«　WEEK 5　DAY 2　»

　　Eph. 4:22-24 That you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.

　　Paul does not say that we have been taught to put off the old man and to put on the new man. No, we have already put off the old man and have put on the new man. Our old man was buried in the waters of baptism. Hence, we have put off the old man. Furthermore, as we rose up from the water in resurrection, we were clothed with the new man. Hence, we have also put on the new man. Therefore, we have been taught in Christ as the reality is in Jesus that we have put off the old man and put on the new man.

　　Having put off the old man and having put on the new man is a condition of learning Christ. (Life-study of Ephesians, p. 400)

　　Romans 8:29 indicates that we are to be conformed to the image of Christ, the Firstborn among many brothers. To be conformed is to be molded. The Firstborn is the pattern, and the many brothers of the Firstborn are those who are to be conformed to this pattern. To learn Christ is simply to be molded into the pattern of Christ, that is, to be conformed to the image of Christ…. It is to be molded into the pattern set up by Him during His years on earth.

　　Based upon the accomplished facts of the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man, Ephesians 4:23 tells us to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. To be renewed is for our transformation to the image of Christ (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18). The spirit here is the regenerated spirit of the believers mingled with the indwelling Spirit of God. Such a mingled spirit spreads into our mind, thus becoming the spirit of our mind. It is in such a spirit that we are renewed for our transformation. In this way our natural mind is conquered, subdued, and put under the spirit. This, of course, implies a process of metabolic transformation. As this process takes place, the mingled spirit enters our mind, takes over our mind, and becomes the spirit of our mind.

　　By the spirit of the mind we are renewed to fulfill in experience what was accomplished in the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man…. We must experience and realize these facts by being renewed in the spirit of our mind. As these facts are realized in experience, we live a life that corresponds to the life of Jesus…. When we are renewed in the spirit of our mind to execute the fact of having put off the old man and having put on the new man, we live a life according to the truth, the reality that is in Jesus.

　　Ephesians 4:24 says that the new man was created according to God. The old man was created according to the image of God outwardly, without God’s life and nature (Gen. 1:26-27). But the new man was created according to God Himself inwardly, with God’s life and nature (Col. 3:10).

　　“Righteousness” [Eph. 4:24] is being right with God and with man according to God’s righteous way, whereas “holiness” is being separated unto God from anything common and being saturated with God’s holy nature…. In the life of Jesus righteousness and holiness of the reality were always being manifested. It was in the righteousness and holiness of this reality, which is God realized and expressed, that the new man was created.

　　We have put off the lusts and the falsehood of the devil and have put on the righteousness and holiness of God. This God is the truth, the reality, and this reality is seen in the living of Jesus on earth. The human living of Jesus was according to the reality, that is, according to God Himself, full of righteousness and holiness. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 393-394, 401-404)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 48-49