Put on the New Self

Ephesians 4:22-24

St. John’s United Church of Christ
Greeley, Colorado
Pastor Wayne Buller
January 1, 2023

Here we are at the start of the new year. What will you contemplate about the New Year, 2023? Here are some questions to ask:

1.  Will this year be any different as far as our spiritual walk in Christ?

2.  Why is the Word of God so important for living by, and with, the Holy Spirit this year?

3.  What will our attitude be this year to overcome the distractions one faces in our spiritual life?

4.  What do you want for the New Year as far as your family, church, friends, and for yourself?

5.  What goals can be obtained this year to bless others?

Put on the New Self

Take a look at today’s scripture: Ephesians 4:22-24. Think about the phrase “put on the new.” The origin of the phrase means “to clothe or be clothed with” (in the sense of sinking into a garment). You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. What does Ephesians 4:24 mean? What does put on the “new self” mean?

Paul refers to the transformation that occurs at conversion as the creation of a new self. “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Col 3:9-11). The “New Self”, defined as new or fresh, and used as: fresh, new, unused, novel.

The original word used was kainós, which means new in quality (innovation), fresh in development of opportunity, “not found exactly like this before.”

Be renewed in your mind (In Christ)

Ephesians 4:23 says “be renewed,” and people ask “what does it mean to be renewed?”

By definition “renewed” means: to make like new; to restore to freshness, vigor, or perfection; as we renew our strength in sleep; to make new spiritually; regenerate; to restore to existence; revive.

Many times throughout the bible the word used was ananeóō (from aná “up, completing a process,” and néos “recent, new”) which means “going up to a higher stage (level of sanctification) by God’s power; divinely renewed.” However the word ananeoō (meaning “make new in relation to time”) is only used in Ephesians 4:23. Here believers are reminded of God’s continuous offer to bring new strides in their sanctification through “sanctified reasoning”—raising the meaning up to new levels of spiritual comprehension and reality.

It makes me think. This “new creation” that you become is now a cherished son or daughter of God. This means you are no longer dominated by your sinful nature, but are now controlled by the Holy Spirit because you have the Spirit of the Living God dwelling on the inside of you. Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.

A Christian is a new creation

2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” What does it mean “he is a new creation?” The word “therefore” refers us back to verses 14-16 where Paul tells us that all believers have died with Christ and no longer live for themselves. Our lives are no longer worldly; they are now spiritual. Our “death” is that of the old sin nature which was nailed to the cross with Christ. It was buried with Him, and just as He was raised up by the Father, so are we raised up to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). That new person that was raised up is what Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 5:17 as the “new creation.”

To understand the new creation, first we must grasp that it is in fact a creation, something created by God. John 1:13 tells us that this new birth was brought about by the will of God. We did not inherit the new nature from our parents of decide to re-create ourselves anew. Neither did God simply clean up our old nature; He created something entirely fresh and unique. The new creation is completely new, brought about from nothing, just as the whole universe was created by God ex nihilo, from nothing. Only the Creator could accomplish such a feat.

Second, “old things have passed away,” the “old” refers to everything that is part of our old nature—natural pride, love of sin, reliance on works, and our former opinions, habits and passions. Most significantly, what we loved has passed away, especially the supreme love of self and with it self-righteousness, self-promotion, and self-justification. The new creature looks outwardly toward Christ instead of inwardly toward self. The old things died, nailed to the cross with our sin nature.

Along with the old passing away, “the new has come!” Old, dead things are replaced with new things, full of life and the glory of God. The newborn soul delights in the things of God and abhors the things of the world and the flesh. Our purposes, feelings, desires, and understandings are fresh and different. We see the word differently. The Bible seems to be a new book, and though we may have read it before, there is a beauty about it which we never saw before, and which we wonder at not having perceived. The whole face of nature seems to us to be changed, and we seem to be in a new world. the heavens and the earth are filled with new wonders, and all things seem now to speak forth the praise of God. There are new feelings toward all people—a new kind of love toward family and friends, a new compassion never before felt for enemies, and a new love for all mankind.

The things we once loved, we now detest. The sin we once held onto, we now desire to put away forever. We “put off the old man with his deeds” (Colossians 3:9), and put on the “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).