Put off the old, put on the new

Ephesians 4:17-32 ESV

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.  Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. 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. 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. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Take off the old (clothes)

The old self that was crucified in Christ, is to be taken off like a garment. How do we recognize it? Corrupt, through deceitful desire.

What happens when we don't?

We become callous to the sin in our lives. Sin becomes normal. Hard hearts are where unbelievers are. Their hearts do not hear God. Hardened hearts are believers who hear but refuse to change or repent. Their ways of sin don't bring them a sense of enjoyment, but rather just emptiness. We start to lose sense of how God sees things. We become alienated from Christian friends, serving, praying, and God. We become bitter about what God asks of us.

What to put on

Okay, what goes on after we have put off the old self? We are to put on our new selves, put on our new identities in Christ. We are not just adding a couple of good habits. We are to start acting out of our new identity in Christ. We are to enjoy God; do the good works God has prepared for us; be renewed in our minds. It is not just an outward habit, but rather an inner change.

How to truly change

Change happens by looking at Christ personally. We are not called to know Christ as a set of facts, but to actually know Christ and have personal fellowship with Jesus. In order for change to be permanent, we are to encounter Christ personally. God is not looking down on us; looking for an opportunity to criticize. He is working in us, lovingly and patiently.

Paul gives us examples of how to put off. Truth rather than lies. But this is inward not just outward. What motivates us to lie? selfish desire? Caring about ourselves more than anything else? We should care more about God's desires over our own.