - array, clothe with or endue. In other words, we are to consciously put on the “new nature” or “new man” that is in us from the moment of our “new birth” just as though we were putting on brand new clothing we just bought from one of the Department Stores in the mall just as Paul declared to the Colossian believers in Colossians 3:1-17 and as Zacharias prophesied would come to pass as recorded for us by Dr. Luke, “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant--As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old--Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us; To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.” (Luke 1:67-75).
My own Personal Note: “When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden and passed on a corrupt wicked and evil nature to every human being born from him, God never had a program, procedure, or process to reform, renovate, or renew that “old nature” or “old man”, but instead through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection from the dead God has promised, prepared, and provided a “new nature” or “new man” to be given to every born again son and daughter of His still allowing the “old nature” to remain “in them” still unchanged. Paul assumes that they have learned Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“The Lord Jesus is our text-book and our teacher, the schoolhouse in which we are taught, and the object lesson in which all truth is enshrined. But all is in vain unless we definitely and forever put away the old man; that is, our old manners and customs in so far as they are contrary to the Spirit of Christ. With equal decision we are called upon to seek the daily renewal of our spirit and the outward conformity of our mode of life to the example of Jesus. But it should never be forgotten that the latter will be a dry husk unless it is energized from the true vine. There can be little of Christ without unless He dwells without a rival within. But the Holy Spirit will see to this, if only we grieve Him not.” F. B. Meyer
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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